Churchyard and Hawke (28 page)

Delville’s response was a look charged with malevolence, but Amos felt that the peer’s son was thinking about what had just been said . . . and his next words confirmed this.

‘You still have to prove my guilt in court and I do not think you will be able to do that.’

‘You can think what you like,’ Amos retorted, ‘When I produce a note from you giving instructions to a convicted forger to forge a reference for a convicted young criminal to obtain a post at Laneglos - and another on forging ball tickets, plus a witness who saw you talking to Alfie Banks in a London pub, a map drawn by yourself giving positions and details of houses to be robbed - together with information that could only have come from someone familiar with the contents and occupants of these houses - and proof that you left the house on the night of the burglary at Laneglos, I think a jury will sit up and take notice. These are just a few of the things I will be able to prove in court.’

Shaken now, but still defiant, Delville said, ‘Do you seriously believe that when the time comes these so-called "witnesses" of yours will stand up in court and give evidence against me?’

‘I have no doubts at all, because it isn’t only thieving and deception we are talking about. There are also two murders and an attempted murder tied in with the events at Laneglos and when murder is mentioned even the most hardened criminal undergoes something of a metamorphosis and self-preservation becomes his sole aim.’

‘Two murders? ‘

In any other circumstances Amos would have accepted the bewilderment of the man he was questioning as genuine, but he knew he was dealing with a particularly clever criminal, ‘That’s right. Poor Enid Merryn, Lord Hogg . . . and the attempted murder of your mother.’

‘What are you talking about . . . ? I know the servant girl was strangled, but my stepfather died of natural causes . . . and what is this nonsense about my mother?’

‘I’m surprised your valet didn’t tell you when he brought your things to London . . . but he probably didn’t feel inclined to tell you anything after the way he has been treated. Anyway, new information was received that caused us to have the body of the late Lord Hogg removed from the family vault and a post mortem carried out. It revealed the cause of his death to be arsenic poisoning. Your mother’s symptoms were so similar to his that special steps were taken to monitor her food and drink. As a result I am pleased to say she appears to be making a full recovery.’

‘Good God! It’s unbelievable . . . but even if it’s true, what does their poisoning have to do with the strangulation of a scullery-maid - and more to the point, what does any of this have to do with me?’

‘I was hoping you would tell me. All I have at the moment is a purely circumstantial case against you . . . although hard evidence is beginning to emerge. I have spoken to Connie Dawes, the young kitchen maid who was pregnant by you - she has been arrested in connection with the death of her baby and will be naming you as the father of her child in court. I believe you had an arrangement to take care of her if she said nothing, but went back on your word. It has made her very angry, so it is unfortunate that she was one of two people to whom poor Enid confided that she too was expecting a baby by you. I know you promised to take care of her too, but she was so simple that the whole business of having your baby was too much for her . . . she just couldn’t keep it to herself. She was going to tell the housekeeper.’

‘I didn’t know anything of this.’ Delville said, but Amos thought he was less confident now, ‘Even if I did, it’s hardly a reason for murdering the girl. She wouldn’t be the first servant girl to find herself pregnant.’

‘I don’t believe there are any circumstances in which cold-blooded murder is justified.’ Amos replied, ‘but there is also a suggestion that she might have seen you talking with Alfie Banks, whom she had once met in company with the young servant for whom you had a reference forged. Now, tying you in with the burglary would have been a motive for murder. I happen to know that Lord Hogg had threatened to cut off all monies to you if you made any more servant girls pregnant. It is common knowledge you were desperate for money to pay your ever-mounting debts - so desperate that you could even be deemed capable of poisoning your stepfather in anticipation of benefiting from his will.’

‘This is absolute nonsense!’ Delville declared, ‘And as for the preposterous insinuation that I would try to poison my own mother . . .’

‘You would not be the first son guilty of matricide . . . and because of the wording of Lord Hogg’s will, only her death would give you access to the amount of money you so desperately needed.’

‘All this is no more than the product of a warped mind . . . a policeman’s mind. You have no actual evidence whatsoever.’

‘Wrong again.’ Amos said, ‘Arsenic is the poison that was used to murder Lord Hogg . . . and we found a quantity of arsenic in a basement cupboard in your London home, enough to kill quite a number of people . . . and more than enough to convict you.’

‘That poison . . . the house was occupied by a doctor before I moved in. He must have left it there.’

‘I don’t think that where the arsenic came from would concern a jury too much. Their interest would be solely in what it was used for . . . and I think they will arrive at the right answer.’

Far less arrogant and confident now, Delville said nothing for a while, then, ‘Do you really think I killed my stepfather and was trying to poison my mother?’

‘I think that within a few days I will have gathered enoughs evidence to convince a jury . . . and then it won’t matter what I think.’

Delville was silent for almost twenty minutes, during which time the train stopped at Bristol station where there was the sound of porters calling to one another and the slamming of carriage doors for some minutes before it set off on its way once more.

As the train pulled away from the station and began to gather speed, Delville looked sideways at Amos and had obviously arrived at a decision. With a resigned expression, he said, ‘I think I had better tell you my version of events, Superintendent Hawke . . .‘

CHAPTER 39

On the arrival of the two policemen and their prisoner at the Bodmin police headquarters, Delville was taken down to the cells and Amos and Tom were able to enjoy a leisurely breakfast provided for them by a local hotel, at the same time deciding how much of what Delville had told them should be passed on to the chief constable who was soon due to arrive at his office. Amos felt there were still a number of points to be cleared up.

It had not been necessary for Amos to tell Tom what Delville had told him on the train because, although he had given the impression of being asleep during Delville’s version of events, Tom had actually heard every word of the conversation between superintendent and prisoner.

By the time a constable put his head around the door of Amos’s office to say the chief constable had arrived, they had agreed he should be told of Delville’s confession to the burglary, but that they should make no mention of what he had said about the murders.

Chief Constable Gilbert was greatly relieved to learn of Delville’s confession to involvement with the burglary. Had he not done so, the chief constable felt a conviction would not have been a foregone conclusion given the influence the gentry - especially titled gentry - had in the county.

‘You have both done very well,’ he said, ‘but do you think you will be able to secure a murder conviction against him now you have found arsenic in his possession?’

‘I hope to be able to give you a full answer to that later in the day, sir.’ Amos said enigmatically. ‘I would rather not commit myself until I and Churchyard have made a few more inquiries at Laneglos and at the same time inform Lord Hogg that we have arrested his step-brother. However, before going there I feel we should go home to tidy ourselves up a little, having spent more than twenty-four hours travelling back and forth, without a wash or shave.’

‘Of course. I will await your return with the greatest interest - but tread lightly, Amos, it still remains a very delicate situation.’

Before he and Tom went home to clean up and change their clothing, Amos took the files containing all the statements taken from the Laneglos servants in connection with the burglary and murder and while Tom drove the pony and trap he went through them, selecting some for special study and comparison.

When they pulled up at the Hawke cottage, Tom asked, ‘Did you find anything of particular interest in the statements, Amos?’

‘Yes, in the light of what we now know, of great interest, but I would like you to read them while I clean up, then have Talwyn read through them. She has a very quick and analytical brain and I want to see if she picks up on a couple of anomalies we have not noticed before - and I might not have noticed them now had it not been for what Delville told us last night on the train.’

Talwyn was pleased to see Amos home again and thrilled that his trip to London had proved so successful. She readily agreed to his suggestion about the statements and when he left to wash and shave she and Tom were seated at the kitchen table, poring over them.

By the time Amos returned to the kitchen an excited Talwyn was able to tell him there were three of the statements that appeared to contradict each other, adding, ‘I will not say which three until Tom has finished going through them, but I can see he has already found two of them.’

When Tom separated a third statement, Amos picked them up and, showing them to Talwyn, asked, ‘Are these the same three which caught your attention?’

‘Yes . . . and you?’

He nodded. ‘Go and clean up, Tom, then we’ll go to Laneglos. I have an idea that by the time we return to Bodmin we will have solved the murders of Enid Merryn . . . and Lord Hogg.’

Lord Hogg listened to Amos in disbelief when told of the arrest of his step-brother in connection with the burglary at Laneglos. Shaking his head, he said, ‘I find it difficult to believe . . . are you quite certain about this, Superintendent?’

‘There is no doubt about it, sir, he actually planned the whole thing and admitted it to Sergeant Churchyard and myself last night when we were bringing him back to Cornwall from London on the train.’

‘Well . . . it is no secret that he and I never got along together, but I never dreamed he would do something like this . . .’ Struck by a sudden thought he said, hesitantly, ‘I don’t suppose . . . no, I cannot believe he had anything to do with the murders of my father and the young servant girl . . . did he?’

Avoiding giving a direct reply to the question, Amos said, ‘I hope to be able to give you an answer to that question when we have questioned three of your servants again . . . actually, it is two servants and a gamekeeper. I wonder whether we might speak with your housekeeper and make arrangements to interview them.’

‘Of course. Interview them in my study, I will have the housekeeper sent to you there.’

As Amos and Tom were about to follow the servant who was to show them to the study, Amos turned back, ‘By the way, when the Honourable Charles was arrested he had a quantity of jewellery in his possession. I think he came by it honestly, but I believe some of the pieces are family heirlooms. If you would prefer to have them here in the house for safekeeping rather than in the police station, I am sure it might be arranged, if your step-brother agrees, of course.’

The frown that Lord Hogg had worn since receiving the disturbing news of his step-brother’s arrest disappeared for a moment and he gave Amos a searching look before saying. ‘Thank you very much, Superintendent, that is very thoughtful of you. I will be visiting Charles, of course, and will discuss their safekeeping with him.’

Flora was obviously delighted to see Tom and had Amos entertained any doubts about their relationship it would have been instantly dispelled. When they told her the purpose of their visit and the order in which they wished to see the three Laneglos employees, she immediately asked, ‘Is one of them suspected of Enid’s murder?’

‘It’s possible,’ Amos replied, ‘but until we have questioned them all, we can’t say anything . . . but I think we owe it to you to tell you that Tom and I went to London and arrested the Honourable Charles in connection with the burglary here at the house.’

She seemed less shocked than she might have been, ‘I am not surprised by anything he does, but it is a good thing that Lady Hogg’s health is improving. Had she been given the news a few days ago the shock would probably have killed her . . . but I will have Harry Clemo sent for. He was on night patrol last night, so he should be available at his cottage. In the meantime you can be talking with Chester Woods. I’ll tell Peggy you want to talk to her too, but I don’t know if you’ll get much sense out of her, she seems to have been behaving in a peculiar manner lately, I’ve been thinking of talking to Doctor Hollis about her when he next comes to see Lady Hogg.’

CHAPTER 40

Once again Amos marvelled that Chester Woods could have gained a reputation as a womaniser. A small and insignificant man, he also had a nervous sniff, which Amos decided was due to his discomfiture at being subjected to yet another interrogation by police - and the Laneglos footman had good reason to feel insecure.

‘Hello, Woods . . . I think you probably know why we have come to see you again.’

The footman shook his head, ‘I have no idea. I told you everything I knew the last time I spoke to you.’

‘You certainly told us what had happened on the night of the burglary . . . but that doesn’t mean you told us the truth. For instance, how long were you outside the house on that night?’

‘I told you, no more than five or ten minutes, then I came back in for fear that Peggy Woods might come back and catch me out.’

‘Are you sure you didn’t stay outside for long enough to see Peggy leave the hayloft, before going back inside and up to your room?’

‘No, I’ve told you what happened. I couldn’t see her come out from the kitchen door, I’d have had to be much closer to the barn and then she might have caught me out.’

‘Right . . . I will remind you that as well as the burglary there was a murder that night . . . the murder of a young servant girl who you knew. If I catch you out on a lie I will have you arrested and the chances are you will be charged in connection with that murder. Do you understand?’