Golden Hope (62 page)

During the past hours, Coroner Twyman seemed to have swelled physically with an air of triumphant self-importance that threatened to burst his body at the seams.

Finch drew Clytie's attention to the two seats vacated by the Jantzens.

Clytie could not restrain her anxiety. ‘They won't come back. I'll bet Noni destroyed Sister Bracken's letter that Adelaide made her write. Sonny was probably unaware of its existence.'

‘It's crucial evidence,' Finch admitted. ‘Most people who suicide leave a note of their intentions. None has yet been discovered.'

‘Tell me Twyman can't accuse Doc and Adelaide of murder!'

Finch was saved from answering by Holy Maude's audible whisper to them as she paused en route to her seat.

‘This is a bad business, Finch. Twyman's always coveted a government job. He thinks if he brings in a verdict of murder they'll appoint him the new Coroner.'

When she moved away to take her seat, Finch's mouth formed a hard line.

‘It seems a wife-basher is fit to sit in judgement on a fine physician who has done nothing worse than protect his sister from . . . well, you know what I mean.'

Clytie opened her mouth, ready to spring to her friend's defence, only to be interrupted by a man wearing a tartan cap.

‘Yer dead right, laddie. Even if Adelaide Hundey did the deed, we canna afford to lose the best doctor Hoffnung ever had.'

Clytie instinctively gripped Finch's arm at sight of the tall, dignified figure who entered the hall escorted by Sergeant Mangles.

Today Adelaide was elegantly dressed in sober grey silk, a gold locket at her throat. The veiling on her fashionable hat was rolled back to reveal the stark pallor of her features. She moved haltingly but with pride as if determined to disguise her crippled gait. Sergeant Mangles drew out a chair for her, gave her a kindly nod of encouragement and patted her shoulder.

Twyman wasted no time in moving in for the kill. Finch was reminded of the descriptions he had read of Spanish bullfights at the final moment the matador thrusts his sword into the wounded bull.

‘Are you willing to take the oath, madam?' Twyman asked pointedly.

‘Why would I not?' Adelaide demanded crisply. She took the oath in a clear voice.

‘You, Adelaide Hundey, are the stated sister of Dr Robert A. Hundey, are you not?'

‘You know perfectly well that is the case. You may recall my brother and I gave evidence regarding the death of
Mrs
Twyman some twelve years past.'

Twyman stiffened. ‘May I remind
you
, madam, you are not here to rake over ancient history. You have been called to give account of a meeting, which according to evidence given by a previous witness, you conducted with Sister Bracken yesterday afternoon only a few short hours prior to her death.'

‘I do not deny that meeting. I called at the hospital to urge Sister Bracken to write the letter she had agreed weeks earlier to send to Mr Sonny Jantzen.'

‘Indeed. And what was the nature of this letter?'

‘Sister Bracken's personal confession concerning a matter of conscience.'

Twyman's voice was heavy with sarcasm. ‘Do you, of all people, consider yourself qualified to judge Sister Bracken's conscience?'

‘I consider that when a person in authority “plays God” and deliberately makes a wrongful decision involving the lives of innocent people,
any
person has a duty to attempt to reverse that decision and see justice done.'

‘
Plays God?
I warn you, madam. If you are insinuating that a
respected woman of Sister Bracken's calibre was guilty of some criminal act, you can be hauled into court on a charge of libel –'

‘I do not
insinuate
, Sir. I am stating the known facts. Sister Bracken confessed the wrong she had done – but there was no real proof of it until she put it in writing. This she finally did in my presence.'

‘A letter you bullied her into writing and which you
bribed
Donald Tibbut to deliver for you.'

‘Nothing of the kind!' Adelaide Hundey began to stammer. ‘I merely gave Donald a florin in appreciation of his time. It is common knowledge that for years the lad worked unpaid for Sister Bracken in return for his bed and board.'

Twynan could hardly contain his outrage. ‘Watch your tongue, madam! You are defaming a dead woman!'

‘No, she ain't!' a woman called out. ‘Poor Duffer's never had two coins to rub together.'

‘Who said that? Leave at once!'

No one owned up to the comment. Twyman proceeded, his face scarlet.

‘I put it to you, Adelaide Hundey, that you waged a relentless campaign against the Head of Hoffnung Hospital, that you coerced and bullied her into writing a lie that would destroy her reputation. And that when she refused to write the words that you dictated, you killed her in a fit of rage –'

‘No, that is a lie!'

‘– and you then covered up your murderous act by having her body strung up in the cemetery to give the appearance of suicide.'

Adelaide Hundey rose to her feet swaying, her voice rising in denial.

‘I did no such thing! I admit I was furious with Bracken for destroying innocent lives. But I had no intention of pushing her to the brink of suicide. I regret greatly that the woman died by her own hand – a terrible waste of life. I have no doubt that once the wrong had been righted, my brother would have allowed her to continue in charge of the hospital.'

‘Your brother, eh?' Twyman let the words hang in the air for some time.

Clytie whispered to Finch, ‘What's he getting at?'

‘He's laid a trap for her. God help Doc!'

The lower register of Twyman's voice was even more menacing. ‘Do you consider your brother to be a fit person to practise medicine, Miss Hundey?'

She hesitated as if afraid to speak. ‘Surely his record of service to the Hoffnung community speaks for itself.'

‘Be that as it may, do you consider
yourself
a fit person to give evidence in a murder trial?'

Finch cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted back at the stage. ‘This isn't a murder trial, Twyman – it's an inquest!'

‘Hear, hear!' a number of voices echoed in assent.

‘You have not answered my question, Miss Hundey,' Twyman shouted.

‘I have told the truth, on oath,' she answered, her voice beginning to crack with strain.

‘Then you are unable to deny the fact that prior to residing in Hoffnung, you were incarcerated in Kew Lunatic Asylum for a period of one year?'

There was a long moment of total silence. People leaned forward in their seats.

Adelaide's voice seemed drained of energy. ‘That fact is true. But it was a case of mistaken identity. I have never in my life harmed anyone. I was placed there to seek expert medical
advice
– and released.'

‘And what precisely was the medical definition of your mental illness?'

Adelaide gripped the back of her chair to steady herself.

‘Unwilling to reveal your dirty secret, are you?' Twyman crowed.

Clytie saw an expression on Long Sam's gentle face she had never seen before as he raised his hand from the back of the hall and called out.

‘I beg you, Sir. Stop! This is not British justice!'

Sam's cry from the heart caused male and female voices to echo around the room.

‘Shame on you, Twyman!'

Twyman held up his hands for silence.

‘Here's the proof! I have on good authority from a source that wishes to remain anonymous the dates of a patient's incarceration in Kew Lunatic Asylum. Proof that the person committed there thirteen years ago was not Adelaide Hundey. It was
Robert
Hundey.'

Twyman's accusation seemed to hang in the air, his words greeted by total shocked silence. His face shone in triumph.

‘I put it to you, Adelaide Hundey, that you killed Sister Bracken to prevent her exposing your
brother's
mental condition – knowing that if that was exposed, his name would be struck from the British Medical Register!'

‘Stop this witch hunt, Twyman!' a familiar male voice called from the rear of the hall. Pale and haggard, but energised by some inner driving force, Sonny Jantzen strode down the aisle, brandishing an envelope above his head.

He stopped in front of the stage and cast Twyman a withering glance.

‘You can swear me in later, Twyman. I have just taken possession of this letter, withheld by my wife in the mistaken belief she was sparing me anguish. I offer it as evidence. It is a full confession by Sister Bracken of a shameful act she committed. In the hands of any
reputable
Coroner this letter is proof that her death was suicide – not murder!'

Sonny handed the letter to Sergeant Mangles who read it swiftly then handed it across for Twyman to read. The jurymen clustered around him, craning their necks to witness the evidence.

After conferring with Pius James, the spokesman for the jury, Twyman was forced to capitulate, but he seized his right to deliver the final word.

‘This letter confirms that Sister Agnes Mary Bracken intended to take her own life. Therefore the jury has brought in a verdict of suicide. This inquest is now concluded – except for one factor. The citizens of Hoffnung would be advised to appoint a physician to replace one proven to have been an inmate in a Lunatic Asylum – there is no doubt about
that!
'

Sergeant Mangles took charge. ‘You heard the jury's verdict. This inquest is now ended. You would all do well to go directly to your homes and remember that
no one
was proven guilty of any criminal act.' He glanced at Twyman. ‘Although it could well be said that
some
greatly exceeded their authority.'

Finch strode down the aisle and stood in front of Adelaide Hundey, defying anyone to eject him.

‘Miss Hundey, may I have the honour of escorting you home?'

She looked at Finch in surprise but with dignity accepted his arm and they departed the hall via the side exit. Her tall figure seemed to have shrunk several inches.

For barely a moment the townsfolk of Hoffnung remained seated in a shocked silence that soon erupted into a war of words in which ‘insanity' and ‘lunatic' passed from mouth to mouth.

Feeling a surge of pride in Finch's prompt action, Clytie leapt up onto the bench and yelled out in a voice that bounced off the walls. She pointed an accusing finger that swung around to encompass every person in the hall.

‘What's wrong with you people? Wake up to yourselves. Have you forgotten how many lives Doc has saved? All that he's done for this community? Are you going to let Bruiser Twyman get away with running Doc out of
your
town?'

All heads turned in the direction of the stage. Counsellor Twyman fired his last defiant shot.

‘The inescapable fact remains that Robert Hundey was treated for insanity and should be banned from practising medicine for the term of his natural life!'

His words were met with a heavy pall of silence.

Tears of rage clouded Clytie's eyes. ‘If you choose to believe that Doc is crazy, then God help the lot of you!' she cried in defiance.

Defeated by their silence, she ran out into the night.

Clytie knew the truth.
If Doc is banned from practising medicine, it will destroy him. And I'll never get my baby back.

At first glance Doc's house lay in darkness, strangely ominous, abandoned. Clytie was startled by the unexpected memory of the words, ‘Abandon hope all ye who enter here.'

She was alerted to the unusual emptiness of the noticeboard beside the front door. Not a single note from any of his patients.

Doc's horse and cart stood at the front of the stables. It was loaded up with a cabin trunk and a box of books, an ominous sign of an intended departure.

‘It seems we got here just in time to stop Doc bolting,' Finch said.

Clytie was agitated. ‘Did Adelaide give you any clues when you brought her home? How did she seem? Unbalanced? Who could blame her if she was? The whole day was a hellish ordeal for both of them.'

‘She didn't say a single word until I delivered her here to her front door. She just said, “Take care of my friend, Clytie.”' Finch hesitated and against his better judgement decided to pass on the rest of Adelaide's curious statement. ‘She said she wished she could have been the woman friend that you needed – she felt she had let you down badly.'

There was an air of finality in the words. Appalled, Clytie covered her mouth with her hands. ‘Never! Adelaide's my friend for life!'

‘Then she'll be happy to hear the truth directly from you.'

He gave an aggressive series of raps on the brass knocker. ‘Come on, Doc, open up!'

From the rear of the house came the distinctive sound of music being played on a cylinder. Scratchy with usage, the poignant strains of
Home Sweet Home
seemed rather ironic under the circumstances
.

‘Madame Nellie Melba,' Clytie said. ‘No voice in the world is as pure as hers. Adelaide adores her.'

Finch nodded. ‘Doc was supposed to be under House Arrest but you know Doc. If a patient needed him he'd have broken the law and charged off to their aid. Anyway, he wasn't here when I brought his sister home. He badly needs to know we're on his side – despite
Twyman's ugly accusation. If Doc is crazy, then the sooner the rest of the world is certified insane the better!'

Clytie agreed. ‘Doc sees inside everyone and accepts the best and worst in all of us.'

‘I don't doubt Adelaide was right. Doc would even have forgiven Sister Bracken's appalling mistake if only she had had the courage to confess it. But in a sense she died of shame.'