The Tewkesbury Tomb (19 page)

‘You will face trial for the deaths of Crosbie, Hollinger, Anstruther and Jenkins – and you will almost certainly hang,’ said Ravenscroft with contempt, rising from his seat and indicating that the interview was at an end.

Ross let out a loud laugh and reached into his pocket.

‘Take him back to his cell, Crabb,’ instructed Ravenscroft, beginning to leave the room.

‘Quickly, sir!’ shouted Crabb.

Ross poured some liquid into his glass and, throwing back his head, drained it, before Ravenscroft could wrestle the container from his grasp.

‘You are too late, Ravenscroft!’ laughed Ross.

‘No. Good God, man, not this way!’ said Ravenscroft, unable to do anything as Ross’s body shook violently before collapsing in the chair.

‘He must have had the poison on his person,’ said a startled Crabb standing back from the corpse.

‘Damn the man! He has escaped the hangman’s noose!’

‘Well Mr Ravenscroft, if you have no further need of us, Miss Eames and I with leave you,’ said Ganniford standing outside the
Hop Pole later that day.

‘Yes, everything is in order. I have your statements. Everything is at an end,’ replied Ravenscroft.

‘I am only sorry that my poor friend Jenkins will not be leaving with us. I will miss our talks together. He was a good man, you know. He did not deserve to die like that. However Miss Eames has agreed to accompany me to London, where I will be pleased to offer her my protection,’ said Ganniford kissing his companion’s hand before stepping into the cab.

‘Good day to you, Miss Eames,’ said Ravenscroft nodding in the lady’s direction.

‘Good day to you, Inspector,’ smiled Miss Eames. ‘Perhaps we will meet again one day.’

‘Right then, Ravenscroft. Jolly well done and all that. We caught that murdering scoundrel in the end,’ said Ganniford as the cabman urged the horse forward.

Ravenscroft and Crabb watched as the vehicle turned the corner.

‘We should have arrested him for the murder of Charles Ross,’ muttered Crabb.

‘It would do no good. No jury would convict him on the evidence now that Robert Ross himself is dead. Ganniford would deny everything, no doubt still maintaining that Charles Ross shot himself as the result of an accident. No, the events of the past have cast a long and deep shadow over the lives of too many people. Let Ganniford and Miss Eames make something of their lives if they can.’

‘I suppose you’re right, sir.’

‘There is one question that we will never know the answer to.’

‘Oh, what’s that?’ asked Crabb.

‘Why that poor Crosbie fellow only cut the nails on one of his feet, and not the other.’

‘What now then, sir?’

‘It seems we have been granted permission to open that old tomb in Meysey Hampton. The vicar expects us there next Tuesday at three in the afternoon. There may be treasure to be found after all.’

‘You’ll be leaving us then, Mr Ravenscroft,’ said a grinning Stebbins, emerging from the Hop Pole.

‘Yes, Stebbins. We have spent far too long in this town. Our business is all concluded.’

‘Took his own life in the end, I hear.’

‘That is no concern of yours, Stebbins,’ said Ravenscroft mounting his trap.

‘Good day to you then, Mr Ravenscroft.’

‘Good day to you, Stebbins.’

‘Till the next time then. You knows you can call on me at any time. Stebbins is your man.’

‘And Stebbins—’

‘Yes?’

‘Just try and stay out of trouble.’

‘I will do my best, sir. Stebbins will do his best.’

‘I must say, my dear, that I am mighty relieved that the case has come to a conclusion. It was not the ending I would have wanted, but I suppose justice has been done in the end.’

Ravenscroft had returned home later that evening and, as they sat before the fire, he had related the events of the day.

‘It is quite horrible, to have taken his own life like that and in such an awful fashion,’ replied Lucy.

‘I would have preferred it if we had bought him to trial, but he was too quick for us.’

‘One can almost feel sorry for the poor man, after the dreadful way both he and his brother had been treated, when all the time
his brother had done everything possible to save the lives of those innocent women and children. How terrible it must have been. I can think of nothing more horrible than to be killed in such a terrible place. I suppose that is where all this began, one day in a strange land, all those years ago.’

‘Let us not forget the lives of the four people he took whilst carrying out his plan of revenge. Nothing can justify the taking of another life, whether innocent or guilty. There is no excuse for cold-blooded murder. Revenge can often affect a man’s reason.’

‘Do you think that Anstruther and the others did kill Ross’s brother at that shooting party – or was it just an accident as the papers and your Mr Ganniford claimed?’ asked Lucy looking up from her sewing.

‘I have no way of telling. The truth of the matter may never be revealed. Most of the members of that shooting party are now dead. Lord Treaves was not at the actual shoot, so we only have Ganniford’s word that it was an accident.’

‘I suppose so, but what an ingenious plan, to bring all the people he hated to Tewkesbury, using the story of the Templar Knight and his long lost treasure to bring them there.’

‘And enrolling the services of his friend Crosbie to make them believe that the treasure was there for the taking. I suppose he could not resist the use of all those names. It was very clever of you, my dear, to have spotted that,’ said Ravenscroft, stirring the embers of the fire with the poker.

‘Samuel, can I ask you something?’ asked Lucy after a moment’s silence had elapsed.

‘Yes, my dear, of course.’

‘I hope you will not object.’

‘How could I refuse you anything?’

‘Well, you know that you are going to Meysey Hampton next Tuesday, now that you have been granted permission by the
bishop to open that tomb. I should so like to go with you. It all sounds rather exciting.’

‘Of course you shall come with me. How can I deny you? I must say that I am rather looking forward to the occasion. It was Salt who finally solved the puzzle of the inscription on the side of the tomb after all these centuries, thus enabling Tom and I to visit the village of Meysey Hampton, where we were fortunate enough to find the old tomb with the inscription above it. Let us hope that we can now finally reveal the secret of Sir Roger de la Pole.’

A few days later, Ravenscroft and Lucy found themselves walking up the pathway towards the front entrance of the church in the village of Meysey Hampton.

‘What a beautiful village,' remarked Lucy. ‘It would be nice to live in such a place.'

‘I thought you were content to reside in Ledbury,' replied Ravenscroft.

‘Good morning to you, sir, and Mrs Ravenscroft,' said a smiling Tom Crabb emerging from the porchway of the church.

‘Good morning to you, Tom. I trust everything is ready for the opening of the tomb?'

‘Yes, sir. The clergyman is waiting for us inside the building.'

‘I wonder what we will find inside the tomb?' asked Lucy.

‘Whatever it was, the old Templar thought it to be of sufficient value to have left such baffling instructions to be carved on the outside of his tomb in Tewkesbury after his death.'

‘I wonder if he ever thought that one day someone would work
out the answer,' said Lucy.

‘I think he rather hoped that someone would. After all, why go to that trouble to construct a mystery if you did not want it to be solved at some later date? Clearly whatever he was hiding was of great value to him,' replied Ravenscroft.

‘After you, Mrs Ravenscroft, and you, sir,' said Tom opening the door of the church.

Ravenscroft led the way into the church and made his way up the nave followed by the others.

‘Mr Ravenscroft,' said the clergyman, coming forward to meet them.

‘Reverend,' said Ravenscroft shaking the other's hand. ‘May I introduce you to my wife, Mrs Ravenscroft. Constable Crabb you know already. I trust you have no objection to Mrs Ravenscroft being present?'

‘None at all. You are most welcome, my dear lady.'

‘That is very kind,' replied Lucy, smiling.

‘It is very important that there are witnesses who can observe such an occasion. After all, it is not every day that one opens a tomb that has remained sealed for centuries. I must confess to being somewhat apprehensive as to what we might find enclosed within,' said Anson.

‘Perhaps we should begin?' suggested Ravenscroft.

‘This way, gentlemen, and lady,' said the clergyman, walking over to the old stone sarcophagus.

‘Crabb, if you would oblige us by beginning with the hammer and chisel?' instructed Ravenscroft.

‘Right, sir,' said Crabb, removing his coat and placing the edge of the chisel at the edge of the covering of the tomb.

Ravenscroft and the others watched as Crabb struck the chisel with the hammer and gradually drove the edge of the tool further into the small gap he had made.

Lucy gently squeezed her husband's arm.

‘I think that will do, Crabb,' said Ravenscroft, after a few moments had passed. ‘Reverend, perhaps you will be kind enough to assist Constable Crabb and myself in attempting to slide the lid across?'

‘Certainly, Inspector.'

Ravenscroft, Crabb and Anson struggled to inch the covering slowly across the top of the tomb, as an anxious Lucy stood watching.

‘I think that should enable us to see inside the grave. If we push any more the lid may slide off completely and we will have the deuce of a job to lift it up again and replace it,' said Ravenscroft. ‘Stand back, gentlemen – let in some light so that I can see what there is inside.'

‘What can you see, my dear sir?' enquired the clergyman wiping his brow.

‘There seems to be something here,' said Ravenscroft leaning forward and extending his arm into the tomb. ‘Ah, I have it!'

Lucy, Crabb and Anson edged forward.

‘A box!' exclaimed Anson.

‘Indeed. A simple, plain wooden box,' replied Ravenscroft examining the recovered item.

‘Nothing else, sir?' enquired Crabb looking somewhat crestfallen.

‘No. The tomb appears to be completely empty, except for this box.'

‘It is rather small,' said Lucy, disappointed.

‘Yes. I would say it cannot be more than four inches in length.'

‘Hardly large enough to contain a golden goblet,' added Crabb.

‘I think the lid may lift,' announced Ravenscroft, placing the box on top of the tomb. ‘There may be something inside.'

The others eagerly crowded round as Ravenscroft prised open the lid.

‘What is it?' asked Crabb.

‘It seems to be an old leather bag. Curiouser and curiouser. Just an old bag,' said Ravenscroft.

‘What an extraordinary thing to bury inside a tomb,' said a perplexed Anson.

‘I believe there may be something inside it,' declared Ravenscroft.

‘Perhaps there is some treasure after all,' said a hopeful Crabb.

Ravenscroft tipped the contents of the bag into his hand.

‘Sand!' exclaimed Anson. ‘A handful of sand!'

‘Sand! Where is the sense in that?' said a puzzled Crabb.

‘Why bury a handful of sand?' asked Lucy.

‘It appears then, my friends, that we have no treasure,' said the clergyman shaking his head.

‘How extraordinary,' added Lucy, shaking her head.

‘Why go to all that trouble, creating that code on the side of his tomb in the abbey in Tewkesbury, to lead us here to another tomb, which contains only an old leather bag full of sand? It just don't make any sense,' said Crabb.

‘A mystery indeed,' remarked Anson.

Ravenscroft remained deep in thought.

‘It looks as though your Sir Roger de la Pole had a sense of humour,' suggested Lucy.

‘No, I think it is more than that. I believe that Sir Roger had indeed believed that he brought back gold from the Holy Land – but instead of the gold of a precious relic, he brought back something which he considered to be of a far greater value,' said Ravenscroft.

‘I don't understand you, sir,' said Crabb.

‘He brought back some of the golden sand from a land which
had borne witness to the great events of Christendom – sand which Christ himself may well have trodden on. To the old crusader that was treasure indeed.'

A few minutes later, Ravenscroft and Lucy made their way down the pathway of the churchyard towards the waiting trap.

‘So, there you have it, my dear,' said Ravenscroft. ‘I hope you were not too disappointed.'

‘It would have been nice if the tomb had contained a golden chalice or something of a similar nature, but I can understand why your Sir Roger valued the sand above all other.'

‘Yes, the old knight had travelled far and wide, and when he left the Holy Land he chose not the material wealth of gold and precious stones to take away with him, but a simple handful of sand. That was wealth enough for him, and he was ensuring that his gift would be passed down to any future crusader knight who one day might deceipher the inscription on his tomb. Anyway, the case is now closed. I think we can now leave Sir Roger in peace inside his tomb in Tewkesbury. At least no one else will want to disturb his bones in the future. Now, my dear, I have something of a surprise for you,' announced Ravenscroft.

‘And I also have a surprise for you, Samuel,' said Lucy, linking her arm with that of her husband. ‘But tell me yours first.'

‘Tomorrow we shall journey up to London, where I have secured two seats for the evening performance at the Savoy of Mr Gilbert and Mr Sullivan's new operetta
The Gondoliers
!'

‘Oh, Samuel, that is so exciting!'

‘And I am sure there will be time for us to include a visit to one or two of the museums in Kensington, and perhaps even take in Westminster Abbey.'

‘Oh, Samuel, you are so wonderful,' said a happy Lucy, placing a kiss on her husband's cheek.

‘You deserve every moment of it, my dear. If it was not for you, I don't believe that I would ever have solved the case. But now, tell me your surprise?'

‘Well, I hope you will be pleasantly surprised,' said a smiling Lucy, coyly.

‘You are teasing me, my love.'

‘Yes, I suppose I am – but yes, I am sure you will be more than a little pleased when I tell you my news. …'