Chapter 15 #2
“I see. As you’re here, no doubt you’ll be informing the Tyndalls of the provisions of the current will.”
“After the funeral is the customary time, though I believe Sir Harold made no secret of his . . . er . . . previous intentions. Oh dear, I suppose in the circumstances . . . ?”
“We’ll let you know when the funeral can be held.”
“Very good, very good. In the . . . er . . . circumstances, I believe I shall not linger to present my condolences. A note to Lady Tyndall will be properer. Be so kind, Chief Inspector, as to express my regret that the family were all otherwise engaged when I called.”
“As you wish. No doubt the Tyndalls will be in touch, as will we if we require any further assistance from you.”
As soon as Lewin was out of earshot, Daisy said, “ ‘The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers.’ ”
Tom looked at her with eyebrows raised halfway up the shining dome of his head.
“Sorry, I’m feeling a bit Shakespearean this morning.”
“Shakespeare, eh?” Tom grinned, making his moustache twitch. “Now that’s a good bit. What they made us learn at school was a lot of twaddle about fairies.”
“ ‘Hold, enough!’ ” said Alec. “Tom, what did you get out of Lewin?”
“Sir Harold didn’t tell him who was going to be his heir, just drew him aside when he arrived last evening and said he was going to disinherit ‘that damn disobedient puppy.’ Begging your pardon, Mrs. Fletcher.
Mr. Lewin got the impression Sir Harold wasn’t sure who to leave the estate to—it’s not tied up in any way—but he can’t pin down just what was said to give him that impression. ”
“Did Sir Harold make a habit of threatening to change his will?”
“No, Chief. The boy was always ‘the apple of his father’s eye,’ and Mr. Lewin was astonished to hear he’d fallen from grace.”
“But Sir Harold was serious about it?”
“He actually made an appointment to go to the solicitors’ offices this afternoon.”
“Sounds serious enough. Anything else?”
Tom quickly scanned his notes. “That’s about it, Chief. What’s this about Mr. Gooch?”
Alec explained in about a tenth as many words as Daisy had employed to tell the story. While she admired his succinctness, he failed to convey the drama and horror of the event. Of course, he hadn’t experienced it.
“It was beastly,” she said with a shudder.
“I don’t know what Babs and I would have done if the men in the van hadn’t turned up, and then the doctor.
Although, to be perfectly honest, looking back, it was quite funny the way people kept arriving one after another, if it hadn’t all been so dreadful. I do hope he’ll be all right.”
Alec put his arm around her shoulders, hastily removed it as they heard footsteps on the stairs, then returned it to its comforting place when they saw Ernie Piper coming down.
“How is Mr. Gooch?” Daisy asked eagerly.
“Pretty bad, Mrs. Fletcher. Dr. Prentice says he’s badly concussed and several bones are broken. Well, the bones’ll knit, but there’s no telling what damage there is to his brain. He’s still unconscious. I brought his wallet, Chief, and this.” Piper waved an envelope.
Alec once again removed his arm from Daisy’s shoulders, leaving a chilly spot, as he took the wallet and opened it.
“Over a hundred pounds in notes. Book of cheques. And here’s a receipted copy of a letter of credit from a bank in Australia, for a thousand pounds.
They weren’t doing themselves too shabbily!
We’d better hang on to this for the moment.
Here, make a list of the contents, Ernie. What’s that you have there?”
“Addressed to Sir Harold Tyndall, Chief.” Piper handed over the envelope. “Well, no address, just the name. It was in the inside pocket of his jacket.”
“Just to Sir Harold, not Lady Tyndall. So not a bread-and-butter letter written before the event.”
“They might not have realized thanks for hospitality ought to be addressed to the hostess,” Daisy pointed out.
“True. Tom, you have their passport? Let’s have a look at their signatures. . . . Yes, I thought so, it’s her writing.”
“Back to the blackmail theory, Chief?” Tom suggested.
“Perhaps. An undelivered letter from a murdered woman to a murdered man. I suppose I’m justified in reading it.”
“Felt to me like it’s got another envelope inside, Chief,” said Piper, opening and offering the penknife with which he kept sharp his endless supply of pencils.
Alec carefully slit the top of the envelope. “Yes, there’s another one inside. That’s odd, it’s addressed to ‘Jack.’ Just ‘Jack,’ no surname, no Mr. or Esquire. Here’s the covering letter.”
He unfolded the single sheet. The sprawling handwriting was easy to make out and Daisy read silently as he read aloud: “ ‘Dear Harry, I don’t want to upset anybody you needn’t wory I’m going to tell nobody else.
But I thoght I better let you know I’m going to tell Jack.
Its no good tryng to stop me. I’ll do it weather you say yes or no but if you say yes you can give him this letter I writ for him so as it don’t come like a shock when I tell him.
Its my right. Yrs truly, Ellie Gooch (Mrs). ’ ”
They gazed at each other with a wild surmise, silent (though not, thought Daisy, upon a peak in Darien.
It wasn’t only Shakespeare haunting her today).
Dying of curiosity, she was about to ask Alec if he felt justified in opening the second envelope, when Jack came in from the drawing room, followed by Wookleigh and Miller.
“Mr. Fletcher! Sir Nigel tells me Mr. Gooch ran his car off the road, on our land. Is he badly hurt?”
“I’m afraid his injuries appear to be serious.”
“I told Father that turn into the lane was an accident waiting to happen. I’m going to take down the gateposts and straighten it out. I wouldn’t have had this happen for anything! First Mrs. Gooch, and now this! Where is he? Upstairs?”
“Dr. Prentice is here,” Daisy said soothingly, “and Gwen and Babs are doing what they can to help.” It was not the moment to tell him about the rocket.
“I’d only be in the way,” Jack said in frustration.
“Come and sit down, Mr. Tyndall,” said Alec. “Mr. Gooch was carrying this, addressed to you.”
Still standing, Jack took the envelope and stared at it blankly. “What on earth?”
“I’d like you to open it now, in my presence. I must warn you that anything you choose to say will be written down and may be produced in evidence. You are not obliged to say anything, and you are entitled to legal representation.”
Jack gave no sign of hearing the ominous words.
With a frown, he ripped open the envelope, unfolded the letter, and started to read.
Utter astonishment was succeeded by shock as he turned the page.
Ashen, he dropped into the nearest chair.
He read on to the end, then folded the double sheet with automatic fingers.
Leaning forward, he held it out to Alec without a word.
Alec took it. Jack slumped against the high back of the chair, his eyes closed, still deadly pale.
“Whisky?” Sir Nigel said in a loud whisper to Miller, who nodded and went off.
Alec unfolded the letter and started to read, silently this time. As before, Daisy read it with him.
My dearest boy,
You will be suprized to get this from me seeing we never met before last night but I’ll explain.
You are 21 and a man and you can deside for yourself.
I waited all these yrs till you was old enogh to deside for yourself.
This is hard to writ and I want you to be shure I’m not going to do anything to upset things.
I won’t never tell anyone else, I promise faithfuly.
I come all the way from Australia to tell you and becaus I just wanted to see you and tell you and make shure your alright.
Becaus my Jimmy is a good man and if theres anything you need he’ll spring for it and won’t never say nothing.
Even if its a lot of money he’s not short a penny, long as it don’t take away from our boys you see you got three brothers.
Half brothers I shuld say. You see, Jacky dear I’m youre real mother.
Your dads youre real dad don’t wory he wanted a boy so badly and him and me, well, you know about the birds and the bees your 21 like I said.
And I coudn’t a brung you up propper all on my one and he give me enugh money to start over in Australia and her ladyship promised she be a propper mother to you from what I seen she kept her promis you been happy, so what could I do?
But I cried and cried when they took you away and now I’ve come back to make shure your alright like I said and dont hold it agin me Jackie, I just want to see you and talk to you and for you to know I love you and that’s all.
And I won’t tell no one else, like I said and me and Jimmy ll go back to Australia and leave you be don’t wory.
But if you coud just come down to the Three Ravens tomorrow just to talk a bit more, you was so nice to me last night.
O Jackie I love you dearly tho I wasn’t a good mother to you so please come.
Youre loving mother
Ellie Gooch