Page 21 of Murder at the Dinner Party
Both Harry and D.I. Hobart nodded.
Too late, I realized how unladylike I must sound to Mrs. Hobart. “I’m sorry,” I said to her. “That was unfeeling of me.”
“Don’t mind me, Miss Fox. I’ve heard far worse in this very room.”
Her husband chuckled. “Very true.” He took a large gulp of his tea, then set the cup down. “Now, let me tell you what I know. Harry informed me yesterday that your investigation has a link to the Whitchurches, so I called on a former colleague. He and I were part of the team that investigated the murder of the Whitchurches’ maid years ago. He still works at the Yard and was able to bring me the old case file.”
He picked up the papers he’d been holding when we entered and placed them on the central table between us. Sensing we’d need more space, Mrs. Hobart cleared away the cups and saucers.
D.I. Hobart spread the papers out. “Twenty years ago, we were called out to Lord and Lady Whitchurch’s home in Mayfair. That’s the former Lord Whitchurch, now deceased, and his wife, the current dowager. A housemaid named Charlotte was found dead on the kitchen floor, a knife in her chest.” He passed me the report detailing the observations of the lead investigator.
Seated beside me, Harry moved closer and read over my shoulder.
“Suspicion immediately fell on Rupert, the oldest son of the Whitchurches, the brother of the current Lord Whitchurch,” D.I. Hobart went on. “Rupert was the heir. According to one of the other maids, Charlotte was having a liaison with him.”
“Consensual?” Harry asked. “Or was he taking advantage of her?”
“The question was never asked, as far as I know. According to these files, the D.I. questioned the other maid.” He handed me another piece of paper with the maid’s statement. “What she does imply is that Charlotte was…spirited.”
According to the statement, the maid’s exact words were that Charlotte “wasn’t a good girl” and that Rupert had “fallen for her pretty face and low morals.”
“Rupert fled before he could be arrested,” D.I. Hobart went on. “He vanished without a trace. Despite an extensive search, he was never found. His absence cemented his guilt in everyone’s eyes. Innocent men don’t run away.”
“I assume the Whitchurch family denied Rupert’s involvement,” Harry said.
“Strenuously.”
“They didn’t try to influence the police investigation or end it prematurely?”
“I don’t know. If they did, it didn’t work. The case has remained open, and Rupert is still the main suspect.” He passed me the lead detective’s final report and pointed to the last line, which stated he was leaving the case open until such time as Rupert was found dead or alive.
“You all assumed Rupert was guilty?” I asked. “Nobody thought he could also be a victim?”
“The idea was briefly bandied about after the family suggested it, but dismissed. There wasn’t enough blood for there to be a second victim. And why remove Rupert’s body, but not Charlotte’s? If it was kidnapping, why no ransom demand? It was generally assumed he fled after he realized he couldn’t get away with it.”
“He was supposed to inherit the title,” I added. “It went to Rupert’s younger brother after Rupert was officially declared deceased.”
“Arthur, yes.” D.I. Hobart showed me Arthur’s brief statement, in which he claimed he was asleep all night in his room and didn’t hear anything. He was twenty-two at the time.
“My sources tell me he is a better viscount than his brother would have been,” I said. “Rupert was wild and irresponsible. Arthur is more serious.”
Harry found a list of witnesses and scanned it twice. “Hardy’s name isn’t on here. There’s a butler and two footmen, which seems appropriate for a Mayfair household, but none are named Hardy. The remaining witnesses are women, except for the former Lord Whitchurch and the current one, Arthur. So where does Hardy fit in?”
“A good question,” D.I. Hobart said. “Perhaps he doesn’t fit into the household at all.” He turned to me. “Are your witnesses sure Hardy recognized the Whitchurches?”
I nodded. “The other staff mentioned he changed after hearing they were coming to dine. It was the first time they’d come in the month he’d been working at the Campbell residence. According to the footman, the Whitchurches recognized Hardy that night, too.”
“It doesn’t mean he has a link to the murder of Charlotte. There could be another reason they recognized each other.”
I still thought the connection was worth pursuing. While it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility that Mr. Hardy’s death had nothing to do with the Whitchurches, I’d rather know for sure before I attributed it to coincidence. “If there’s a chance that looking into Charlotte’s murder might help us solve Hardy’s, I want to delve into it further.”
“It won’t be easy, given the case is so old. Some of the witnesses will be difficult to locate. Some may have passed away. The D.I. in charge certainly has.”
“I’d still like to try. I’ll begin by finding out where Hardy worked before becoming the Campbells’ butler. I’ll call on Lady Campbell and ask to look at his references. Inspector, may I borrow this list of witnesses?”
We finished our tea and headed off, but not before Mrs. Hobart made Harry promise to come for dinner the following night. It was the most she’d spoken the entire duration of our visit.
“Your mother was quiet today,” I said as we walked to the station. “Last time I came here she blamed me for ending your relationship with Miss Morris.”
