Dead Ground in Between (17 page)

“Well, no prizes for guessing who numbers 2204 and 2206 might be.” He turned the tags over. Sure enough, the names printed on the back were Jan Bakker and Pim Bakker. Tyler sighed. “Our lads were not telling us the truth, were they, Constable? It's not likely you're riding all over the countryside in bad weather with your precious tin of sweets and your favourite comics clutched to your bosom and then, by sheer chance, you discover a secret hideout which turns out to be the final resting place of a very dead body. In the midst of all that you have the presence of mind to locate a hidden compartment where you stash your treasures. All before going off for help.”

“They'd been here before, sir.”

“This is probably what you sensed they were hiding when you talked to them at the farmhouse.”

“I hope there aren't other things they've been lying about. I must say, I'm becoming quite fond of the little rascals.” Mortimer's expression was woebegone.

“Don't let your personal feelings cloud your judgment, Constable.”

“Don't worry, sir. I won't.”

The Cartwright household, together with Edie, were in the kitchen seated around the table. John had the Bible open in front of him. He had a wide black band on his sleeve. Susan Cartwright was dressed entirely in black, and the plainness of her frock made Tyler think of a housekeeper. She looked drawn and haggard.

Mortimer discreetly took a position by the door while Tyler delivered his news concerning Dr. Murnaghan's findings.

John was the first to break the silence that fell upon the room.

“Stabbed!” he whispered. “By who? Who'd do that to Pa?”

“I don't know as yet,” said Tyler. “But I am declaring his death an indictable offence.”

“What does that mean?” asked Susan.

“Let's put it this way,” answered Tyler. “The coroner is sure that Mr. Cartwright was wounded shortly before he ended up in the hideout, although the stabbing wasn't what killed him directly. He likely died soon after from exposure. Somebody was culpable, though, and I must determine who that person was.”

Tyler paused. John Cartwright stared down at the floor; his stepson wasn't looking up either. Almost reflexively, Susan started to brush invisible crumbs from the table. Only Edie continued to focus on Tyler. Her eyes were wide.

“When we spoke before, you all said you heard nothing to indicate Mr. Cartwright had gone outside. I assume you all stand by that?”

One by one they nodded.

“I didn't ask this question before because it didn't seem necessary, but now it does,” he continued. “After you had all retired for the night, did anyone leave the premises? At any time? For any reason?”

He didn't miss the flood of colour that came into Edie's cheeks.

But it was John who had the strongest reaction to the question. He actually slammed his fist on the table. “What! Am I being thick, here? Are you suggesting one of
us
may have stabbed my father?”

Susan reached over and touched his arm. “Don't be foolish, John, of course the inspector doesn't mean that.”

“I'm simply trying to get a picture of what went on Monday night and early Tuesday morning, Mr. Cartwright,” answered Tyler.

Ned Weaver glared at him, his eyelid twitching wildly. “If it's drawing a picture you're after, you should speak to the
POW
. He'd probably jump at the chance to get back at an Englishman.”

“How can you say that?” said Edie. “He had nothing against Mr. Cartwright.”

“You can't know that for sure,” Ned shot back. “In Jasper's mind the Itie was the enemy.”

“Mr. Cartwright didn't die anywhere near the barn,” Edie replied. “Regardless, Angelo was locked in. You know he was.” Tyler noticed the utter dismay on Edie's face.

John shoved his chair back. “Not when I went to call him for breakfast he wasn't. The bolt was not shot from the outside the way it should have been.” He held up his hand to stop Susan's recrimination. “It didn't seem important to mention. Angelo
hadn't run away. He was in the barn where he was supposed to be. I thought Ned might have forgotten about bolting the door. Maybe he'd had one of his nervous collapses.”

Ned spluttered, “Whoa. You can't pin that on me. I walked the Itie over to the barn after we had our supper. I let him in and bolted the door behind him. I did exactly what I was supposed to do.”

“Are you certain?” Tyler asked. “It might not be something you'd pay a lot of attention to. In a hurry to get in out of the rain, that sort of thing.”

“Course I'm certain. I wouldn't let an Itie have the chance to roam around the countryside. Never.”

Tyler addressed John. “Mr. Cartwright, if you found the door was not barred in the morning, and Mr. Weaver says it was barred the previous night, who might have unlocked it?”

It was Susan's turn to jump in. “Perhaps Jasper did. He might have gone to the barn looking to get into a fight with the Itie. You know how he could be.”

“That's utter nonsense,” said Edie sharply.

“But how would he have got into that hideout?” said John. “Like Edie said, it's nowhere near the barn.”

“Maybe Mum's right,” said Ned, speaking very quickly. “Jasper could've attacked the Itie, and he was the one carried him out and dumped him there.”

Edie glared at him. “Don't be silly. Of course he didn't.”

“The Itie's problem is he could hardly lock the door behind himself, could he? If it wasn't fastened this morning, who knows what he'd been doing? He could have been wandering all over the countryside for all we know. All he had to do was return to the barn and then act all innocent when somebody came to get him.”

Tyler thought there was some credibility to what Ned was saying.

John shook his head. “No, no. I can't believe that young fellow would harm Pa.”

“We hardly know him,” said Susan. “Who knows what he's capable of?”

John continued, “Besides, how would the Itie know the whereabouts of the hideout?”

Ned shrugged. “Why not? Those kids found it, why couldn't he have?”

“Wait a minute,” interjected Edie. “Hold on. Even
I
didn't know the place existed and I've been working here all summer.”

Ned winked. “Never underestimate the cunning of a
POW
.” He leaned toward Edie. “Face it, Edie. It's not out of the question that he's the one responsible. Jasper was delusional half the time. Saw ghosts. He could have been the one on the attack.”

Edie's lips tightened. “No. I simply don't believe Angelo is capable of such a thing, even in self-defence.”

Ned's eye was flickering nonstop. “Why not? He's a trained soldier and he's in a foreign land. Last time I looked we were at war with Italy.”

“No. I can't accept that.” Edie looked as if she was ready to jump up and run out of the room. Mortimer moved slightly so she was blocking the doorway.

“All right, everybody,” said Tyler. “Let's calm down for a minute. I know what I've had to tell you is shocking but, as I said, I am now making a full investigation.”

“I knew we should have locked Jasper's bedroom door,” said Susan. “None of this would have happened if we'd done that, but John was dead set against the idea.”

“I couldn't stand to make his own home a prison,” said John.

Susan was weeping openly now, tears trickling down her cheeks. Edie quietly handed her a handkerchief. John ignored her.

“Any opinions as to what he was up to when he went out?” Tyler asked.

“I can't claim to know what was going on in Pa's mind,” said John, “but he took his treasure box with him. It's not in his room, and it was usually under his bed. I saw him put it there on Sunday.”

“His treasure box? What was that?”

Susan answered the question. “He liked to collect all his ‘special treasures,' as he called them. Nothing of any real monetary value. The kind of things a child might keep. You know, his old dog's collar, photographs of his dead wife, her wedding ring.”

“What did it look like, this case?” asked Tyler.

“Metal. About the size of a small suitcase,” said John. “It used to be a typesetter's case. He's had it for ages. Meant a lot to him. I'm guessing he went to stash it somewhere.”

Susan straightened her back. “What John isn't saying is that his pa became convinced I was going to destroy his precious things.” She dabbed her eyes. “I'm not a monster, Inspector. I would never have done that. My lord, I have souvenirs of my own. Isn't that true, John?”

Her husband didn't reply.

“If he did intend to hide the box,” said Tyler, “was there a special place he might have used?”

“Not in the house, for sure. I might've found it.” Susan's voice was bitter.

“Not that I know of,” answered John.

“Miss Walpole? Mr. Weaver? Any ideas?”

“None. I haven't seen it,” said Edie.

“Could have been anywhere,” said Ned. “No shortage of places around here.”

This seemed like a good time to show them the old coin. Tyler took out the handkerchief that Murnaghan had given him and opened it on the table.

“This was in Mr. Cartwright's pocket. It's an old coin. I wonder if you know anything about it.”

John picked it up and examined it. “Charles I.”

“Did Mr. Cartwright show any of you this coin or talk about other coins he'd found?”

John answered, “I've never seen it before. But Sunday night Pa did say he'd found treasure. I didn't take him seriously.”

“It wasn't the first time he'd got excited about something he found,” interjected Susan. “Usually it turned out to be junk. He dug up an old watch once. Didn't work, but he was as excited as if it was worth hundreds of pounds. So there was no reason this so-called treasure was any different.”

Edie touched the coin. “It's three hundred years old. Maybe it could communicate with us about those past times. Give us some help.”

“Ha. I doubt it,” said Ned. “They was at each other's throats just as much as we are. Worse, really. That coin comes from Civil War time. Same kind of people fighting each other. Not as if your neighbour was a foreigner, like the Krauts or Ities are to us. Fighting them is understandable.”

Tyler thought this was a rather more perspicacious comment than the young man had offered to date.

“Well, I don't care what you say,” said Edie. “This coin would reveal something wise if it could.”

Tyler thought the shilling might give them a lecture on the futility of war, but it wasn't communicating at the moment. Perhaps they needed a clairvoyant.

He rewrapped the coin in the handkerchief and returned it to his pocket. “I'll give this back to you after the investigation is concluded, Mr. Cartwright. I will also return his clothes, of course.”

“Do you think the coin has anything to do with why he was attacked?” John asked.

“I don't know, Mr. Cartwright, but the more gaps I can close the better. Speaking of which, I must repeat my original question. Did any of you leave the house at any time between Monday night and early Tuesday morning?” This time he addressed each of them directly. “Mr. Cartwright? Mrs. Cartwright?”

They both shook their heads.

“Mr. Weaver?”

“Not me. It was too miserable a day to go anywhere. I stayed tucked up in bed until six thirty.”

“Miss Walpole?”

Edie muttered a quiet “No.”

“Very well. Is there anybody at all who you think might have encountered Mr. Cartwright?”

Ned answered. “You'd better talk to the two blokes who board at the Mohan farm, Sam Wickers and Tim Oldham. I suspect they're poachers, them lads. I'll bet they go out early to get their rabbits.”

Do they indeed
? thought Tyler.
Is that why they were out on their bikes the other night?
“I'll have a word with them,” he said.

There was a tap at the door. Mortimer opened it to take a look.

“Biggs and Mady are here, sir.”

“Good.” He turned back to the little group. “I'll keep you informed as to any further developments. We'll have to take fingerprint samples so we can rule out those that should be there and those that shouldn't. One of my constables will do that shortly.”

“Are you going to talk to Angelo?” burst out Edie.

“If we can. Is he back working here today?” Tyler asked.

“Yes, he's been busy all day in the barn. Can I come with you? I might be of help in interpreting. My Italian is basic but passable.”

“Thank you, Miss Walpole. I'll take you up on that.”

She got up immediately and put on her coat. Ned began to light a cigarette. Susan was watching her husband anxiously. John stayed where he was. He appeared to be lost in his own unhappy thoughts.

Tyler followed his constable and the Land Girl out the door.

Edie hurried ahead through the gate and turned in the direction of the barn.

Mortimer whispered quietly to Tyler. “I myself am quite conversant in Italian, sir. Finishing school days. Shall I speak to the
POW
?”

“No, let's leave it as is. Don't let on you know the lingo. People are apt to reveal more if they think you don't understand what they're saying.”

“My thoughts exactly, sir.”

“Glean anything from our little meeting?”

“Quite a lot actually, sir.”

“Good. You can fill me in later.”

Tyler and Mortimer caught up with Edie as she opened the door to the barn.

Angelo was sweeping out a stall, but he stopped when he saw them.

“
Ciao
, Angelo,” said Edie. “The police want to talk to you about Mr. Cartwright's death. He didn't just die from exposure he was –”