Depth of Deception (A Titanic Murder Mystery) (45 page)

"
This is very entertaining but this proves nothing!
"
Archibald sneered.
"
What motive would I have to kill her?
"

"
Because you were a bad seed,
"
replied Agatha.
"
Even as a child you stole what you wanted, and burned anything that got in your way. How embarrassing to learn that you called yourself Archie
Gilcrest
when you had run-ins with the law. You just
had
to protect your precious Hoffman name, didn’t you? Tsk! I was right to cut you out of my will and give it all to the Fergraith family. At least Margaret Fergraith was a child a mother could be proud of…
"

With surprising quickness, Archibald rolled his wheelchair over Myra’s foot, and knocked the gun out of her hands. The old man grabbed it with his gnarled fingers and aimed it at Agatha Gilcrest.

"
I was right to smash your face in!
"
he snarled.
"
This time I’ll make sure you stay dead!
"

Chapter
LIX

Callum Toughill, dressed as a ship’s porter, limped in behind ‘Agatha Gilcrest’ and aimed his Walther P-38 at Archibald Hoffman.

"
Drop the gun!
"
Callum growled, suppressing the pain in his leg from the second car crash the day before. The painkillers were wearing off and he was grumpy.
"
Believe me, I have what it takes to shoot. And the only reason I don’t blast your ugly mug to kingdom come, is because my ex-wife won’t let me. So I beg you… give me a reason to do it!
"

Callum took great pleasure in seeing the look of shock in Archibald’s face. The old man probably never expected to meet him face to face… especially not after the car crash. Archibald lowered the gun. Myra took it from him.

Edward reached over to the nearby table and picked up his portable cassette recorder and hit ‘stop’. He pressed rewind and played:
I was right to smash your face in! This time I’ll make sure you stay dead!

"
You were in on this?
"
Roger asked.
"
Why didn’t you tell me? I nearly crapped myself.
"

"
Sorry, old friend. But I knew that someone was going to great lengths to keep her away,
"
Edward said as he gestured toward Myra.
"
And since there wasn’t any real proof of her identity I couldn’t figure out why such drastic and expensive measures were being taken.
"

Callum chimed in,
"
Likewise, when my investigation into this brooch started a whole new killing spree just after I met with you, Mrs. Hoffman. Just after I checked my messages in your presence. You heard my pass-code, didn’t you? Someone was going to great expense to keep all of this a secret. Someone started killing everyone I had contact with, even overseas, so it was someone with power and connections…then I saw the photo in this young lady’s locket with the same date of the wedding invitation Agatha Gilcrest had received. The
correct
date, I might add. This photo matched the one that was taken by Adam McArthur, who lived under Agatha Gilcrest’s apartment. His daughter still had his copy sitting on her fireplace mantle: it was that same photo that was stolen from her flat when she was murdered last week. Only the one in Ruthie’s flat was in colour — her father had experimented with colour photography. It was the only
colour
photo taken of the real Myra Sloan Hoffman… and she had dark hair and piercing blue eyes.
"

Everyone looked at Myra.

Callum was feeling very Sherlock Holmes at this point. His brain told him that he was being too dramatic but he couldn’t help himself.

"
I also found this,
"
Callum con
tinued as he showed the photo that was taken at
the Otto Slade trial. He looked down at the old woman still on the floor amidst the teddy bear stuffing,
"
I believe this is you, Miss Heather Langlea. When you were younger.
"

"
I can verify that,
"
Edward added.
"
I have my graduation photo to match. She’s wearing the same hat.
"

Callum added,
"
I even have a description from a local Glasgow reporter in 1910… describing your differently-coloured eyes.
"

"
None of this proves I was involved with any sort of murder,
"
the elder Mrs. Hoffman cried.

Edward then spoke up,
"
Well, the real Mr. Fluffy had my name stitched in the foot. So imagine my surprise when I received a call from the military, informing me that they had discovered this diamond brooch while X-raying my old childhood toy that they’d found in the Atlantic. I was appalled that my Mr. Fluffy was being used to cover up a crime. I agreed that the real teddy bear should be ripped open to retrieve what was inside. You gave yourselves away when you both dove for this bear that Myra had. You knew what was supposed to have been there.
"

"
I’m an old woman. Have pity,
"
wailed the elderly Mrs. Hoffman.

"
Pity?
"
asked Myra
.
"
Agatha Gilcrest was an old woman, and you two not only killed her but you testified against an innocent man who was executed for the crime you two committed.
"

"
So, who is this?
"
Roger asked pointing to Agatha Gilcrest.

"
May I introduce you to Dolanna Fergraith, my former fiancée, and sadly, as I have recently discovered through blood tests, my cousin.
"

Callum filled in the stunned silence with more police-show bravado.

"
When I first met Dolanna,
"
Callum added.
"
I saw her striking resemblance to Agatha Gilcrest. That’s when I knew she was related to her. At first, Agatha had planned to leave her fortune to her illegitimate son, Archie. Then I saw my grandfather had found the draft of her last Will and Testament which decreed that all her money was to go to Margaret Fergraith instead: her
other
illegitimate child… the one she had hired to be with her and whom she always treated like family.
"

"
Something she never did with me,
"
Archibald growled.

"
Because you were a self-centered arse… and an
ars
onist,
"
Callum
cheekily
replied.
"
You killed your own mother to get all of her money. We have her bank records from 1910.
"

"
Now I know why your father stopped us from getting that blood sample,
"
Dolanna said to Edward.

Edward looked at his father,
"
You were afraid somehow we’d find out we were related by blood. I suppose that was one good thing.
"

"
Now I know why we were so much alike,
"
Dolanna said sadly.

Edward looked at Dolanna and softly said,
"
At least I know it wasn’t something I’d said.
"

This touching moment was shattered quickly when Roger indelicately cleared his throat and asked,
"
So how did these two survive the crash and the Interpol agents didn’t?
"

"
Simple,
"
Callum replied to Roger.
"
Everyone in the car survived… even the fake Interpol agents, they're alive but in prison… well, except for the one who lost his hand but that’s another story. We just made sure you thought I was dead so that you would tell Archie here.
"

"
You mean… tell Edward,
"
Roger laughed nervously.

"
Sorry, old friend,
"
Edward joined in.
"
I’ve known for some time that you were involved. When Natalie was shot, I knew you had betrayed me. You were the only other person who knew about the DNA test that she had received. Also, when the ‘Interpol agents’ showed me that Polaroid photo of my video collection taken ‘last year’…
Time Bandits
had only recently been added to my collection. It couldn’t have been photographed in May 1981, as the movie hadn’t been in the theatres yet. You took that photo the other day, when even you started to believe Myra’s story.
"

Roger smiled then suddenly grabbed Myra, took her gun and aimed it at her head. He yelled at Callum,
"
Drop the gun or I’ll shoot her!
"

"
Go ahead, pull the trigger,
"
Callum said as he aimed the gun at Roger.
"
And you’ll be dead.
"

"
So will she,
"
Roger said… his voice was trembling.

"
No I won’t,
"
Myra said calmly.
"
I was opposed to carrying a gun… until I was reassured that it would be empty.
"

Callum enjoyed the look of shock on Roger and Archibald’s faces.

Roger said,
"
You’re bluffing…I’ll prove it. Say good-bye to Mommy, Edward.
"

Roger pulled the trigger.

Chapter
LX

"
Good-bye…
old friend
,
"
Edward said solemnly. Roger pulled the trigger again. It just clicked.

Roger looked up at Myra,
"
Empty?
"

"
I said so!
"
she replied. A victorious smile formed on Myra’s face.

Edward carefully took the gun out of Roger’s hands,
"
Even though I knew you were involved, I knew you didn’t have the means or resources to stage a fake arrest, complete with police cars. There had to be money and motive behind it. Though I suspected it was my father, I didn’t have the proof until the fake Inspector gave me the file on the runway. You obviously told my father about the Morse code incident.
"

Edward turned to the others.
"
See, the files contained official documents of my training in Camp X in Canada, except there are
no
official documents of my training there. It was a secret base set up by Churchill, Roosevelt and a Canadian working for the British Security Coordination. The Canadian government didn’t even have any knowledge or documentation. As an American, I wasn’t supposed to be involved in the war ef
fort before the US declared war.
T
he only person who ever knew I was there was you… Father. I wondered why you needed to travel to London so early — to provide information? Make payments? This is why we went through such an elaborate charade to get a confession out of you. They’re all yours, Commander!
"

Pamela and two other Ministry of Defence Police Constables emerged from the adjoining cabin behind Callum.

Archibald roared,
"
This is entrapment! I’ll make sure my lawyers suppress that tape. You have no jurisdiction here!
"

Pamela smiled sweetly,
"
Actually MoD Police
do
have jurisdiction to arrest on a British vessel.
"
She cocked her head in a slightly sarcastic way,
"
Oh look! The RMS
Titan
is a British vessel. How lucky.
"

Archibald opened his mouth but for the first time ever seemed at a loss for words.

Straightening, she added with seriousness,
"
For future reference, neither Interpol nor MI-5 have the power to arrest.
"
She looked about the room, "Now, who has my sidearm?"

Edward stepped forward briskly and handed it to her in the way he had been trained to do for so many years. Pamela appreciated the formality and said, "Thank you very much, sir."

Archibald pointed to Myra,
"
Surely, you don’t believe that this woman is the real Myra Hoffman, who somehow traveled in time?
"