Decked with Folly (26 page)

Archie glanced once more down the hallway, then lowered his voice. “I must ask you to promise that anything I say to you will not be repeated. To anyone. Is that clear?”

Cecily hesitated, reluctant to make a promise she knew she couldn’t keep.

“It is the only way you will get answers to your questions, and what I have to say may benefit us both.”

That was just too promising to ignore. “I’ll do my best to keep whatever you say to myself.”

For a moment Archie’s keen gaze raked her face, then he nodded. “Very well. I’m not a salesman. I have no knowledge of medical remedies whatsoever.”

Deflated, Cecily frowned. “I knew that already.”

“Yes, but you don’t know what I really am.” He looked both ways, leaned toward her and muttered, “I’m a private investigator.”

Cecily felt her jaw slacken. “A what?”

“Private investigator. Somewhat like yourself, I suspect, only I do it for a living.”

“Oh, my.” Cecily stepped back and leaned against the wall. “I had no idea.”

“Of course you didn’t. I’m good at my job.”

“Are you investigating Mr. Rossiter’s murder? I thought that was a matter for the constabulary.”

“Well, I have a certain vested interest in the case.” Archie patted his vest pocket, then pulled out a packet of cigarettes. Extracting one, he stuck it between his lips and went on talking. “Actually I’d been keeping an eye on Rossiter for some time in London. I knew he was fencing stolen goods, you see.”

Cecily uttered a shocked gasp. “Ian? Are you quite certain?”

“Oh, yes.” Archie pulled out a box of matches from his trousers pocket and opened it. Taking one out, he struck it and held the flame to his cigarette. “About a month ago, a robbery took place at a distinguished client’s mansion. I’m not at liberty to divulge the name of the client, but I can tell you he is a prominent citizen of London.”

Cecily, still grappling with the idea of Ian being a professional criminal, waited for him to go on.

Archie puffed on his cigarette, then waved the match in the air until the flame went out. “There had been a string of robberies in the vicinity, and the police hadn’t had any luck finding the culprits, so this client hired me to find the thieves and return his jewels if possible.”

“I see,” Cecily said faintly. “And you think Ian was part of the gang?”

“Not sure about that part. He might have been working independently as a fence.” Archie looked around for somewhere to deposit the spent match. “In any case, when I heard from one of my sources that Rossiter had attempted to fence a large haul of jewelry, I suspected he might be connected to the thieves. So I made the acquaintance of Mrs. Gloria Johnson, as a salesman of medicinal remedies. Luckily for me, she suffers from headaches, and I was able to convince her that my special elixir would cure them.” He smiled, preening a little. “It’s amazing what the power of the mind can do to heal ailments.”

Cecily thought of Madeline, then dismissed the thought. There was a world of difference between Madeline’s special powers and this imposter’s fake cures.

“Anyway,” Archie said, still waving the burned out match in the air, “Mrs. Johnson and I became familiar enough that she let slip a few things. Such as the fact that they were moving down here to Badgers End, and that her husband used to work at the Pennyfoot when it was a hotel.”

Spotting a large potted aspidistra, he walked over, dropped the match into the pot, and sauntered back to Cecily. “Now where was I? Ah yes. Well, according to my source, the stolen jewels that Rossiter had tried to fence were too hot to get rid of safely, so he was advised to hang on to them until things cooled down. When his wife told me they were moving, I guessed he’d decided to keep the jewels for himself, and was leaving town so that the gang couldn’t find him and get them back.”

Cecily grasped her throat. “Ian was running away from a gang of criminals?”

“That’s what I believe.” He winked at Cecily. “What better place to sell off really valuable jewelry than to the guests of the Pennyfoot Country Club? It has quite a remarkable reputation in London, you know.”

“Yes,” Cecily said, her voice still faint with shock. “I had heard.”

“Yes, well, it’s well known that many aristocrats enjoy a visit to the country club, and I believe that Rossiter decided there would be opportunities for him to get rid of the jewels. Besides, it was a good place to hide.”

“But he was working in the butcher’s shop and living in the flat above. Why would he do that if he had all that money?”

“Ah.” Archie nodded. “It’s my belief that he left London with nothing but the jewels. That way it would take longer for the thieves to realize he was gone. He had to live somewhere until he could sell the loot, so he took the job at the butcher’s to tide him over.”

Cecily passed a hand over her forehead. “I’m still having trouble believing all this. Did Gloria know her husband was involved in all this criminal activity?”

“I don’t believe so.” Archie frowned. “Hard to tell. Anyway, it’s my belief that the gang found out where he was, and sent someone to get their goods back.”

“Do you think this someone killed him?”

“It’s possible, I suppose, which is why I’d like to know who did it. It could lead me back to the gang. My main concern is finding the jewels and getting them back.”

“Ian could have hidden them. I doubt he carried them around with him all the time.”

“My thoughts exactly.” Archie puffed on his cigarette. “I searched his flat, of course. Nothing there.” He gave her a sly look. “I don’t suppose you have any ideas where they might be?”

“None at all.” She hesitated. “I can tell you that someone here in the Pennyfoot is stealing jewelry. One of my guests reported some missing, as well as one of my staff.”

Archie frowned. “Interesting. Any ideas who it might be?”

A vision of Mabel’s sad face popped into Cecily’s mind. “I’m afraid not. We have only just found out about it.”

“So the robberies happened after Rossiter was killed?”

“Yes, we believe so.”

“Hmm.” Archie puffed smoke into the air. “In that case, I’d say our thief hasn’t found Rossiter’s jewels yet, and is still here, looking for them.”

“Oh, dear. I should probably warn the guests.”

“I wouldn’t do that, Mrs. B. Give him a free hand, that’s what I say. We’re more likely to catch him in the act.”

Cecily wasn’t at all comfortable with that idea. She could only hope the detective knew what he was doing.

“In the meantime,” Archie said, “I’ll have to see what Mrs. Johnson can tell me. She still thinks I’m a salesman. I told her I decided to try the Pennyfoot after she told me about it, but I think she’s suspicious of me anyway.”

“Well, I certainly hope you find the jewels soon, and the thief.”

“So do I, Mrs. B. So do I.” He turned to leave, then paused, looking back at her. “Have you considered the possibility that your chief housemaid might have killed Rossiter? I heard her threatening him the night he died. As I told the constable, anyone making threats like that was capable of carrying them out. She’s a strong lady, I don’t doubt she could have killed him. I told the constable that, too.”

Cecily stared at him. “So you were the one who told P.C. Northcott about Gertie’s threats.”

Archie nodded. “I certainly did. I let him in on what I was doing here, just in case there were any repercussions later. It’s always best to come clean with the law.”

“How did you happen to hear Gertie threaten Ian?”

Archie laid a finger against his nose. “I was out in the yard, wasn’t I. Watching Rossiter. I thought he might be trying to unload the loot, but he was picking a fight with the housemaid.”

“I see. So you overheard them inside the kitchen shouting at each other.”

“Loud and clear. Got a voice on her, that woman.” Archie took the cigarette out of his mouth and stuck it behind his ear. “Got to run, Mrs. B. Glad we had this little chat, and remember, not a word to anyone.”

Still bemused by the unexpected revelation, she watched him stride down the hallway until he reached the end, where he once more adopted the slouch that hid his true bearing.

She had to admit, she was more than a little intrigued. Not that she particularly liked him any better, but Archie Parker was so much more than she’d realized, and she would have liked to talk with him about his experiences. Perhaps later, when all this upheaval was over and the dust had settled.

In the meantime, she had to decide what to do about the jewel thief. The temptation to warn all of her guests was strong, but she understood that Archie would have a better chance of catching the thief red-handed if he had no idea he was under suspicion.

That’s if it was a man. She couldn’t ignore Mrs. Chubb’s suspicions about Mabel. The girl had been seen coming out of Lady Roslyn’s room with no good reason for being there.

She should have mentioned it to Archie Parker, but she didn’t want to make trouble for the girl without at least talking to her and getting her story.

Right after breakfast, she promised herself. She had Mabel’s address in her files, she would pay the girl a visit and find out exactly what was going on.

“Cecily! Where the devil have you been?”

Hearing her husband’s voice, Cecily felt a stab of guilt. Baxter was striding toward her, his eyes sparkling with temper. “I’ve been waiting for over half an hour for you. I’m about to faint from starvation.”

“Oh, darling, I’m so sorry.” She linked her arm in his and drew him back toward the dining room. “I’ve been delayed by a small problem with one of our guests, but it’s all taken care of now.”

He gave her a suspicious look. “Not anything to do with this murder business, I hope?”

“Of course not, darling.” She smiled up at him and walked with him into the dining room, where the aroma of bacon and sausage tempted her appetite.

It would be really nice, she thought wistfully, if all these problems were cleared up before the evening. Tonight the carol singing ceremony would be held in the library. It was her favorite part of the Christmas celebrations and it would be so much nicer if Ian’s killer was apprehended and Archie Parker departed with his recovered jewels. Nevertheless, no matter what happened, she told herself, she would not allow anything to spoil her enjoyment of the ceremony. As for right now, she would put aside all her worries and enjoy a nice breakfast with her husband.

 

 

 

“I’m going into Wellercombe for an hour or two,” Baxter announced, as he walked with Cecily down the hallway to the lobby. “I still have some Christmas shopping to do.”

Cecily felt a stab of relief. She could visit Mabel while her husband was gone. It would save a great deal of explanation. “Just like a man,” she said lightly, “leaving everything until the last minute.”

Baxter leaned over and pecked her cheek. “I don’t get in the mood for shopping until the last minute. It’s not one of my favorite pastimes.”

“I know. Which makes it all the more special.” She glanced at the clock. “I have plenty to do to keep me busy while you are gone.”

“I’m sure you do. Don’t wear yourself out.” He strode off toward the door, and she watched him leave, thinking how fortunate she was to have married such a thoughtful, generous man.

Turning toward the stairs, she was unsettled to see Sid Barrett hovering close by. She hurried over to him, wondering if he was lying in wait to pounce on yet another of the maids.

Sid seemed uneasy as she approached, and looked as if he might leave. She called out to him before he could do so. “What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be in the stables, helping Samuel groom the horses?”

“I needed to have a word with someone first, m’m.”

“A word with whom? One of our guests?”

“No, m’m. It doesn’t matter. I can take care of it later.” Touching his forehead, he turned and hurried across the lobby, almost colliding with Archie Parker, who had just entered through the front door.

Shaking her head, Cecily was just about to mount the stairs when two childish voices called out from behind her. Smiling, she turned to greet her two godchildren.

Lillian and James rushed across the carpet toward her, arms outstretched for a hug, while Daisy followed at a more leisurely pace.

Cecily crouched down as two small bodies hurled themselves at her. Holding a child in each arm, she kissed them both on the cheek. “How are you, my little darlings?”

Daisy reached her, and straightened the scarf holding down her hat. “They are beside themselves with excitement, m’m. I can’t keep them down, so I thought I’d take them for a walk.”

Lillian looked up at her. “Is the elf coming, too?”

Daisy rolled her eyes at the ceiling.

Cecily tilted her head to one side. “Elf? What do you mean?”

Daisy clicked her tongue. “For the past three or four days she’s been talking about this elf.” She frowned at the child. “I keep telling you Lillian, there isn’t any elf. It’s all in your imagination.”

“It’s not! It’s not!” Lillian tugged on Cecily’s sleeve. “I saw him just now. I did! I did!”

“Shut
up
, Lillian!” James gave her a shove.

Cecily straightened, and patted Lillian’s head. “It’s all right, my precious. If you say you saw an elf, then I believe you.” She smiled at Daisy. “Lots of children have imaginary friends. I don’t think it will do any harm.”

“He’s not a friend.” Lillian sounded belligerent. “He’s a Christmas elf and he brought us a present.”

At that moment a small group of guests entered the lobby, their voices raised in laughter. Cecily bent over to hear the child better just as James gave Lillian another shove, sending her into Cecily. “You promised you wouldn’t tell anyone. Now Father Christmas won’t come!”

“James!” Daisy stepped forward and grabbed the boy by the collar of his coat. “How many times do I have to tell you? Do not push your sister like that. You’ll hurt her.”