No Stone Unturned, page 9
part #1 of Lucy Lawrence Series
He tutted and shook his head. “Very remiss.”
“Yes, and all the while one of the guests could have left with the pearls in their bag,” Lucy said.
Stone snapped to attention. “Do you believe the culprit was a guest? Have you any proof?” he asked.
“No, how could I? I was virtually a prisoner in my room. Don’t you see, it had to be one of them or perhaps one of the servants. But why was my brother so eager to accuse me?”
He put down his spoon. “Because it was convenient to do so. My dear Mrs Lawrence, you need to look at all of this objectively. It will make perfect sense when I reveal to you one important fact of which I’m certain you are unaware.”
“Which is?”
“According to my sources, your brother is in serious financial difficulty.”
“Good Lord!” Lucy exclaimed. “Funnily enough, I did wonder when I discovered my father’s library collection had been disposed of, but I saw no other sign of financial distress. No, no, you must be mistaken. Look at the house, the expensive furniture … this Christmas they have entertained a house full of guests at enormous cost. Richard spoke of settling an allowance on me as my husband’s affairs were not left as they should have been.”
He sniffed. “All for show, Mrs Lawrence. No doubt he hasn’t revealed the truth to his wife or your mother. When a case such as this comes my way, the first thing I check is the financial position of the claimant. I am in the lucky position of having connections where most others do not. It was a simple matter to put the enquiry out in the clubs. It is common knowledge your brother is struggling to meet his commitments and his bank is less than pleased with him. It is rumoured he lost a substantial amount of money during the summer.”
“Good heavens!”
“Do eat up, your soup will go cold.”
Lucy picked up her spoon, but continued to stare at him. “And you believe my brother, finding himself in serious difficulty, faked the theft to claim—”
“You see, I knew you’d work it out. Some bread?” He offered her the basket.
She took a piece without taking her eyes off Stone. “And he was happy to sacrifice me?”
“I imagine, once the insurance company paid up, he would have had the whole thing hushed up and you would have been sent on your way,” he said.
“With my character in tatters! But it was sheer chance I agreed to come to Yorkshire.”
“It is likely he would have set up a servant instead, but he had to do it when the house was full of guests to make it difficult for anyone to investigate. Your present financial situation was the perfect motive for the police, and he encouraged them to believe it.”
“Hence the fabricated story of the pearl being found in my room.” Mr Stone nodded his head in agreement. “I feel ill,” Lucy said. “How could he?”
“Not particularly gentlemanly, I would agree,” Stone replied. “It speaks of desperation.”
“How can you prove your theory? What will you do?”
“News of your release has most likely been sent to Somerville. I shall return there after luncheon and inform Mr Somerville there was insufficient evidence against you and I suspect one of his guests was the culprit. The real blow will be when I tell him I will advise the company not to pay out at this time. He will not like it. He will bluster and threaten me, but I’m well used to it. Your belongings will be retrieved, and we will catch the late train to London together. Tomorrow morning I will report my findings to the insurance company. They trust my judgement and will not pay out. Your brother will panic. But he cannot risk showing his hand and will have to wait. In time he will become desperate and, if I’m right, he will, after a sufficient interval of time, attempt to sell the necklace. I may intervene by having a quiet word with his bank. If they threaten to foreclose, he will have no choice but to act.”
“At which point, you will catch him?”
“Undoubtedly! Now, you look done in. Would you care for a glass of wine?” Mr Stone enquired.
CHAPTER 11
Overwhelmed by Mr Stone’s revelations, Lucy stared down at her untasted wine, her fingers twisting the stem of the glass. He sounded confident, but until she was away from Harrogate, she could not feel safe. If Stone was right about Richard, and she grudgingly had to admit it sounded plausible, she had no doubt her brother would try to salvage the situation by convincing the sergeant to re-arrest her. She wouldn’t put it past him to produce more “evidence” to avoid suspicion falling on him. She was powerless. Her only hope was to trust Stone to keep his word and get her back to London.
Lucy took a sip of her wine and tried to relax. “What a strange choice of career, Mr Stone, if you don’t mind me saying. I have never heard of an insurance investigator before. Was it something you always wanted to do?”
His eyes crinkled as he smiled. “No, indeed. There are few choices open to younger sons, as I’m sure you are aware. I was not particularly enamoured by the prospect of the church or a soldier’s life. Much to my family’s delight, I chose to leave Kent and took up the law.”
“A noble choice.”
“Yes. However, I found I became bored with it. A chance meeting with an old friend who wished for advice on a tricky case of insurance fraud cemented my belief that my future lay elsewhere. To my father’s everlasting dismay, I appear to have a talent for investigation and have prospered. Naturally, he does not like the idea of me mingling with what he considers the criminal classes, despite the fact that many of those I deal with are aristocracy, and not just the underbelly of cities such as London.”
“It can be dangerous?” Lucy asked.
“Sometimes. Desperation can bring out the worst in people, but luckily it is verbal abuse I receive the most. Though I have received a few scars and bruises courtesy of some unhappy fraudsters.”
“No wonder your family disapprove. But it must be fascinating work.”
“I have no regrets, Mrs Lawrence. Every case is a challenge.”
“Except for this one. You appear to have solved this with little effort.”
“It is too early to claim a victory. Until your brother tries to sell the necklace, it can only be speculation. In all likelihood, the necklace is hidden at Somerville but I do not have the right to search the property. But do not worry, I believe I will be proved correct in time.”
From the corner of her eye, Lucy spotted a gig drawing up outside the police station. “I don’t believe it! Look, it’s him!” She watched as Richard jumped down, handing the reins to his groom. Taking the steps two at a time, he looked about uneasily, then disappeared through the doorway of the station. Lucy was delighted to see him so rattled but knew it meant trouble. “Why is he going in there? Will he try to have me arrested again? I will not spend another night in that place,” she said half rising from her seat. “I should have left Harrogate immediately after you secured my release.”
“Calm yourself, you will not be taken into custody again. I will make sure of it. Somehow I do not think the sergeant will co-operate with your brother this time. He has been made to look a fool for detaining you already on the flimsiest of evidence.”
“How dare Richard do this! We were never close growing up but this …” She trailed off, exhaling deeply. She was determined she wasn’t setting foot in that police station again. “I fear he is capable of anything. How do I protect myself, Mr Stone?”
“Do as I suggest and you will be fine.”
“I hardly know you, but it seems I have little choice but to have faith in you. I will consider whatever you advise.”
Moments later, Richard emerged with Sergeant Wilson close at his heels. A heated exchange ensued on the top step, with the sergeant looking as though he was coming off the worse. Eventually, he pointed over to the Red Fox Inn and stomped back into the station.
“I believe your brother is about to pay us a visit,” Stone remarked. “Might I suggest you go upstairs? There is no need for you to meet him. It will only distress you.”
“Not in the least! I should like to have it out with him.”
“But you may jeopardise my position, and it will not serve any useful purpose,” Mr Stone pointed out.
“It would give me great satisfaction—is that not purpose enough?”
“Undeniably, but I would advise against it.”
“If someone had treated you this way, Mr Stone, would you stand by and say nothing?”
“No one would dare, Mrs Lawrence,” he said, shooting his cuffs. Then his expression softened. “Do consider. As executor of your husband’s estate, he still has power over your finances, temporarily, at least. It would be wise not to engage with him at this point. In due course, his greed will deliver his downfall in a far more satisfying way than you calling him out in the front parlour of a public house. I will deal with him as I outlined earlier. Quickly now, he is almost at the door.”
Annoyed by his condescending tone, Lucy was tempted to refuse. He drummed his long fingers on the table, holding her gaze, a challenge in his dark eyes.
“Oh, very well,” she said, doing her best to ignore his satisfied twitch of a smile. At the door which led to the stairs, she hesitated and turned towards him. He shook his head and mouthed “go”. With seconds to spare, she slipped out. But there was no way she was going to miss this. She didn’t completely close over the door, leaving a crack through which she could see into the room.
“Good afternoon, sir,” Stone said, rising to greet Richard. “What can I do for you?”
“Good afternoon, Stone. I want to know what progress you have made since this morning.” Richard was looking towards the remains of their meal on the table. “And perhaps you can explain what possessed you to have my sister released?”
“I’m sure you will be relieved to hear she is innocent and a potential miscarriage of justice has been averted.”
Richard glared at him. “Explain!”
“The only evidence against your sister was a pearl reputedly found under her bed. As Mrs Lawrence was absent for several hours on Christmas morning, anyone could have put it there in the hope of casting suspicion on her.”
“No! It had to be Lucy. She knew the pearls were in the room and Mother would not wake. It pains me to say, but you do not know my sister’s lamentable history. She was always wild and eloped at eighteen, causing scandal and uproar. As you would expect, my father cut her off without a dowry. Then that blighter of a husband of hers dies a few months ago and leaves her penniless. Of course, I stepped in and offered her a home, holding out the olive branch and all that. Only for my mother’s sake, you understand. Let me tell you, she wasn’t having any of it until she realised just how bad things were. Then she came running to Yorkshire, contrite as be damned. If I’d known what she was planning, I would have had her turned away.”
Lucy had to smother the urge to rush in and confront him. She could hardly believe her own brother would speak about her in such a way. From behind the door, she willed Stone to hit him, but he didn’t oblige.
“Thank you for sharing this with me, sir, but it is irrelevant,” Stone said, calm as you please. “The whereabouts of the Somerville pearls is all I am interested in. There is no evidence to connect her with the crime. The pearl the sergeant produced for me was a cheap imitation and therefore not from your mother’s necklace.”
“What?” Richard spluttered. “Don’t be ridiculous, Stone! It came from Mother’s necklace—I’m sure of it.”
Stone remained silent. Lucy almost laughed for Richard’s assertion was tantamount to admission. Richard paced up and down. After a few moments, he came to a stop. “It must be—” Lucy couldn’t believe it: he still didn’t realise his mistake.
“A case brought against your sister would be demolished by any defence barrister worth his salt, and rightly so, with only circumstantial evidence against her and the fact the police had no opportunity to question the other guests, the servants or search their rooms.”
Richard shook his head. “Dash it, I didn’t want my guests inconvenienced!”
“A crime was committed in your house, sir.”
Lucy crept closer to the door.
“Bah!” Richard twisted the wedding band on his finger. “I knew it had to be Lucy, so there was no need—”
“Certainly someone wishes us all to believe Mrs Lawrence guilty.”
Richard smarted. “It was with great reluctance I confided my suspicion to the police. One does not want to believe one’s own sister is involved. Damn it, I had no choice.” Lucy had to squeeze her eyes shut and count to ten. When she opened them again, Stone was staring at her brother with a look of disgust, and Lucy sensed he was barely holding onto his temper.
“Did she not deserve the right of every accused? As a magistrate, sir, you know the law: innocent until proven guilty. Any misunderstanding could have been avoided if the police had been informed immediately the discovery of the theft was made. Precious time and possible evidence have been lost,” Stone continued, his tone brisk, cutting off Richard who had started to object. “Sir, you must understand I can do nothing further at this point. The real culprit was one of your guests or servants, and I am satisfied Mrs Lawrence is innocent. The case is now in the hands of the police, and I return to London this evening. I will be recommending to Sanderson & Irvine they do not pay out at this time. Hopefully, in due course, the police will solve this. Now each of your guests will have to be tracked down and interviewed, all of which will take a considerable amount of time and effort.”
Richard glared, his hands clenched. “Is that necessary, Stone? Any hint of scandal must be avoided. I had hoped to keep this affair private; besides which, I do not for a moment suspect any of my guests, no matter what you say. They are all important people.” He gripped the back of the settle. “I don’t want this to reach the newspapers. My mother is elderly and frail—”
“The claim will not be settled without a proper investigation being carried out,” Stone said firmly.
“Yes … of course, but have some compassion. This is all distressing for my mother and my wife.”
“Indeed it is, sir. And for your sister.” Lucy almost cheered.
“That’s as may be,” Richard replied with a grimace, glancing again at the table. “Where is she, anyway?” Lucy stepped away from the door, suddenly afraid her hiding place might be discovered.
“Mrs Lawrence is resting upstairs. She is badly shaken, sir, and I understand her accommodation across the road was not to her liking.”
“Eh? Oh, I see. Yes, well … it’s her own fault.”
“In the circumstances, Mrs Lawrence wishes to return to town. This would be best, I think you will agree? Perhaps her things could be sent here? We hope to catch the quarter past four train from York.”
Unable to resist, Lucy edged up to the door again. From the look on Richard’s face, she knew he would not object. Stone was making it clear she was now under his protection. Richard looked worried, which pleased her very much.
“Yes, I will arrange it,” he muttered.
“Thank you, sir. I’m sure she will be most grateful.”
Richard turned away with a scowl and sat down on the settle. “I don’t know what I will tell my mother. Those pearls meant the world to her. Of course, I want them found, but it looks unlikely now if what you say is true. I shall have to replace them, and I can tell you it will cost me a pretty penny. The emerald alone would buy a small country. What do you think they will do with it?” he asked. “Sell it?”
Lucy stifled a chuckle. It was almost as if Richard was asking Stone how to dispose of the necklace.
“There are several difficulties faced by the thief, as I see it, sir,” Stone replied. “The piece is famous and easily recognised. Word has been sent out to all the reputable jewellers in the country to be on the lookout for it, particularly the emerald, as it is so distinctive. So whoever has stolen it will have to find an establishment which will not ask too many questions. This will require a foray into the criminal underworld which is not without its risks and will be highly dangerous for anyone not versed in how those particular gentlemen carry on their trade. The easiest option for the thief would be to break up the necklace into its individual pieces and sell them off. But then the full value will not be attained.”
Lucy could have sworn she heard a groan from Richard, which was quickly covered by a cough.
“An unsavoury world you work in, Stone.”
“Yes, sir, indeed it is,” Stone said, fixing him with a stern gaze.
“But if it never turns up at any of these premises, or what have you, the claim will be settled?”
“No doubt. However, these things can take years, particularly if the item is of high value. Your insurance company will want to be sure there is no possibility of the item being recovered.”
“Years?” Richard exclaimed.
“Yes.”
Richard stood abruptly and moved towards Stone. “Look, old man, we are both men of the world. I would like this whole sorry affair sorted out as quickly as possible. The pearls could be anywhere in the country by now, even abroad. We can hardly expect them to be found at this stage. Would it not be easier to have the claim settled and not waste police time? I’m sure I have paid a small fortune in premiums to Sanderson & Irvine over the years, as did my father and grandfather.”
Lucy clenched her fists in anger. Richard really was a slimy toad.
“They will not pay out until I am satisfied a full and proper investigation has been carried out … sir,” Stone stated, his expression stern.
Hurrah, that’s put him in his place, Lucy thought, and to her great satisfaction she saw her brother turn away from Stone in defeat.
CHAPTER 12
King’s Cross Station, London
Until darkness had fallen, Lucy had checked off the stations southwards out of habit. Little sleep for many days had left her exhausted but anxiety gnawed at her, making rest of any kind sporadic at best.
