A murder gone cold
Lady Leica Badamaru’s OVS Journal Player B
We made good time returning
from Transylvania with not a single gale on the way. The weather being more
pleasant we could regard it as more of a pleasure cruise. I found it interesting
to hear what things had happened around there from our new abigail Ludmilla,
during the over three years since I had left. She was eager to learn English
from me although not so eager about being able to read and write. Aunt Griseldis
soon found her flirting with the crew of the Steam Yacht, ‘trying out her
English’! “We will have problems with this one!” foretold Aunt Griseldis and a
prophesy from a witch with her renewed power, is not to be taken lightly! She
had wheedled three barrels of the water from the St. Festus bath to take back to
England so her powers can be kept up for years to come. Mine too such as they
are. At present I know I can dry myself and possibly others with the Command
Nu Isca. Aunt says that I will be
able to detect Vampires, (red) and Lycanthropes (green) by the glowing of their
eyes but these are rare in England. She also reckons I can summon ghosts if I
know their names. One commands ‘A chema
….’ With the name of the ghost and if it is dark enough they will come. As
we steamed ever closely to England, the grim task of returning Cordelia’s ashes
and effects to her mother loomed over me blacker and blacker. Griseldis convened
a meeting to discuss how best to do this in our house, as soon as we returned.
During this Professor learning suggested that we tried to call up Cordelia’s
ghost for her advice!
“But the ghosts, they are
usually of people with troubled souls!” objected Doktor Nichtwissen. “I would
not be thinking that Miss Higginbottom was of their number!”
The Professor shook his
head “We cannot be sure of that. She was slain very suddenly by someone of whose
existence we none of us knew! We called back Miss Verity and she was expecting
us to. I think Miss Cordelia will be expecting the same.”
“Perhaps by becoming a friendly ghost
Miss Higginbottom could assist us in our future operations?” suggested the
Doktor.
Because she had been such a
close friend I was a little reluctant but Aunt said “Leica, this is a chance for
you to try out your powers. Miss Higginbottom has been in this room in the past,
has she not, so if we draw the curtains it will be a fair test. You can remember
the command words?”
Obediently I said yes and
Aunt ushered all the others out. I wondered if I would have more chance if we
had the Sextagram sheet but it was at Doktor Nichtwissen’s lodgings with Manko.
So pushing the table and chairs back a bit I stood ready and recited ‘A
chema Cordelia Higginbottom! ’and in few seconds there she was. I could see
right through her but she was there, like a lightly coloured glass window. She
was pale and staring at me and was holding her crossbow which was actually in my
room. She spoke first. “Leica? Yes you are Leica. I wondered if I would be
called back by the society. Why was I killed?”
“It was a servant of the Von Hinterst
family. Gunter Von Hinterst saw us fighting the Turks and joined in on their
side. As you will remember the Von Hintersts are our family enemies. We made
peace with the Asa and he has given Two Hundred Dirham as wergild compensation
to your mother, even though it was not really his fault.”
“Did you solve the mystery? I know that
you burnt my body which did not hurt but other things are grey. There were other
ghosts around but they could not speak English and hurried away!”
“We did solve the mystery. It was not a
Djinn at all! A relative of one of the Asa’s wives fired a rocket at the harem.
Aunt Griseldis called up one of her ancestors who had been cursed and walled up
alive for killing her brother. She thinks that telling her tale has removed the
curse. Doktor Nichtwissen suggested that as a ghost you might be able to help us
in some of our supernatural cases?”
“Oh, I do not know… I, I would like to
do so I think… To forward our cause I mean… It would mean that I could see you
and the others again… A few times more I am told… Five times more, providing I
keep to the rules. The rules are very strict, Verity broke them and you know we
never saw her again. That is all I can say for now.” And she vanished! I
reported this conversation to the others and we turned to the main issue.
Eventually most of us called
on Mrs Higginbottom. I was accompanied by Aunt, Captain Alfred carrying the
ashes urn, Professor Learning and Doktor Nichtwissen and Manko carrying her
trunk of clothes. Mrs Higginbottom, clad all in black was backed by four of what
Cordelia would call her cronies, all glaring at us with hatred in their eyes.
Captain Alfred made his speech about Cordelia’s bravery and public spiritedness
which made her mother and I burst into tears. Griseldis then gave a short speech
in Rumanian saying she declared Cordelia an honorary member of the Badamaru
family, whose name would live long their annals. I was supposed to translate
this but I was weeping too much. I could only hand the nearest crony Cordelia’s
miniature crossbow and run out. The rest of my companions followed but the
ordeal was not quite over. As expected her Church of England St. Pancras held a
commemoration service in her honour. We all attended sitting near the back. Mrs
Higginbottom sat at the front with a fair army of cronies who would turn to
glare back at us from time to time. Cordelia had been connected with several
charitable organisations whose spokespersons each said a few words praising her.
We were not asked to contribute and Mrs Higginbottom pointedly ignored us. In
the congregation were many who knew her including, some other former Cheltenham
Ladies College pupils. One of these was the Honourable Mrs Marjorie Aurora
Butterworth, whom I had known as Marjorie O’Kelly. She has joined our Society
and been present at some of Ronald Helping’s operations exposing frauds. He
whispered to me that she was now a widow with a lot of money! At the college she
was one of the ‘Sporties’ as we ‘Intellectuals’ called them. I remember her
boasting of riding with the local Foxhunt back in County Cork. This did not
impress me at the time, as it appears that a fox is a creature resembling but
much smaller than a wolf. Also they hunt alone and not in packs as our wolves
do. What sort of a challenge is that? Her father is the Baron of Clonakilty
which is somewhere in Southern Ireland. As is the fashion, the family mainly
lives in England. In the church she sat next to me and whispered that she hoped
to be seeing a lot more of me on OVS activities. Aunt Griseldis gave her one of
her fierce unblinking stares. Alongside her were Ronald Helping, Professor
Learning, Doktor Nichtwissen, Captain Alfred and Ferdinand Finder. In front of
us amongst the congregation I spotted Mr Holmes, Doctor Watson and Inspector
Hastings. There was also a Chinese contingent amongst whom I recognised Madam
Hsing Song, Wun and a young woman whom I think must have been Cordelia’s Hong
Kong friend Jasmine Te. She had bound feet but managed to totter in and out
unaided. The Vicar gave a sermon advising the congregation against the dangers
of indulging in mysticism and matters smacking of esoteric practises. I presume
this was Mrs Higginbottom’s idea, for I am sure it would have made Cordelia
angry. The service was long
although not as long as some of our Eastern Orthodox ones are. I am afraid I
cried through most of it.
A few days later we
had a meeting of the OVS to discuss the final outcomes of the Schloss Grausbad
operation. It had been a success in general terms in that Uncle Boris had been
freed. In fact we had returned to find a letter of thanks from him and the
latest instalments of our Rumanian dowry funds. He also informed us that
Vendettah, one of the Asa’s wives had died suddenly. He suspected that she had
ordered the rocket attack on the Schloss and been murdered as a result. From the
Occult point of view it was a success in that lady Griseldis had called up a
ghost which the Professor also had seen. They asked if Aunt would like to become
one of their members but I said she would not. I said that she might assist if a
knotty problem arose. We then discussed how the loss of Cordelia would affect
the society. I told them that I would continue her unofficial journal of OVS
activities. Her personal journal had been returned to her mother with her
crossbow and her derringer with the silver missiles. No one thought it advisable
to try and obtain these items back from Mrs Higginbottom. Mrs Butterworth
commented that she was having some silver bullets made for her pocket
revolver. Apparently Manko still had her two Na K’uei bronze disks. Under
English law of course these with all her property belonged to her father. We
felt that Mrs Higginbottom stood in no need of these items and would turn nasty
if we presented them to her. We doubted in fact if she knew of their existence.
Since Cordelia would undoubtedly want our Society to get the benefit from them,
we decided to hold on to them. If Mr Higginbottom wished for their return when
he came back from Burma, we would of course surrender them.
These decisions made, Ronald
Helping then announced that he had a letter from Dr Watson, suggesting a matter
that we might wish to investigate. It was a letter addressed to Mr Holmes but
which he thought was not a suitable case for his resources and abilities. It
read:
Dear
Mr Holmes ,
I have been Village Constable of
Ploughstead in Norfolk for a year now and am very uneasy in my mind. You may
know that the Honourable Jasper Coulter was murdered some months ago after the
Strip Willow harvest. The Norfolk Constabulary investigated this and as a result
Miss Fay Strangeholm was tried and hung in March. Well sir I have been getting
these nightmares about it. In fact I would go as far as to say her ghost has
come to me. She mimes to me that she was innocent and mimes these ghastly
screams and I wakes up in a sweat. In the village it seems to me that there is a
good many other people that had cause to do in Mr Coulter what were not
investigated. I mentioned these things to my superiors in Norwich but they said
‘the jury found her guilty lad, case closed’! I heard that you was an expert
detective what could weevil out facts. I don’t have much money but I reckon if
you could prove the Norwich boys wrong it would add to your glory so to speak?
PC Timothy Lymington
“Well what do you think?” asked Ronald
Helping.
“Certainly if it is a case of calling up
a ghost it could be something we can be doing!” said Doktor Nichtwissen. “It
does sound a ghost that wishes to be called!”
“But one who cannot speak by the sound
of it!” commented Marjorie Butterworth.
“Because she is miming to the policeman
does not mean she cannot speak to those who can hear!” mused Professor Learning.
“She might be induced to write down her information or call up written clues.
Certainly Lady Griseldis obtained long conversations with the ghost Vladiva
whereas the concubines who saw her heard nothing!”
“I do not suppose the Lady Griseldis
would come to Norfolk with us?” asked Mr Helping.
“I am afraid not. My Aunt is engaged in
sorting out the mess the maids let the house and garden fall into whilst we were
away. She has been complaining about her age and it really is not a good time to
ask her for such a favour. However she says that given we know the name of a
ghost I could try to summon her, or perhaps I could ask Cordelia to question
her. It does seem to be something in which she might help us.”
“Wow really? This is exciting, we must
try it out!” exclaimed Marjorie.
“There is being the matter of getting to
this Ploughstead place and paying for all of us that wish to go? I fear our
funds must be low by now” carped Doktor Nichtwissen.
“Due to the generosity of Mrs
Butterworth our funds are in good health.” answered Ronald Helping.
Marjorie Butterworth nodded
“Yes, well there is plenty more where that came from. If those going can chip
something in, I can make up the rest in train and carriage fares. I suppose that
there will be a Hotel or an Inn in this village? Does anyone know where it
actually is?”
Mr Helping answered “I have
consulted the map and it is around ten miles to the South of Norwich and around
six to the north of Bungay.”
So Mrs Butterworth sent her
agent Swithin Easy to hire us rooms in the village. Professor Learning looked up
the Newspaper reports of the case and produced what he thought the most concise.
Ploughstead’s Darbeyfield Barn murder Case
The prosecution alleged that Miss Fay Strangeholm did
lay in wait for the Honourable Jasper Coulter within the
Darbeyfield Barn on the night of Friday 26th November.
She then stunned him with a blow to the head, and
stabbed him in the chest four times with a potato fork
resulting in his death. She then rolled him onto a potato
sack and dragged him outside to bury him in a potato pit.
Mr Coulters watch was damaged by one of the fork
prongs and stopped at 1127. At around 1145 Mrs Tillie
Tulip and Miss Agate Primfield saw Miss Strangeholm
heading towards her home at 1 Toft Row.
She acted in a
furtive manner and was coming from the direction of the
Barn. Miss Strangeholm a rush basket maker, claimed that
she had stayed at home all evening plying her craft. She
admitted that had had a ‘romantic involvement’ with the
deceased some time before. She admitted to a dispute
concerning the price and quantities of rush baskets she had
sold to him for the coming Strawberry harvest. She denied
ever seeing him that night but a key to the Darbeyfield barn
was found in her house. Unable to produce any witnesses for
her defence or even good character, the jury found her guilty!
Naturally the Professor had also
searched for any reports of any supernatural events in the Ploughstead area.
Unfortunately the only one he could find was that of Saint Judith after whom the
parish church was named. Because of her excessive piety her stepmother hated
her. She led her hot tempered brother Bran to believe that Judith was pregnant
by one of his enemies. The brother then beheaded her! Her ghost carried her head
and placed it on the church altar. That was in the tenth century and the present
church was built in the thirteenth. However she has been seen carrying her head
as late as the sixteenth century. It was decided that this was not very
promising and the murder was first priority. Possibly something might be
achieved with dear Cordelia’s assistance if time was available.
Ronald Helping had written
to Constable Lymington telling him of our taking up his case. He told him that
we of the OVS were experienced at contacting ghosts and other supernatural
beings. When we were aboard the train to Norwich Mr Helping showed us the reply
he had just received from the Constable.
Dear
Mr Helping,
Thank you for your
interest. I am afraid that I have just been posted away to become Village
Constable of Westhorpe a considerable distance from Ploughstead. I believe this
has been arranged at the instigation of Sir Benjamin because of the awkward
questions I have been asking. I am being replaced by PC Valance a Norwich man
that I know who is not over bright I fear. He will be living in the Police
Station where I saw the ghost. However I will give a summary of my
investigations so far which I am also sending to the great detective Mr Sherlock
Holmes.
On Saturday 27th
November it was reported to me by Zebedee Hanger that he had found the body of
Mr Jasper Coulter. It had been hidden in the potato pit beside the Darbeyfield
barn. Mr Hanger checked it because the willow stripping workers would be leaving
that day and they were prone to stealing potatoes. The body lay face down half
covered by the potatoes and the turves placed on top. When we got it out It’s
chest was covered in congealed blood from sixteen prong penetrations. These were
undoubtedly from one of the two potato forks found propped inside the barn.
There were traces of smeared blood on the floor nearby. Four times had the
murderer plunged it into the supine man. Later examination found a bump on the
side of his head where he had been struck and almost certainly knocked
unconscious. One of the prongs had struck his pocket watch stopping it at the
time of eleven twenty-seven. His money, handkerchief, silver match-case and
cigars were still in his pockets. Sir Benjamin sent a lad to Norwich who brought
back Inspector Yale and some men of the constabulary. I told them that it had
been the night of the Willow-strippers dance, held in the Ploughstead Barn. This
was near to Coulter House which is where the victim lived with his brother Sir
Benjamin. These dances are held for the workers both local and seasonal at the
end of each of the harvests. The seasonal workers live in two nearby huts built
for them. They are supervised by the Agent Mr Wordsworth Primfield and his
sister Agate Primfield. The dances have punch and a buffet meal and run from
eight till midnight. Entrance and exits were controlled by Mr Jonathon Leke and
his sister Ivy Leke who manned the cloak rooms. According to them the only
person they could remember leaving the dance was a seasonal worker, Miss Rowena
Cowl. It was a few minutes before the church clock chimed eleven. They
remembered her because she was known to be Mr Jasper’s current favourite. She
returned five or ten minutes afterwards. All the seasonal workers from the huts
had attended the dance. Miss Cowl was questioned and said that she had had an
assignation to meet Mr Jasper Coulter at the Darbeyfield Barn. On the way
however, she met a local man who warned her against going there. He said that
one of his daughters had done so and was now walking the Streets of Great
Yarmouth! He told her that others had wound up the same, so she went back to the
dance. If her story was true the times did not fit. Miss Cowl had come for the
willow stripping from the nearby village of Mundham and was staying with her
aunt. Her aunt too had warned against her getting involved with Mr Coulter. Miss
Agate Primfield then came forward, saying that she had heard about the murder
and thought she had a suspect. She had gone escorting a Mrs Tillie Tulip to
retrieve an umbrella that the latter had left hidden in the village. Mrs Kettle
had had too much punch and was very set on the idea, as she was returning to
Norwich on the morrow. Miss Agate saw Miss Fay Strangeholm walking furtively to
her home from the direction of the Darbeyfield Barn. She thought nothing of it
at the time but she knew Miss Strangeholm had been in a dispute with Mr Jasper.
This was about money for the rush baskets that she made for strawberries.
Inspector Yale went and arrested her and took her to Norwich. Then she was tried
and hung and I starting seeing her ghost. I started asking around about any
other enemies Mr Jasper might have had and there are hosts of them. Many were no
longer in Ploughstead so I do not mention them. Neither do I mention those that
were at the dance.
Mr
Jim Edshaw Seaman caught stealing by Mr Coulter and served six months jail. Mr
Hob Jukes labourer caught poaching several times and fined heavily. Gregory
Ullswater labourer and poacher has his sister Gail streetwalking in Norwich due
to Mr Coulter. Mr Earnest Leaven the baker, father of Bunny Leaven,
streetwalking in Norwich. Edmond Pennyworth Seaman and poacher, whose sweetheart
Aline Barker is streetwalking in Norwich. Also Mr Harvey Barker Basket-maker,
Aline’s father. Mr Joe Happenshaw moler and father of Dorcas Happenshaw, who was
at the dance but whose reputation was tarnished by Mr Coulter. Mrs Nelly
Henderson, whose husband left her because of Mr Coulter. (He is now at sea.) Mrs
Susie Allington widow on the parish, who was refused at least two housekeeping
jobs because of Mr Coulter tarnishing her reputation. Miss Jessica Clarke Shop
assistant forced to have a late abortion by Jasper.
It is difficult to get
people to talk and some are downright un-co-operative but I obtained most of
this information from Miss Ivy Leke housemaid to Miss Victorine Darbeyfield.
(She is known as Cross Ivy because she is cross-eyed.)
There
may be others from times past but I hope this will be of assistance to you
tracking down the real murderer.
PC
Timothy Lymington
We mulled over this but
decided that it would make no difference to our plans. We could visit the new
constable or anyone who might give us useful information. He might allow us to
try for the ghost in his quarters. Failing that the Darbeyfield Barn could be a
dark place suitable for calling up the ghost. Should we successful in
identifying the murderer, we would have to work out a means to force them to
confess. Of course he or she might have moved away, which Marjorie thought might
lead to further adventures! She was really relishing our mission. She had sent
her Agent Mr Swithin Easy ahead to book accommodation for all of us in the
Nelson Inn at Ploughstead. This for a full week! She explained that
inexperienced as she was, she could not guess how long we would need. Well I
thought that fail or succeed, two or three nights might be enough but as
Cordelia would say it is really delightful to have the assistance of a truly
wealthy friend! This was reinforced later on. The ever gloomy Mr Helping said,
“You know what if we cannot call up ghostly help? Miss Badamaru’s magic might
fail!”
“Then we shall have to be questioning
the peoples to find what they were up to on the night of the murder.” Answered
Doktor Nichtwissen
Helping shook his head “But they do not
need to answer us we are not the police!”
“Ah, I had thought about that!” Smiled
Marjorie, jingling a bag. “This is full of silver coins for bribes. Mr Easy says
that a shilling for adults, sixpence for youngsters and thrupence for children
will ease the tongues of the peasant classes. Only the guilty are likely to
object!”
We reached Norwich where Mr
Easy had arranged for a carriage to take us to Ploughstead. There at the Nelson
Inn our rooms and a lunch were ready waiting for us.
Present in the Inn was a
youth, the Boot boy from Coulter House who initially pretended that he had a day
off. He said had heard that we were interested in the Darbeyfield Barn murder
and volunteered to show it to us. On questioning he admitted that there had been
other sightseers and his Master Sir Benjamin Coulter had detailed him to
accompany them there. He was entrusted with the key and ordered to keep tourists
from annoying the locals and Sir Benjamin in particular! Once lunch was over we
followed out guide to the barn and all stood in front of the potato pit where
the body was found.
Wednesday 10th April 1892. It is 1330
and the weather is dry and fair what are you going to do?
Mr Ronald Helping
Lea, Activist, M0 6”, Fa 3/3/5, Ag +1, Th +1, Me +2, Mallet Bst –2
M. Revolver Bst –2
Firing 3” 5+ Pst 0, 6” 6+ Pst 0, 11” 7+ Pst 0, 5 rounds.
Lockpicking D10
6+ to pick each move, any 0 lock cannot be picked.
Class VII, PI
Respectable, Charm M0, F +1,
Coercion 0 MC £9 – 11s- 5d
Speaks Latin,
Romanian (P) Watch, penknife. Police Whistle lamp
Professor Able
Learning
VLe, Activist, M0 5”, Fa 1/2/3, Ag -1, Th 0, Me 0, Silver cross of St Patrocles
Bst –3, Derringer 2 bullets 3” 4+ st 0, 6” 5+, st –1, 11” 6+ st –2
Bag of reference
books. Scroll of exorcism. Bottl e of holy water (3 dollops)
Class VI, PI
Respectable, Charm M0, F 0, Coercion
-1 MC £4 – 7s- 8d
Speaks Latin,
Romanian, Greek, French, German, Russian & Italian.
Mrs Marjorie Butterworth
Activist, Mo 5”, Fa 2/2/3, Ag -1, Th -1, Me -2, Umbrella
Bst -2, silver ferule Pst
-2, Watch, reticule
Small Revolver 3” 5+ Pst
-1, 6” 6+ Pst -1, 11” 7+ Pst -1, 5 silver bullets + 5 lead.
Class VII, (VI) PI
Respectable, Charm M 0, F +1,
Coercion +1.
MC £32 – 8s – 6p
Speaks English, French (P), Latin (P)
Miss Leica Badamaru
Activist,
Mo 5”, Fa 2/3/4, Ag –1, Th –1, Me –1,
Dagger Pst –1, 3
pepper sachets R 2” D10 -2 rounds
blinded sneezing Mo & Me –2.
Class VII, (VI) PI
Respectable, Charm M +1, F +1,
Coercion 0. Watch. Holy water pot.
MC £12 – 2s – 6p
Speaks Romanian, French (P) Lamp
Herr Doktor
Sigismund Nichtwissen
Activist, Mo 6”, Fa
2/3/5 Ag +1, Th 0, Me +2 Derringer 2 silver bullets 3” 4+ Pst 0, 6” 5+, Pst –1,
11” 6+ Pst –2
Class VI, PI
Respectable, Charm M-1, F 1,
Coercion 0 MC £2 – 13- 7d
Speaks German,
Latin, French, English, Polish & Italian. Case with Canvas sextagram & brush in
it.
Manko
WA +1, Mo 6” Fa
2/5/7 Ag +1, Th +1, Me +2 cudgel Bst –1. Class III
MC £0 – 11s – 8d,
Short besom, chalk & six purple candles.
two Na K’uei bronze
disks for making demons visible.
PI
Respectable Speaks German, English
(P) Lamp