The Tewkesbury Tomb (3 page)

‘We will question him later. Perhaps you would be kind enough to show us the tomb where the stranger’s body was found?’

‘Yes, of course, I do hope you will be able to apprehend the perpetrators of this unseemly act,’ said the reverend mopping his brow with a large handkerchief before leading the way further into the interior of the church.

‘That is our intention, Reverend,’ said Ravenscroft, trying to sound reassuring.

‘Here we are, Inspector. Everything is as your constable found it yesterday evening,’ said the clergyman stopping by a large monument at one side of the building.

‘I see,’ said Ravenscroft, placing one of his hands on the stone slab that formed the top of the tomb. ‘It must have taken some effort to have raised this stone and to have lifted it across. I wonder how they managed to lift it. Ah, see here, Crabb, do you observe those marks on the side of the tomb? That must be where someone drove a wedge between the top slab and the rest of the monument. Then, when the wedge had been driven in, the top was moved to one side, just a few inches so that the person who committed this deed could look into the interior.’

‘And just wide enough sir, for a body to be slid into the tomb,’ added Crabb.

The two policemen looked at one another in bewilderment for some seconds.

‘Excuse me, sir, but why did they go to all that trouble, when the body could have just been left on the floor?’ asked Reynolds drawing nearer.

‘Perhaps the killer was hoping to hide the body in the tomb, and then replace the top, so that no one would ever have found the dead man,’ suggested Crabb.

‘But if that was the case, why did he then leave it open?
Reynolds, will you oblige us and try and see if you can replace the top of this tomb in its original position?’ instructed Ravenscroft.

‘Right, sir.’

Ravenscroft and Crabb stood back as Reynolds placed both his hands on the edge of the top stone and attempted to push it forward. ‘I’m sorry, sir, I can’t shift the thing!’ he exclaimed, growing increasingly red in the face.

‘Thank you, Reynolds. A valiant effort; you can ease off now. It is just as I thought. One man is not strong enough to move this stone on his own, whereas two might be more successful in the attempt.’

‘You mean there were two despoilers of God’s house?’ exclaimed Jesterson.

‘It would certainly have taken two men to have moved this stone, once the wedge had been driven into the gap. Let’s have a look inside,’ said Ravenscroft peering down into the interior of the monument.

‘What can you see, sir?’ asked Crabb.

‘It is quite a way down to the bottom, almost six feet in depth I would say. There just seems to be a collection of old bones lying on the bottom.’

‘Those “old bones”, Inspector, as you put it so eloquently, are the mortal, sacred remains of Sir Roger de la Pole,’ reprimanded Jesterson.

‘I am sorry, I did not mean to cause any offence. What can you tell me about Sir Roger?’ asked Ravenscroft quickly, as Crabb stepped up to gaze into the tomb.

‘Sir Roger de la Pole was one of the Knights Templar who accompanied King Richard I on his Crusade to the Holy Land. He was a local benefactor and owned lands in the nearby villages of Deerhurst and Uckinghall, as well as here in Tewkesbury. He
died shortly after his return from one of the crusades, and in his will left money to the abbey for prayers to be said, in perpetuity, for his soul and for the building of this monument to his memory,’ replied the clergyman, warming to his subject.

‘Smells a bit fusty inside,’ remarked Crabb turning up his nose.

‘You say that Sir Roger was a Knight Templar. Can you elaborate further, Reverend?’ asked Ravenscroft, ignoring Crabb’s comment.

‘The Templars are an ancient order of knights originally formed in Jerusalem to protect pilgrims as they travelled to the holy land. They played an important role in the crusades in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries.’

‘And what happened to them?’

‘Unfortunately the brotherhood was suppressed in the early fourteenth century on the orders of the Pope and the King of France.’

‘Why was that, sir?’ interjected Crabb.

‘It seems that the Templars had become very wealthy – they often acted as moneylenders – and that their prosperity caused a great deal of resentment.’

‘What happened to them?’ asked Ravenscroft.

‘Many of them were put to death; a few escaped and travelled to places like Rhodes and Malta, which they defended against the forces of the Infidel.’

‘You seem very well informed, Reverend,’ said Ravenscroft.

‘The abbey attracts a great many visitors, particularly in the summer months, and many of them often enquire about the origins of the tomb.’

‘I have seen a number of tombs of this period and many of them have carved effigies either on the top or at the sides,’ said Ravenscroft.

‘You are correct, Mr Ravenscroft, but in this case the tomb is quite plain.’

‘Is that unusual?’

‘It is not uncommon.’

‘How do we know then that this the tomb of Sir Roger?’ asked Crabb.

‘If you look down towards the bottom of the tomb, just here on the side, you will see that the name of Sir Roger de la Pole has been carved into the stone.’

Ravenscroft and Crabb knelt down and examined the engraved lettering. ‘I see, yes, here is the name of Sir Roger. What are these numbers and letters below the name?’ asked Ravenscroft staring at the carving and running his fingers over the stone.

‘I’m afraid I cannot help you there, Inspector. We often get enquiries about the inscription, but we are at a loss as to their true meaning. They don’t appear to relate to dates of birth or death of Sir Roger, and we have even tried to replace the numbers and letters with various known ciphers, but without success.’

‘Very interesting,’ said Ravenscroft standing upright. ‘Crabb, make a note of the inscription in your pocket book.’

‘Yes, sir,’ replied the constable copying down the letters and numbers:

‘Thank you, Reverend, you have been most helpful and informative. Be assured that my colleague and myself will do all that we can to fully investigate this matter and bring the perpetrators of this deed to book.’

‘Before you leave, Inspector, I wonder if we could replace the slab on top of the tomb? It is only right and proper that Sir Roger should be allowed to rest in peace, away from prying eyes.’

‘Of course. Reynolds, Crabb, help me to push the stone back into its rightful place.’

‘Did the body have any means of identification upon him?’ enquired Ravenscroft.

‘None whatsoever I’m afraid, Inspector.’

Ravenscroft and Crabb had left the abbey a few minutes previously and were now standing in the cold, damp, mortuary building and staring down at the naked corpse which lay before them on an old wooden table. Two candles flickered uneasily in the darkened room and an old iron tap dripped loudly into a cracked stone sink in the corner.

‘There were no letters about his person or any other documents?’

‘His pockets were completely empty,’ replied the doctor, wiping his bloodstained hands on a towel.

‘Obviously his killer did not want anyone to be able to identify his victim. What can you tell us about his injuries?’

‘The poor man suffered a large blow on the back of his head; that is what killed him.’

‘What kind of instrument do you think was used to kill him, Doctor?’ continued Ravenscroft.

‘I would think by the size of the blow that it must have been a very heavy object of some kind.’

‘A hammer, or mallet, perhaps?’

‘It could well have been.’

‘What do we make of this fellow then, Crabb?’ asked Ravenscroft, bending over the body.

‘I would say he was about forty years of age, sir, slightly
smaller in height than the average, with no signs of starvation, nor any other injuries,’ said Crabb, after a few moments of deliberation.

‘Good. Go on.’

‘I don’t think he was used to any kind of hard labour.’

‘Why do you say that, Crabb?’

‘His hands and feet look too soft.’

‘Well done, but I think we can go further and conclude that he was probably a clerk by profession, and that he was also
left-handed
.’

‘How do you know that, sir?’ asked a puzzled Crabb.

‘Look at his hands and you will observe the inkstains on his thumb and next two fingers of his left hand, whereas there are none on his right hand. I think that if we were to examine his clothes we might also well find signs of ink on the left cuff of his shirt.’

Crabb walked over to the chair, where the deceased’s clothes had been placed and picked up the item in question. ‘I do believe you’re right, sir.’

‘Although there are inkstains on the cuffs, there is not a great deal of wear on the garment, suggesting that it was either a recent purchase, or that its owner had taken particular care of it,’ said Ravenscroft, joining his colleague and examining the shirt before turning towards the remainder of the dead man’s clothes. ‘In fact, the suit, although not expensive and of a plain, ordinary nature in its design, is of a smart, presentable appearance, suggesting that our friend liked to dress well. I would say that although he was a clerk by profession, he was nevertheless not of a lower station. This man either worked in a senior capacity in an office, or took steps to see that his appearance created an impression of far greater importance than his actual position in life. Unfortunately there are no labels in any of the garments to
enable us to trace them back to their place of sale.’

‘Looks as though our victim will go unnamed,’ added Crabb.

‘Let us take a look at the deceased’s shoes.’

Crabb handed them to Ravenscroft, who examined them both inside and out.

‘I would say these are what you would call, London shoes, being extremely well made and of a fairly expensive nature. Our unknown stranger seems to have spent more money on that item than the rest of his apparel, suggesting perhaps that a recent investment had borne fruit.’

‘I will leave you two gentlemen to your deliberations,’ said the doctor who had been standing quietly by during the conversation.

‘Yes, thank you, Doctor,’ said Ravenscroft, as the medical man left the room. ‘Did you notice anything else unusual about the corpse, Crabb?’

‘I don’t believe so, sir.’

‘Look again at his feet. The nails on his left foot have been recently clipped, whereas the nails on his right foot are quite long,’ said Ravenscroft, returning to the table and bending over the deceased man.

‘Now you mention it, sir, you are quite right. What an odd thing to do. Why cut the nails on one foot and not the other? What do you make of it?’

‘I don’t. I cannot see the significance at all.’

‘What do we do now? Shall I circulate his description to the local newspaper and nearby police station? Someone might know who he is,’ suggested Crabb making notes in his pocket book. ‘He might have been staying locally, so it might be worth our while making enquiries at the local hostelries.’

‘By all means, Tom, but it may be of little avail if he had just recently arrived in the town. Let us gather together what we
know about our friend. We have a middle-aged clerk, of less than average stature, who cuts the nails on one of his feet but not the other, and who dresses well, but not extravagantly so, except for his shoes, and who probably originates from London. Now we have to ask ourselves – what was such a gentleman as this doing in the abbey in Tewkesbury late yesterday evening – and why was he killed in such a brutal fashion and then placed in a tomb belonging to a medieval knight?’

‘I must admit, sir, that I am at a complete loss,’ said Crabb replacing his notebook in the top pocket of his tunic.

‘When we were in the abbey just now, we wondered why the top stone had not been replaced on the monument. I think that this man and one other broke into the abbey yesterday evening between the hours of eight and twelve, where they drove a wedge under the lid of the tomb, until they were able to lift it up enough to be able to move it slightly to one side so that they could look down into its interior,’ said Ravenscroft, removing his spectacles and cleaning the lenses on his handkerchief.

‘Whatever for, sir?’ asked Crabb. ‘There’s only a load of old bones inside – old Sir Roger. Who would want those?’

‘There may be just old Sir Roger’s bones there now, but what if there was something else inside the tomb? Yes of course! There must have been something else lying next to the bones on the floor of the tomb. You noticed how tall the monument was. If there was something lying there, it would have been impossible to have reached over and secured the item,’ said Ravenscroft, replacing his spectacles and becoming increasingly animated.

‘You mean our man climbed into the tomb—’

‘—To secure whatever lay there, and after he had passed the item on to his companion, that was when the second man hit him on the head!’

‘That’s why the killer could not replace the top stone!’

‘Exactly, Crabb. He could not move the stone on his own, and so he left it as we found it.’

‘I wonder what was taken from the inside of the tomb?’

‘That is what we have to find out. No doubt once we have found what was taken, then we will be able to arrest our killer. I wonder why the deceased man and his companion come to Tewkesbury – and what was in the tomb that was so important to them? And what were those five people doing gathered round the tomb at such a late hour? What had brought them all to the abbey on such an inhospitable night? I tell you something, Crabb, this has all the makings of a strange and baffling case, and no mistake, the sooner we commence our investigations the better we will be placed to arrive at a solution.’

‘Intolerable! This is just intolerable!’

Ravenscroft looked up from his desk in the snug of the Hop Pole at the irate military gentleman who had just strode into the room. ‘Major Anstruther, I believe. Would you care to take a seat?’

‘Your constable has prevented me from leaving; I tell you this delay is not to be borne, sir!

‘This is a very serious matter, sir—’

‘I don’t care how serious this is; the fact remains that I am expected to rejoin my regiment later today in London.’

‘And what regiment would that be, sir?’ asked Ravenscroft, looking down at the papers before him and trying to sound as calm as possible.

‘The Guards, man! The Guards!’ exclaimed Anstruther, staring intently at the balding, middle-aged man and the young, fresh-faced constable.

‘Of course, I should have known. If you would be kind enough
to answer a few questions for us, we will try not to detain you too long. Please take a seat, Major.’

‘Intolerable! I don’t see what all this has to do with me anyway,’ replied Anstruther reluctantly accepting the chair.

‘You were in the abbey yesterday evening, when the body was discovered. You don’t deny that?’

‘Of course I was in the abbey, man!’ retorted Anstruther.

‘Then perhaps you would care to tell Constable Crabb and myself what you were doing inside the building at such a late hour, standing next to an opened tomb which contained the remains of an unknown person who had been brutally murdered that same evening?’ enquired Ravenscroft leaning back in his chair and looking directly at his suspect.

‘I know it looks bad, Inspector, but there is a simple explanation for all this, I can assure you.’

‘Please proceed, Major Anstruther.’

‘We had all been conversing together with one another, in this very room, earlier in the evening—’

‘You say “we” – could you elaborate further?’

‘Yes; Ganniford, Jenkins, Miss Eames, Dr Hollinger. We had all arrived in the town earlier that day, and were enjoying a pleasant evening together when someone suggested that we should all go and take a tour round the abbey, take in the monuments and such like.’

‘At twelve o’clock at night?’ asked Ravenscroft.

‘I know it sounds rather strange, but we had all been drinking a lot and thought it would be rather interesting to go and see the relics.’

‘And what happened next?’

‘We all went across to the abbey, went inside the building and started to look round at the monuments. Then someone noticed that the lid of one of the tombs had been moved. We naturally
looked inside and found the remains of that poor fellow. Then one of your constables came up to us – and the rest you know.’

‘Did you know who the deceased gentleman was?’

‘No, never seen him before,’ replied Anstruther stroking his moustache and looking down at the floor.

‘You are sure on that point?’

‘I’ve just said, I had never seen the person before,’ snapped the major, glaring at his questioner.

‘Tell me, Major, what were you doing in Tewkesbury?’

‘I don’t see that is any of your business.’

‘I’m afraid, sir, everything is my business when murder is concerned. What were you doing in the town?’ repeated Ravenscroft firmly.

‘Nothing of any importance.’

‘That is for me to decide.’

‘Damn it, man, if you must know I had been visiting a lady in Bristol, was on the way back to London to rejoin my regiment and decided to put up in the town for the night.’

‘Could we have the name of this lady?’

‘No, you certainly may not. Question of honour and all that. Can’t do.’

‘I see. Tell me, had any of your companions been previously known to you before yesterday evening; had you met any of them before?’ asked Ravenscroft realizing that he would have to change his line of questioning.

‘No, never seen any of them before. We just met up here, had dinner and a drink together and fell into conversation.’

‘Can you tell me whose idea it was to go and explore the abbey at such a late hour?’

‘Er, I don’t think I can remember. I believe it just came up in the general conversation.’

‘Try and remember, Major. It is most important. Whose idea
was it to visit the abbey?’ repeated Ravenscroft leaning forward.

‘Well I suppose it might have been that Prussian doctor, Hollinger. Yes, I think he suggested the visit.’

‘Thank you, Major. I think that will be all for now.’

‘I presume that I can now return to London?’ asked Anstruther, rising from his chair.

‘I’m afraid not.’

‘Oh, come on, man. I’ve told you everything I can. I don’t see how I can be of any further use to you.’

‘I’m sorry, sir, but murder is a very serious matter and we may well need to speak to you again. It would be appreciated if you would kindly rejoin the others in the other room and wait there until I have questioned your companions.’

‘Waste of time, man. They will only tell you what I have said. Can’t expect anything different. Look, what am I to tell my regiment?’

‘May I suggest you send them a telegram explaining that your return will be delayed?’ suggested Ravenscroft.

‘Damn all this, Ravenscroft! All this is an infernal inconvenience!’ said Anstruther, banging his fist down suddenly on the table.

‘As soon as I have questioned your companions and discovered who killed the man in the tomb, then you will be free to leave and rejoin your regiment,’ replied Ravenscroft, ignoring the outburst and looking down at the papers before him.

‘Damned inconvenience!’ exclaimed Anstruther striding out of the room and banging the door behind him.

‘Well, he certainly seems annoyed,’ said Crabb looking up from his notebook from the corner of the room where he had been seated witnessing the interview.

‘That’s as may be.’

‘Do you believe all that talk about a lady in Bristol, point of
honour and all that?’

‘Oh I’m sure he made all that up. But did you also notice, Tom, how he looked away quickly when I asked him if he had ever seen the deceased man before? I’m sure the two men had met. No, I think our major was not telling us the truth. I don’t believe for one minute that he just happened to arrive here on his way back to London. He was here in Tewkesbury because he had arranged to meet someone.’

‘The other members of the group?’ suggested Crabb.

‘Maybe,’ replied Ravenscroft. ‘Either way I don’t think we are going to obtain more from Major Anstruther just now. I think we should next turn our attention to Dr Hollinger. Anstruther said he thought it was Hollinger who had put forward the idea of the nocturnal excursion. Be so good, Crabb, as to ask the learned doctor to join us.’

‘As you wish, sir,’ replied the constable leaving the room.

Ravenscroft rose from his seat and looked out of the window, to where the distant sound of people talking and carts travelling along the cobbled streets could be heard. Then his eyes looked across the road towards the great abbey which seemed to dominate all that was before it, as it had done so for many past centuries. He had the feeling that this was going to be a difficult case.

‘Doctor Hollinger, sir,’ said Crabb, disturbing his thoughts as he re-entered the room.

‘Inspector Ravenscroft,’ said the new arrival extending a hand.

‘Doctor Hollinger. I am pleased to make your acquaintance, sir. Would you please take a seat?’ replied Ravenscroft, shaking the doctor’s hand.

‘This is a terrible business, Inspector, terrible,’ said Hollinger, shrugging his shoulders and accepting the chair.

‘Quite so, sir. I hope you don’t mind assisting us in our enquiries?’

‘Of course not.’

‘Thank you, sir. I wonder if we might begin with a few facts concerning yourself.’

‘Certainly. I am of Prussian extraction. My name is Doctor Andreas Hollinger. I am a medical practitioner in Baden-Baden. Patients come there when they are sick to, er, how you say, to take the waters. You may know of such treatments.’

‘I am very familiar with the water cure treatments,’ replied Ravenscroft, giving a slight smile in his constable’s direction. ‘May I ask, Doctor, the purpose of your visit to Tewkesbury?’

‘Certainly; I had been visiting a colleague of mine in Cheltenham for a few days. We had compared notes on the effectiveness of the water treatments. I was about to spend a day or two in London before returning home, and decided to stop off at Tewkesbury for the evening.’

‘Could you give us the name of this doctor in Cheltenham?’

‘Why? I do not see—’

‘We just need to confirm your account, Doctor,’ said Ravenscroft, observing the elderly doctor’s unease.

‘I still do not see why you need to know the name of my fellow practitioner.’

‘If you could oblige us, sir,’ persisted Ravenscroft.

‘Er, let me see. It was Dr Meadows. Yes, Dr Meadows.’

‘Thank you – and what transpired yesterday evening?’

‘Pardon? Transpired?’ asked Hollinger looking perplexed.

‘What took place yesterday evening?’

‘Ah yes, you say transpired. I fell in conversation with a group of my fellow guests, and then we went over to the abbey where we found that unfortunate man.’

‘Had you met any members of the group before yesterday evening?’

‘No. They were all new to me.’

‘And the man inside the tomb, had you ever met him before?’

‘No.’

‘You said just now that you fell into conversation with your fellow guests. What sort of things did you talk about?’

‘I am sorry, I do not understand.’

‘I would just to like to know what you and your fellow guests talked about yesterday evening.’

‘Well, I cannot remember everything, Inspector, but I will try.’

‘If you would be so kind.’

‘Let me see – the weather; you English always talk about the weather. Wherever I go there is always the weather to talk about,’ smiled Hollinger. ‘It was very bad last night. Rain “cats and um dogs”, as you say.’

‘Anything else?’

‘We talked about the town, how pleasant it appeared, and yes, the hotel.’

‘Whose idea was it to go and visit the abbey at such a late hour?’ asked Ravenscroft, looking directly at the practioner.

‘Visit the abbey?’ repeated Hollinger rubbing his forehead.

‘Yes, Doctor, who suggested that you should visit the abbey?’

‘I cannot be sure.’

‘Try and remember, Doctor,’ urged Ravenscroft.

‘Ah yes, it was Herr Jenkins. Yes, Mr Jenkins who proposed that we should visit the abbey. I believe that to be the case.’

‘Would it not have been better to have waited until the morning, sir?’ asked Crabb.

‘I suppose you are correct, Constable, it would have been better to have gone in the morning, but one or two people said that they had to leave very early, and we all thought it would be an excellent opportunity to go then.’

‘But surely the abbey would have been locked up at that hour of the night?’ suggested Ravenscroft.

‘I do not know. In Baden we do not lock up our religious buildings for the evening. They are open all the time.’

‘And how did you find the abbey when you arrived?’

‘Sorry, “find the abbey”. I do not understand.’

‘Did you find the abbey open or closed? Did someone have a key?’

‘Ah yes, I understand. The abbey was not locked.’

‘I see. Thank you, Doctor, for answering all my questions.’

‘I am glad that I was of assistance, Inspector. May I go now?’

‘I would be obliged if you would wait with the others. I’m afraid I cannot allow any of you to leave the town until after we have completed our inquiries.’

‘I quite understand,’ said Hollinger rising from his seat, as Crabb walked over to open the door.

‘Oh one last question, Dr Hollinger – when you were in the abbey, who first noticed the opened tomb?’ asked Ravenscroft.

‘I believe it was myself, Inspector.’

‘And how did you know the tomb belonged to the Templar Knight?’

‘I did not, until I leaned down and saw the name on the side.’

Ravenscroft nodded as Hollinger left the room. ‘Close the door, Crabb. Well, what do you make of our foreign gentleman?’

‘I think he knows more than he wanted to tell us,’ replied Crabb.

‘My thoughts exactly. He was not very forthcoming with the name of his fellow doctor in Cheltenham. We will need to confirm his story. Doctor Meadows I think he said. Also I do not quite believe that he would have stopped the night in Tewkesbury on the way back to London, when he could have taken a more direct route from Cheltenham. Tewkesbury would have been out of his way.’

‘Perhaps he wanted to see the abbey and the town before his
return to London,’ suggested Crabb.

‘Maybe. Then he seemed to have some difficulty in recalling the details of last night’s conversation, and what was actually said. When I pressed him all he could think about was that they discussed the weather.’

‘He also said that it was Jenkins who proposed the visit to the abbey, whereas Anstruther claimed that it was Hollinger who came up with the idea.’

‘Yes, you picked that up as well. So we now have two different accounts as to whose idea it was to visit the abbey. I have the distinct impression that we are not being told the truth.’

‘Shall I ask Jenkins to come in next?’

‘No, I think we will leave Ganniford and Jenkins until later. Let us see whether Miss Eames can enlighten us further.’

Crabb left the room and returned a few moments later with his charge.

‘My dear Miss Eames,’ said Ravenscroft rising from his chair. ‘I am sorry that you have been caught up in this affair. I appreciate you must find all this rather distressing, but I am afraid I must ask you a few questions if you don’t mind.’

‘I quite understand,’ replied the lady, accepting the seat which Crabb had indicated.

‘Thank you, Miss Eames. I wonder whether we might begin with the reason for your visit to Tewkesbury.’

‘The reason for my visit?’

‘If you would be so kind,’ smiled Ravenscroft.

‘For the past few years I have nursed my father, who has been very ill. We live in Ludlow in Shropshire. Recently my father passed away and I found myself quite alone in the world,’ replied the lady, in a quietly spoken unassuming manner.