Chapter 14: Murder at The Vicarage

III

I wanted to declare the case closed, wrap this whole thing up and get my holy water. I was about to open my mouth to do just that but the words that came forth were not what I intended.

“Vicar, would you be so kind as to retire to the sitting room with the others?” I asked with uncharacteristic politeness, “I believe Mr. Cain and I need to have a little chat.”

After the Vicar was dismissed - his look, one of incredulity - he left the room without a word. I directed Mr. Cain to the prime seat and waved David down, he was too excited to arrest the man.

“Please tell us everything.” I asked in a comforting voice.

“What more is there to tell, I did it, I'm the killer!” Cain blabbered, wiping yet more sweat from his brow and looking rather ill.

“Why did you come here?” I inquired calmly.

“I came here to kill the man,” he almost wept.

“So you say this was premeditated; then Why?”

“We quarrelled,” he blurted out after a moment’s hesitation. “Mr Sanguis is unhappy about how I sculpted his daughter, Cabbage.”

“I see,” I said leaning back in my chair, “And how did you kill him.”

“With a crossbow,” he said, gaining some confidence.

I shot a look at David, who, catching my meaning replied:

“The whole house is likely aware of the cause of death.”

“Where might you have shot him?” I pressed, leaning forward.

“In the head,” he replied with more surety.

David sighed and I leaned back.

“Thought as much.” I said to David.

“I had hoped that would be case-closed,” he replied.

“What?” Cain asked, looking between the two of us desperately.

Ignoring the man's agitation, I asked a question, “Out of curiosity, why was the deceased angry with you for sculpting his daughter?”

“She was nude… or he thought her nude… she wore her linens but that was too much for him,” Cain explained, stuttering and nodding trying to convince us of his guilt.

Just then another knock came at the door. Exasperated, David stood and opened it. The look of shocked bafflement on Penter Cain’s face caused me to turn and examine our newest guest.

I had seen her before, she was in the closet with Mr. Cain.

“Mrs. Sanguis?” David asked, surprised.

With a straight back and graceful countenance the beautiful woman replied, “I am here to confess, I killed my husband.”

I gestured and a guard escorted the blubbering Cain back to the others as he protested, declaring his love for Mrs. Sanguis.

Seeing the seat once again empty Mrs. Sanguis strode confidently past Mr. Cain and sat, legs crossed.

“I suppose you might have questions?” she said, looking me straight in the eye without flinching.

Once things had again calmed down, and David was sitting I began a second interrogation.

“You will of course forgive me if I don’t take you at your word?” I asked rhetorically. Something was wrong with her, I could see it.

She raised an eyebrow but didn’t respond.

“Why did you come here?” I asked.

“To kill my husband,” she answered, clearly and without hesitation.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

“At what time?” I asked, not giving her any time to think.

“Just past first bell, the maid let me in,” she replied.

“What was the murder weapon?”

“A crossbow.”

“How did you get it?”

There was a moment of uncertainty, almost imperceptible,“It was in my husband's wardrobe, upstairs. He got it when he fought in the war to the north,” she replied, looking just to the right of my eyes.

“Why did you kill him?” I asked, concluding my litany.

“He was a cruel and horrible man. There is a reason that I’m his second wife, I don’t blame Cabbage's mother for running away,” she answered, the first real emotion in her voice.

In the silence that followed, I drummed my fingers against the arm of the chair in thought. David finished off the last of his tea with a slurp. Mrs Sanguis looked at us both with a challenging glare.

Knock, Knock, Knock!

“Oh for the love of all that is bright,” David murmured as he stood.

At the door this time there was no confessor, to muddy the waters further, but a member of David's force. In his hand a long, slender crossbow.

“Sir, we have found the murder weapon. It was outside, discarded in the bushes,” the uniformed man announced.

“Are you sure?” David asked with surprise.

“Yes sir,” he confirmed, indicating the fresh blood spots on the wood.

“What is it?” I asked, not understanding David’s puzzlement.

“Thank you Jenkins, you did great work.” David said to the guard, “Now get this woman out of my sight.”

Turning to me he replied, “This crossbow was made by the sand tribes to the south, this is not Mr. Sanguis’ crossbow. They are both covering for someone.”

Mrs Sanguis’ posture remained stiff as she was escorted from the room. David paced back and forth, clearly annoyed. I went to take a sip of tea out of habit but had to again stop myself.

“Who do we have left to interview?” I asked.

“There’s the maid, he’s in the kitchen making more tea, and the Vicar’s wife, contained in the sitting room. Oh and Mr. Hills, the curate but he’s still working at the church,” David replied.

“I find a change of scenery can help one think, perhaps we can question him there?” I offered, standing. It was a sentiment I wholeheartedly agreed with.

We walked through the house, coming to the kitchen. There were the faint sounds of conversation within. David opened the door, inside was a burly man with large muscles dressed in a frilly pink dress, alone.

“Who were you talking to?” David asked.

“No one, I was practising a speech,” the man replied in a deep voice. David examined the room but, finding it empty, acquiesced.

“We need to speak with you Joseph,” David explained.

“I’ll be right there,” Joseph replied, putting down a tray of biscuits and untying his apron.

“That’s quite alright,” I interjected, walking into the room.

“We’d like to speak to you here.” I said, emphasising my point by tapping down on a countertop, before leaning against the cupboard beneath that spot.

A woman walked in the open door at that moment, looking behind her

“Joseph, where's that tea, oh sorry I didn’t realise you were in here,” she apologised.

I sighed and looked at David, “Are you just letting these suspects walk wherever they please?”

“They were instructed to stay in the sitting room but my men were only ordered to stop them if they tried to leave the house or enter the study.”

“I’m sorry, but we can’t be expected to suffer without proper refreshment.” The Vicar’s young wife explained with such an infectious smile that it tugged at the corner of my lips.

“Fine,” I relented, “we can do the two of you together.”

“Do either of you know what time the murder was committed?”

“I’m afraid not,” Mrs. Inclement said, accidently cutting off Joseph, “I was upstairs, powdering my nose. I had to go shortly after Mr. Sanguis arrived for his meeting with Basil,” seeing my look of confusion she supplied, “The Vicar.”

I had intended to ask Joseph for his input, but this line of questioning seemed more interesting.

“A meeting you say? You don’t happen to know what this meeting was about do you?” I asked the woman.

“No, I’m afraid not. When I inquired, Mr. Sanguis was quite insistent that it was a matter only to be discussed with the Vicar,” she explained freely.

“I see,” I said, taking more illusionary notes, “Did he, by any chance, happen to say anything else before you left.”

“No not… Now that you mention it, when I opened the door he was complaining about that ‘bloody woman’ again,” Mrs. Inclement relayed.

“Bloody woman? His wife perhaps?” David asked, curious.

“Oh good Light no,” Narcissa responded, “he was complaining about that woman he had charged with poaching a few months ago, said he had seen her out in his forest again, bow in hand.”

Joseph seemed to pale slightly at that but only I noticed,

“and you, Joseph, do you know at what time the murder was committed?” I asked.

“No, he was busy preparing lunch,” Narcissa Inclement replied.

“I can speak for myself,” Joseph inserted, lowering the woman's hand she had raised to stall him.

Narcissa looked a bit surprised before she conceded the point.

“Now that I look back on it I may have heard the snap of a crossbow string,” Joseph replied, looking up and to his left.

“You weren’t curious?’ David pressed.

“Frankly no, I was too busy making lunch,” he replied, somewhat annoyed.

“And at what time was that?” I asked, cutting off inspector David before he could make a retort.

“I don’t know… actually I do, it was right before the church rang the first bell,” he replied.

“Thank you, Mrs. Inclement, Joseph. I think that is all we have to ask you,” I ended.

“It is?” David asked, notebook in hand.

“It is. However there is still one person we have yet to interview,” I said.

“There is?” David asked.

“There is,” I said, grimly; swinging around, bending down, and opening the cupboard I was leaning against.

Inside was a slight woman with angular features crammed into the space and staring daggers at me.