Casebook of Inspector Armstrong - Volume 2

Martin Daley

Description

'The Bells and Plate Fix' is set against Cumberland's biggest horse races, the Carlisle Racing Bells and the Cumberland Plate. When a bookie's clerk is found face down in the River Eden, Inspector Armstrong believes there is more to his death than meets the eye. In 'The Kaiser's Assassin', Armstrong's holiday in the Lake District is disrupted when he is invited to meet Kaiser Wilhelm, who is visiting his friend, the 5th Earl of Lonsdale at Lowther Castle. A potent mix of characters leaves Armstrong feeling uncomfortable and as things threaten to spiral out of control over the following days, he faces a race against time to prevent a murder that will have repercussions across Europe.

Informations

• Publié par: Andrews UK
• Date de parution: 30 novembre 2017
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781787052192
• Langue: English

Extrait

The Casebook of Inspector Armstrong
Volume II
Martin Daley




Published in the UK by
MX Publishing
335 Princess Park Manor
Royal Drive, London, N11 3GX
www.mxpublishing.co.uk
Digital edition converted and distributed by
Andrews UK Limited
www.andrewsuk.com
© Copyright 2017 Martin Daley
The right of Martin Daley to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1998.
All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without express prior written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted except with express prior written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1956 (as amended). Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damage.
All characters appearing in this work are fictitious or used fictitiously. Except for certain historical personages, any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflecy those of MX Publishing or Andrews UK Limited.




In memory of Monsignor Greg Turner



The Bells and Plate Fix
Case Closed
“Inspector...” - Coroner, Charles Appleby, slowly drew out the word as he peered over his glasses at the file in front of him, before looking out into the court for the man whom he was about to call - “...Armstrong,” he said at last. The dozens present at the inquest hung on his every word, willing him to complete the introduction. Finally, they turned as one to look at the man who was about to be questioned: Cornelius Armstrong walked towards the witness box to report his findings on the death of Joseph Carter.
Inspector Armstrong had been called to the scene of the young man’s demise on the last Friday of June 1911. It was a date he was unlikely to forget, as he had celebrated his forty-seventh birthday the previous day, which also coincided with the coronation of King George V. He found himself sitting at his desk reading about the latter event in the morning newspaper when he received a call to attend the scene of the man’s death.
The deceased worked as a solicitor’s clerk and spent his leisure time carrying out the same role - albeit in very different circumstances - for local bookmakers. The timing of his death therefore had taken on extra significance as it had apparently occurred during the city’s busiest week of the year, with factories and businesses closing down to celebrate Race Week.
His body had been found lying face down in the water on the east side of Eden Bridge, in the heart of Carlisle. It rested against one of the large piers that supported the five arches, which were wider at their base and had a further stepped construction to the waterline. There was therefore more than one theory as to how the body had entered the water and what had caused its severe head injuries.
It could have been the case that Carter had fallen - or had been pushed - from the bridge causing the body to strike its head against the concrete base before bouncing into the water, where it would have been eased back against the pier by the river’s current. Armstrong’s theory however was slightly different: he believed that the body had been injured elsewhere and had been placed in the water further up-river before it drifted down to the bridge where it was halted after banging into the base of the pier.
Armstrong’s investigation had been hampered from a very early stage by Jack Dixon’s report in the Carlisle Journal which suggested Joseph Carter’s fatal injuries had been sustained after he had simply fallen from the bridge, probably whilst under the influence of drink.
But for the Inspector, there were just too many unanswered questions: Why would the young man be under the influence when he was not known to be a heavy drinker and from a respectable background? Why would he be crossing the Eden Bridge when his lodgings were in the opposite direction on London Road? Why did no one see him fall on such a busy thoroughfare? Why were his pockets completely empty? As it was the bookies’ busiest week of the year - why would he be out at night at all?
Carter’s post mortem had been inconclusive and - much to the annoyance of the Coroner, who inwardly concurred with the newspaper article - the original inquest had been opened and adjourned, at the request of the police, to allow more time to investigate.
Now three months on - with Inspector Armstrong leading the investigation - the police had little more to go on than they did back in June. Appleby had begun proceedings by outlining the case once more to the jury, before calling the witnesses.
Doctor James Bell was up first and he formally repeated his inconclusive findings during the autopsy. He then produced photographs of Carter’s body, which were passed to Mr. Appleby and then to the members of the jury. The reaction of some of the gentlemen confirmed the poor boy’s head had been horribly mutilated. Bell explained, “I can confirm that the head injuries were the cause of death but it is impossible to say whether they were caused by accident or design. There is no possibility of drowning as the body had very little water in the lungs.” He explained this comment further: “Had there been water in the lungs, it would have indicated that the victim would still have been alive at the point of submersion.”
Appleby addressed his witness, “Doctor Bell, I believe the height of the Eden Bridge is in the region of thirty feet - do you feel the injuries are consistent with a fall from that distance?”
“Again, it is difficult to give a definitive answer - it is certainly possible but would depend on the angle of the body as it hit the water or the base of the concrete pier.”
After a few more token questions, Bell was thanked and asked to step down. He was followed by the young man’s employer, solicitor David Edwards - who testified to the lad’s impeccable character; his landlady, Mrs. MacPherson, whose most significant contribution was to inform the court that her tenant always paid his rent on time; and then his distraught older brother, John, who spoke movingly of the close relationship the two shared.
Finally it was the turn of a more nervous than usual Inspector Cornelius Armstrong. His anxiety stemmed from the fact that he had little more proof of foul play than when the court adjourned in early summer. He climbed the two steps into the witness box, took the bible in his right hand and read the oath held in front of him by the court usher.
As if to give Armstrong a big build up, Appleby began by briefly reminding the court of the evidence heard so far. He then turned to the policeman. Was there a suspect in the case? Was there a motive for anyone causing harm to the young man? Was there any evidence that Carter himself was in some sort of difficulty in his private life - financially, perhaps? All questions Armstrong was forced to reluctantly answer in the negative.
“Inspector,” resumed the Coroner, “I find your report and your evidence somewhat ambiguous and frankly irritating. On the one hand you are suggesting that there has been foul play in the death of Joseph Carter, and yet you cannot provide any tangible evidence to support this view. On what do you base your conclusions?”
Armstrong answered Mr. Appleby’s latest question in his own mind before speaking - it sounded pathetic even to him. He grabbed the wooden rail of the witness box in front of him. “My own policeman’s instinct,” he said at last.
There were uncomfortable murmurings and even the odd suppressed snigger from the public gallery. Charles Appleby removed his heavy tortoiseshell spectacles and pinched the bridge of his nose before palming back the wisps of grey hair from his high forehead with an audible exhalation. As he worked the wire arms back around his ears he said, ‘I think that will be all Inspector, you may step down.”
Cornelius - head bowed in embarrassment - walked back to his seat.
The Coroner then addressed the gentlemen of the jury. He reminded them their task was to determine the circumstances surrounding Joseph Carter’s death.
As far as he saw it, there were several possibilities before them, “...but frankly, I do not believe foul play to be one of them. None of the evidence points to any wrongdoing. It could be that Mr. Carter was under the influence of alcohol when he fell; it could be that he had been taken ill and that had resulted in him becoming disoriented - this is what may have caused him to fall.
“There is no evidence that Mr. Carter’s body was moved to the location where it was found, so we can only conclude that no other party was involved. The final possibilities are that he was startled in some way and lost his footing as a result; or that he committed suicide, either in a premeditated act - planned in the full clarity of mind - or he may have jumped deliberately in the heat of a moment of delusion.”
The jury retired, but with such a clear direction from the Coroner, it seemed they had little to debate. They returned within half an hour with a verdict of “accidental death.” It came as little surprise to anyone - including Inspector Armstrong - and after the usual formalities, Charles Appleby declared the inquest closed with a bang of his gavel. Chairs grated against the wooden floor as those present stood to allow him to leave. Armstrong sat back down to allow the noisy courtroom to clear.
Three months after the discovery of the body, the disconsolate policeman followed a few stragglers out, full of nagging self-doubt. The Coroner’s verdict