The Jean Genie (Dead Reckoning series - Part 23)

Continued from Episode 22 (Here Comes the Rain Again)

The story so far:   Josiah, having rekindled a romance (on the rebound from Samantha Knight) with an old flame, Jeanette DeVille, has apparently disappeared since his supper with her, at Evanley Hall, last Saturday.  Samantha persuaded Archibald to go to the Hall on the pretext of visiting his girlfriend, Precious, but now Archibald has failed to return.  Detectives Wood and Stone were reluctant to investigate until Samantha spotted that the suspects they were looking for in a jewellery theft looked remarkably like Jeanette DeVille, her daughter Precious and their driver, Hames. Meanwhile, unkown to the above, Josiah and Archibald are tied up in a waterproof chamber, and someone has just turned on the tap!:

 

“There’s a turn coming up, on the left” Samantha announced, “looks like some sort of track leading up to the Hall itself”

“Glad you’re making yourself useful, Mrs. Knight” D.I. Wood said, sarcastically, from his position in the rear of the car, where he was managing to rest his aching leg and throbbing foot by lying across the seat.

“At least she can read a map!” D.S. Stone muttered.

“What was that, Sergeant?”

“I said, I hope you’re alright at the back?”  D.S. Stone improvised, making the turn into the lane.

“Look, there’s a car parked up there, by that rundown cottage” Samantha pointed ahead, “I’m sure that’s…it is, it’s the car that Archibald took!”

“Pull up and go and have a look, Sergeant, will you?” D.I. Wood asked.

Sighing, D.S. Stone parked behind the limousine.  As soon as he opened his door, they could all hear a fearful hammering, banging and yelling coming from the cottage.  D.S. Stone quickly checked the limousine.

“No-one in the car, and it’s all locked up” He reported back, “but there’s a hell of a row coming from that cottage”

“Perhaps someone needs help?” Samantha suggested.

“Strewth!  I don’t know why we did all them months in Training College when we could have just asked Mrs. Knight here!” D.I. Wood sneered, “I’m still not sure why you’re here with us?”

“If you recall, sir, Mrs. Knight is the only one who can positively identify our suspects,” D.S. Stone pointed out, “always assuming we find them?”

“Yes, well” D.I. Wood huffed, “You stay here, we’ll go and take a look at this cottage”

D.I. Wood eased himself out of the back of the car, rather gingerly, and limped up the cottage pathway with his Sergeant.  He knocked, loudly, on the cottage door, which only served to increase the volume of oaths and yells from inside.

“From the commotion, I’d say we’ve got just cause to effect an entry, wouldn’t you, Sergeant?”

“Yes sir, but…” He tried the door handle, “the door’s locked and there are no open windows”

“Have to give it a bit of a kick then, Stoney” D.I. Wood grinned.

“Me?  Why don’t you?”

“Don’t be so wet, Sergeant!” D.I. Wood snarled, pointing at the foot he was nursing in an over-large trainer, “just look at me!  Do you really think I’m up to kicking doors down, eh?”

“Well, no” D.S. Stone conceded, “but I was on crutches for weeks last time I tried”

“Put your shoulder to it, then” D.I. Wood suggested, “looks rotten, shouldn’t take much”

“I’m not doing that!” D.S. Stone folded his arms and glared at his superior, “I’ll be in physio for months if I try anything like that!”

There was the sound of a pot being dragged over stone.

“Would this help, gentlemen?” Samantha held a key up, “it was under the flowerpot”

“Right, well, yes, that would be one way forward…Sergeant!” D.I. Wood took the proffered key and handed it to his colleague.  “I thought I told you to stay in the car!” He hissed at Samantha.

“I wanted to see if it was Archie, or Josiah” Samantha hissed in reply.

They opened the door and immediately took a step back as the stench hit them.  A host of flies took the opportunity to make a break for freedom, as did a couple of cats.

“Hello!  Is there anyone there?”  D.I. Wood shouted through the handkerchief he had quickly pressed to his face.  The commotion from the door to the right of the small hallway, continued.  “After you, Sergeant” D.I. Wood nodded.

D.S. Stone opened the door, cautiously.  The stench was even worse here and a flurry of cats escaped into the hallway.

“Don’t you go lettin’ my cats gerrout!” A voice screamed.

“Are you alright, madam?” D.S. Stone asked.

“’Course I ain’t alright, yer barmpot!”

“See if you can put a light on, Sergeant, so as we can see where we’re treading, at least” D.I. Wood mumbled through his handkerchief.

D.S. Stone scrabbled either side of the doorway and, eventually, a very dim ceiling light sputtered into existence.  Looking around, they could see that the small room was cluttered with furniture that was far too large for the space.  Every surface was littered with unwashed plates and cups, along with empty packets and tins.  Such space as there was, between these items, was filled with cats of all descriptions, pacing around and mewing pitifully.

“I ain’t been able to feed ‘em, that’s why they’re all upset” The woman sitting on the dining chair by the fireplace, explained.  On closer examination, it was obvious that she had been tied, hand and foot, to this chair.

“Get her untied, Sergeant” D.I. Wood commanded, “then get the paramedics to come and have a look at her” He looked around the room with disgust, “Better get Social Services as well”

D.S. Stone set to, quickly, with a penknife, and D.I. Wood worked his way around the room in order to face the woman.

“CAN YOU TELL ME YOUR NAME, MADAM?”  He shouted.

“I AIN’T DEAF, NOR DAFT!” She shouted back, “You tell me your’n and I’ll tell yer mine” The woman tried to rub some feeling back into her wrists as they suddenly became free.

“I’m Detective Inspector Wood, this is my colleague, Detective Sergeant Stone” D.I. Wood produced his Warrant Card, “we heard your cries and thought you might need assistance”

“Nah, I allus tie meself up of an evenin’” She reached down to rub her ankles, now free from the restraining rope.

“Your name, please, madam?”

“Perhaps I could open a window a little?” Samantha suggested, trying not to retch.

“Don’t you be lettin’ none of my cats out!” The woman yelled.

“Your name?” D.I. Wood’s patience was wearing very thin.

“It’s Jeannie” The woman mumbled.

“Ok, Jeannie, nice to meet you.  Jeannie what?”  D.I. Wood persisted.

“Just Jeannie” Jeannie shrugged and shuffled on her seat.  “I know it smells in ‘ere, but I ain’t been able to do nowt about the cats’ litter, you see?”  She looked up at D.I. Wood, pleadingly, “Nor about meself, for that matter” She added, in a small voice.

“How long have you been tied up like this, Jeannie?”  D.S. Stone asked, putting away his penknife.

“Well now, lemme see” Jeannie looked thoughtful, “what day be it today?”

“It’s Tuesday, madam, Tuesday afternoon” D.I. Wood supplied.

“Sa’urday, ‘e did this to me, last Sa’urday” Jeannie said, after a few moments thought. “Could I ‘ave a drink of wa’er, d’ye think?”

“Sergeant?” D.I. Wood snapped.

D.S. Stone looked around, hopelessly, for something approaching a clean mug or glass.  He finally found a mug with marginally fewer stains than most and went to fill it from the tap, dangling from a loose pipe, above the sink in the corner of the room.  He handed it to Jeannie, who grabbed it and drank heartily.

“Perhaps you could put the kettle on, get few things washed up?” D.I. Wood suggested to his Sergeant, who was conversing in an undertone on his ‘phone.  D.S. Stone looked less than pleased at the suggestion.

“I can do that” Samantha rolled up her sleeves, “does she know anything about Josiah or Archie?”

“Thank you, Mrs. Knight, but I will conduct this investigation, if you don’t mind!” D.I. Wood snapped, and turned to the woman, “Jeannie, who did this to you?”

“It were ‘im, up there” She nodded in the general direction of the Hall.

“Who would that be?”

“Calls ‘isself, ‘Ames” She sniggered, “reckons ‘e’s ‘er driver or summat” She tossed her head, “’e ain’t no driver!”

“Would this be the man?” D.I. Wood produced the CCTV image from his pocket.

“I can’t see, I ain’t got me specs” Jeannie screwed her eyes up.

“Where are they?”  D.S. Stone looked around the mess.  Jeannie shrugged.

“When this man tied you up, was there anyone with him?” D.I. Wood persisted.

“’Ar there was” Jeannie nodded, “’e ‘ad a bloke in the car with him.  Posh sort.  Well dressed, yer know?”

“Josiah!” Samantha gasped.

“Was that ‘im?” Jeannie looked troubled, “’e looked, I dunno, like someone I might ‘ave known, once, if yer know what I mean?”

“He had been here before, about a week ago, with his assistant, Archie” Samantha explained.

“Had ‘e?  Ah well, that’d be it then, I s’pose” Jeannie replied, thoughtfully.

There's a lot more from my Undertakers at https://mybook.to/Undertakers