Inspector Kelly And The Ghost In The Box

Charles Bertrand, the renowned medium and psychic sat opposite Inspector Kelly in one of the interview rooms of Scotland Yard.
"Do you know why you were asked to come here?", asked Kelly.
"Well I've offered many times to use my psychic abilities to help the police", said Bertrand, "I assumed you'd finally decided to take me up on my offer. Perhaps you'd like me to help locate a missing person or maybe its a dead body you can't find".
"No", said Kelly, "You are not here because we need your psychic abilities, Mr Bertrand. You are here as a suspect".
"Oh", said Bertrand, seeming startled, "And what do you suspect me of exactly?".
Kelly smirked.
"Well I had hoped. Given your claims of clairvoyance that you would already know the answer to that question", said Kelly, "It would certainly save us a lot of time".
"Well I'm afraid I don't, inspector", said Bertrand.
"Robert Bellamy", said Inspector Kelly.
"The Scientist?", asked Bertrand.
"Yes and sceptic and debunker of psychics and mediums like yourself", said Kelly.
"Well what about him?", asked Bertand.
"I suspect that you had something to do with his death", said Kelly.
"And why do you think that inspector?", said Bertrand.
"Because you sent Bellamy a strange ebony box in the post with the words "Ghost in a box. Do not open" engraved upon its lid and because that box was lying open on the floor beneath him when he was discovered  hanged from the ceiling of his study", said Kelly, "That and a note, signed by you and stating that within the box was the Ghost of a little girl named Alice; that if the box should ever be opened by either he or his family and Alice's ghost were ever to get out then it could have dire consequences".
"Well I did atleast warn him not to open it", said Bertrand, "It had a particularly frightening ghost inside, you see. One that I had summoned and trapped during one of my seances and if he had not been such a sceptic he would have left the box unopened and may now be alive".
"I see. So you're claiming that a ghost inside the box killed Bellamy?", asked Kelly.
"Well yes", said Bertrand, "Unless you have some evidence that I somehow broke into Bellamy's house and hanged him. Do you inspector?".
"No", said Kelly, "No, on the contary, Bellamy's study was locked from the inside. The only key to the study was in his jacket pocket and there were no signs of forced entry to either the study or his house nor any evidence that anyone else had entered his study since the time his maid had last cleaned it".
"Well there you go, inspector. What clearer evidence is there that something supernatural was the cause of his death?", said Bertrand, leaning back and smiling, "And I suppose you have a time of death do you inspector so that you can check I have an alibi?".
"Yes. The body was found yesterday as 6.30 pm. We believe the death occurred sometime between 5 and 6 the same day", said Kelly.
"Well then that removes any suspicion from me because I have a perfect alibi for that time and I have witnesses to prove it", said Bertrand, "I was conducting a seance for some rich clients of mine. Lord and Lady Edgeworth. They were trying to contact the spirit of their dead son".
"Yes I know", said Kelly, "I checked with your staff and I've also spoken to Lady Edgeworth. Your alibi is not in question, Mr Bertrand".
"Well then", said Bertrand, "How can you still suspect me of anything? Unless you think that, ontop of being a psychic, I can also be in two places at once and walk through walls".
Kelly opened a drawer on his side of the desk and took out an ebony box engraved with gold lettering, the one he had mentioned earlier, placing it upon the desk.
"Well apart from your obvious motive for wanting Bellamy dead", said Kelly, "The fact that his attempts to debunk you were damaging to both your career and your reputation there is also something else. Something I noticed about the note you sent with the box"
The inspector opened up the box and took out the note that was still inside it.
"You see read one way the letter might well seem like just a warning not to release a malevolent spirit from a box but read another way it could be interpreted as a veiled threat not to release another kind of ghost, one from someones past", said Kelly.
"Oh", said Bertrand, beginning to look nervous.
"Yes and then I did a little digging into Mr Bellamy's past and I discovered that he did once know a little girl called Alice. Infact he was her private tutor but was fired by her family for undisclosed reasons", said Kelly, "And once I knew that I was certain that I was right about the note, that it was not a note warning Bellamy not to open a ghost filled box but a note blackmailing him; threatening him that you knew and could reveal his secret".
Bertrand put his head in his hands.
"But this is all your interpretation of the note surely, inspector", said Bertrand, "Do you really think a judge or a jury would be convinced by it?".
"Well the only other option I can see is to believe that an actual ghost killed Robert Bellamy", said Kelly, "And if I don't believe it I doubt if a judge will".
But then, thinking of something else, Bertrand smiled.
 "Alright. Well say that I did try to blackmail Bellamy and say that made him want to commit suicide", he said, "But thats hardly murder. Its not even manslaughter. All you could charge me with, inspector, is attempt to blackmail".
"True", said Kelly, "But it would destroy your reputation, wouldn't it Mr Bertrand; reveal to the world that you're nothing but a cheap fake and a crook? And, after all, reputation; thats the real ghost we leave behind us isn't it?".