you, sir.’
‘What do we have?’
‘So far. . so far we have five skeletons. Seem to my untrained eye to be exhibiting different rates of decomposition. One is completely skeletal; one still has tissue in evidence.’
‘Five?’ Hennessey raised an eyebrow. ‘So far?’
‘Yes, sir, so far.’ Webster glanced at the garden where three white-shirted constables were carefully probing the vegetation. ‘As you see, sir, the garden is badly overgrown. . a few more skeletons, or corpses may still be concealed but we’re moving carefully. . don’t want to damage the evidence.’
‘Yes. . a large area search. You don’t need more men?’
‘I think not, sir.’ Webster brushed a fly from his face. ‘Many hands might well make light work but in this case I think it is more true that too many cooks will spoil the broth.’
‘I see.’
‘It’s also the apparent case that all the bodies are localized within this area. . within these walls, eventually we’ll locate them and do so quite rapidly.’
‘So in this. . remnant of the kitchen garden? Not within the house or the grounds?’
‘They’ll be searched, of course, sir, but the gentleman who found them mentioned that the hinges of the garden door have been lubricated, uniquely in the house and grounds.’
‘I see,’ Hennessey watched a constable part the branches of a laurel bush, ‘that is a fair point.’ He turned again to Webster. ‘You look shaken, Webster. It’s not like you.’
‘I am, sir. It’s not just the skeletons; it’s the way that they were restrained.’
‘They were restrained?’
‘Yes, sir. . wrists chained together behind their backs and one of their ankles was attached to a long, heavy chain which ran the length of the garden, anchored certainly at this end in a block of concrete. They also seem to have remnants of some type of gag in their mouths.’
‘A gag,’ Hennessey gasped, ‘so suggesting they were alive when left here. . attached to a chain. .?’
‘Yes, sir. . in full view of the previous skeletons. . and left to succumb to thirst or cold. If left in the summer thirst would have taken them, if in winter hypothermia.’
‘Better show me.’ Hennessey followed Webster who led him to the skeleton which was closest to the door of the garden. ‘I’ve asked the pathologist to attend, sir,’ Webster explained, ‘no need for the police surgeon to confirm life extinct in the matter of corpses, as per regulations.’
‘Yes. . good.’
‘This is what I mean, sir.’ Webster stood over the skeleton of the human being. ‘The SOCO have taken all photographs.’
Hennessey looked at the corpse and as he did so, he noticed a silence about the scene, even the birds were silent. Hennessey saw instantly that the scene was exactly as Webster had described. The skeleton lay on its side with what appeared to be a length of rope fastened in its mouth tied behind the neck. The rope had largely rotted to the point of disintegration but it was a clear illustration of a simple but efficient gag. It was all that was needed to prevent the victim screaming or shouting for assistance. The wrists, as Webster had further indicated, were fastened closely together by a small length of lightweight chain and fastened with two small brass padlocks, and the left ankle had been fastened with a similar length of lightweight chain to a long length of heavy chain. The heavy chain would, by itself, be difficult to pull or drag along the ground but it was, as Webster had indicated, buried at one end and doubtless at the other end also, into large blocks of concrete. ‘Premeditated,’ he said.
‘Sir?’
‘The way the chain is embedded into the concrete. . it seems that the chain was covered with concrete powder when it was in a large plastic bucket and the concrete moistened and allowed to harden, but that amount of concrete would take weeks to harden. . or “cure” as I believe is the correct term.’
‘I see what you mean, sir, and it would seem like that was done here. .’
‘Yes, that’s what I was thinking. It would be much easier to transport two plastic buckets, some bags of cement, a length of chain and an amount of water and assemble the thing here. . bring a little at a time and take a few days over the operation. That is premeditation.’
‘It is, isn’t it, sir?’ Webster looked at the length of chain to where it disappeared into undergrowth, by then being probed by the three constables. ‘So the chain and the blocks of concrete were in place before the first victim was brought here?’
‘It seems likely. . and the skeletons are of different ages, you say?’ Hennessey considered the crime scene.
‘It appears so, sir. As you see it’s badly run down. The owner. . the last owner. . died recently.’
‘I see. Well, dead or not he is going to be our number one suspect.’
‘It would seem likely, sir, but frankly I doubt that will be the case, not after what Mr Seers told me.’
‘Mr Seers? Who is he?’
‘The member of the public who found the skeletons. . he saw three. . and raised the alarm. We subsequently discovered two further skeletons and at which point you arrived, sir.’
‘Very well,’ Hennessey brushed another fly away from his face. ‘Is he still here?’
‘Yes, sir, he is the owner of the red Vauxhall parked in front of the house.’
‘Yes, I noticed it. I’ll go and talk to him. If you would carry on here, please?’
‘Yes, sir.’
George Hennessey walked slowly from the kitchen garden to the front of the house where the motor vehicles were parked and where, as the day had matured, some element of shade was by then afforded. He identified the red Vauxhall and approached it calmly, smiling gently at the composed looking man who sat in the driver’s seat. ‘Mr Seers?’
‘Yes, that’s me,’ Seers opened the car door and stepped out of the vehicle, ‘John Seers of Seers, Seers and Noble.’
‘A solicitor?’
‘Yes, for my sins,’ Seers shrugged, ‘but it pays the bills.’
‘I haven’t heard of your firm, I regret to say.’
‘We hardly do any criminal work which probably explains it. . not a great deal of money to be made defending murderers. Our firm is principally concerned with commercial law and property. . if the property is large and valuable enough.’
Hennessey indicated Bromyards, ‘This sort of large and valuable?’
‘Yes, this sort of large and valuable. This particular case is quite rare and I pulled rank to get it. . I am a senior partner. . it’s a job that we could give to a junior but I really wanted it, seemed it was going to get me out of our office for a few weeks.’
‘I can understand that,’ Hennessey agreed, ‘I too dislike being desk-bound. So what exactly were you. . your firm. . engaged to do in respect of this property?’
‘To make an inventory of the contents.’ Seers was tall, clean-shaven, a thin but balanced face. He spoke with received pronunciation so George Hennessey noticed and heard. ‘We act for the deceased and the family of the deceased, being one Nicholas Housecarl by name. He was a long-time client of our firm and he left a will in which he directed that his entire estate be liquidated. . everything, Bromyards and its contents, his portfolio of stocks and shares. . everything to be turned into cash and then said cash to be distributed in set percentages of the whole to surviving relatives and designated charities.’
‘I see,’ Hennessey paused. ‘Is Bromyards the full name of the property, not House, Hall, Court, Manor. . or any such name?’
‘No other or second name. The house is called simply “Bromyards”.’
‘I see.’
‘So the first step and the one which would have got me out of our office for quite a few weeks was to make an inventory of the contents.’
‘No small task.’
‘No small task at all, especially when one considers that the items within the house have been accumulating since 1719.’
‘Which is when the house was built?’
