Decked With Folly

Northcott wavered, uncertainty all over his face. “Well, it’s not proper procedure, is it.”

“We could make absolutely certain that once Gertie returns to the hotel, she will not be allowed to leave again until you return.” Cecily glanced at Baxter, who finally found his tongue.

“House arrest.” He nodded to emphasize his words. “That’s what we’ll do. We’ll hold Gertie under house arrest. She won’t make a move without us knowing it.”

Hope crept across Northcott’s ruddy features. “Well… if you think…”

“Absolutely.” Baxter thrust out his hand. “You have my solemn word on it. Gertie will be under our care until you can arrest her properly.”

Cecily made a small sound of protest but Baxter frowned at her, warning her to keep silent.

“All right, then.” Northcott folded his notebook and tucked it in the vest pocket of his uniform. “In that case, I’ll be off.”

Heaving a huge sigh of relief, Cecily rose from her chair. “Thank you, Sam. We do appreciate your understanding.”

Northcott struggled to his feet and wagged a finger at her. “Mark my words, Mrs. Baxter. If I come back to find Gertie has scarpered, I shall come down on you very hard.” He leaned forward to make his point. “Very ’ard indeed.”

Longing to bite the finger pointed at her, Cecily nodded. “I understand. Happy Christmas, Sam.”

Northcott nodded, then turned to Baxter. “I hold you entirely responsible for the prisoner until I get back. I hope that’s understood.”

“Have no fear my good man.” Baxter slapped him on the shoulder so hard the constable stumbled forward. “We will take good care of her.”

Coughing, Northcott glared at him. “Make sure you do.” He reached the door and looked back over his shoulder. “Happy Christmas all.”

The door closed behind him, and Cecily sank weakly onto the chair. “Goodness, that was a close shave. I had visions of Gertie spending Christmas all alone in that miserable jail. Can you imagine those poor babies if their mother wasn’t there for Christmas morning?” She shuddered. “I just can’t stand the thought of it.”

“It’s not over yet,” Baxter said grimly. “What did Northcott mean about Gertie being the last person to see Ian alive?”

“I don’t know. But I’m certainly going to find out.” Cecily leaned back and grasped the bell rope behind her. Giving it a sharp tug, she added, “I had no idea Gertie had seen Ian, or even knew he had come down to Badgers End.”

“I thought you said Gertie had gone for a walk with the twins.”

“So she will be.” Cecily smiled. “But not for another hour.”

Baxter shook his head. “Devious.” He stuck his thumbs into his trouser pockets and rocked back on his heels. “You don’t think that Gertie might have-”

“No,” Cecily said, cutting him off before he could say the words. “I don’t.”

“Well, neither do I, of course, but I have heard her threaten to kill him if he came near the twins again.”

“You have also heard me say I’d divorce you if you kept ordering me about.”

His wry expression was comical and she smiled. “You know full well I’d never carry out that threat.”

“Well, yes, but that’s a little different.”

Her smile faded. “Gertie didn’t kill Ian. She can be abrasive at times, and a little too belligerent for her own good, but she is simply not capable of taking another life. I’d stake my own life on it.”

“Well, let’s hope you don’t have to do that.” Baxter rose as a tap on the door disturbed them. “I’ll let you talk to her alone. She’ll be less intimidated if I’m not here.”

Cecily had to smile at the idea of Gertie being intimidated by anyone. “Good idea, darling.”

“You’d better inform her she’s to be a virtual prisoner until Northcott gets back.” He pulled a face. “That’s not going to go down well. Frankly, though, I’m surprised Northcott agreed to hold off arresting her. Usually he’s in his element when he can take someone into custody.”

“Which just goes to show he’s not confident about his judgement.”

A second tap on the door sounded louder than the first. Cecily nodded at Baxter then called out, “Come in!”

Gertie’s anxious face appeared in the gap. “You rang for me, m’m?”

“Yes, come in, Gertie. Mr. Baxter was just leaving, weren’t you dear?”

Baxter hesitated for one second longer, then strode out the door, shutting it firmly behind him.

Gertie still looked uneasy as she took the chair opposite Cecily. “Mr. Baxter didn’t look none too pleased. I didn’t do nothing wrong, did I?”

It was the second time she’d asked that. Realizing that gave Cecily cause to worry. Praying that she’d been right to defend her housemaid, she said quietly, “Why didn’t you tell me you saw Ian last night?”

Gertie’s shoulders jerked in surprise. “I didn’t think to, m’m. It weren’t no secret. I’d have told you if you’d asked me.”

She must have seen something in Cecily’s face since she leaned forward, a frown furrowing her brow. “You don’t think I had anything to do with him dying, do you? He was drunk. The doc said so, didn’t he? He fell into the pond and drowned. I wasn’t even there. I didn’t know-”

“Gertie.” Cecily paused, then said carefully, “We believe that someone hit Ian over the head with one of the Christmas candlesticks. We won’t know for certain until after the autopsy if the blow to the head killed Ian, or if it simply knocked him out and he drowned, but either way, it appears that the head wound was responsible for his death.”

Gertie’s face had paled considerably as she’d talked. She seemed to have trouble getting her tongue to work, and finally blurted out, “S-someone deliberately killed Ian?”

Cecily sighed. “We don’t know if the assailant intended to kill him, but at this point P.C. Northcott is anxious to arrest someone for murder.”

Gertie might not have had the benefit of a formal education, but she was astute enough to grasp the implication behind Cecily’s words. “So he wants to bloody arrest me,” she stated flatly.

“Gertie-”

“I didn’t kill him, m’m.”

“I know you didn’t, Gertie. Unfortunately, someone told the constable you threatened Ian with a knife. Tell me, is that true?”

Gertie hung her head. “Yes, m’m. I did.” She looked up again. “Just to frighten him off, though. I would never have used it, m’m. Never. Not even on him.”

“I believe you.” Cecily sighed. “This all seems very unfortunate at the moment, but I promise you Mr. Baxter and I will do everything in our power to find out who was responsible for Ian’s death before the constable returns from his Christmas holiday.”

Hope crept into Gertie’s eyes. “He’s not going to arrest me today?”

“No.” Cecily got up from her chair and walked around to pat Gertie’s broad shoulder. “We promised that you would not leave the hotel until he got back, however.”

Gertie’s chin shot up. “But what about me twins? They was looking forward to a walk on the seafront. It’s Daisy’s day off, and I promised to take them. I’m supposed to meet Dan down there in half an hour.”

Cecily wavered.

Gertie’s dark eyes pleaded with her. “They’ve been so good I hate to disappoint them. Pansy’s coming with me and all, and they love to see her.”

Cecily let out her breath on another sigh. “Oh, well, in that case, I shall hold Pansy responsible for seeing that you return.”

A weak smile flashed across Gertie’s face. “I’ve got to come back, don’t I. I’m not going to leave me twins behind. Besides, it’s Christmas. How can I miss Christmas at the Pennyfoot?”

Her voice broke, and Cecily thought she saw a tear glistening in her housemaid’s eye. A rare event indeed. “Try not to worry.” She gave the young woman another comforting pat. “I promise you we’ll all do our very best to get all this sorted out.”

Gertie sniffed and rubbed her nose with the back of her hand. “I bleeding hope so.” She glanced up at Cecily’s face. “Sorry, m’m. I shouldn’t be using them bad words in front of you.”