was found dead as well, I assumed that her death had something to do with him, but, from your questions, that’s obviously not the case. Can I ask how she was killed?’
Penrose outlined the barest details of the murder, and Mary Size looked both saddened and horrified. It was a long time before she spoke again. ‘I honestly can’t think of anything that’s happened here which would make someone react like that,’ she said. ‘I’m not aware of everything that goes on, of course, but people will tell you that I miss very little—and I
‘Yes, in part,’ he said, surprised. ‘I gather that the type of needle in question is the sort traditionally used for heavier work like sacking and mailbags.’
‘I was thinking more of the glass in her mouth. It’s one of the nastier forms of prison violence, and I’m pleased to say that it’s never happened on my watch, but it’s not unknown for glass to find its way into a prisoner’s food.’ That hadn’t occurred to Penrose, but it made sense. ‘As I say, though, I can’t think why Marjorie would have been subjected to something like that.’
‘When you saw her at Motley yesterday afternoon, was there anything different about her? Did she seem troubled or did she confide in you about anything?’
‘I’m not sure I’d go as far as troubled, but she told me that her father had been hanging around again, making a nuisance of himself while she was at work. She was worried that he’d jeopardise her job and I think she wanted me to put in a good word for her, but there was no need; everyone at Motley was more than pleased with her, and I told her as much.’ There was no new information here, and Penrose was about to move on when she added: ‘She did mention one thing, though. She said that her father had told her something which she hadn’t believed at the time, but which had turned out to be true.’
‘Oh? Did she say what it was?’
‘No. I asked her, and she seemed to be weighing up whether to say more or not, but in the end she brushed it aside.’
Penrose would have put money on the fact Marjorie had come close to telling Mary Size about her family history. It looked as though Celia Bannerman was right—the information must have come from Jacob Sach himself, and been verified by Marjorie’s own investigations. If Josephine’s suspicions were correct, that must have been quite a blow to Nora Edwards and he wondered if she were safely in custody yet; if his oversight had given her time to disappear again, he might as well draft his resignation letter now. ‘Do you know anything about Marjorie’s mother?’ he asked.
‘I know that neither of her parents impressed her much. From what she said, there was no love lost between any of them.’
He decided that there was nothing to lose by telling Mary Size what he knew about the Baker family history, although he stopped short of revealing where the information had come from. Her astonishment was obvious and he could tell from her face that there were hundreds of questions which she would have liked to ask, but she also had the sense to realise that this wasn’t the moment to indulge her own curiosity. In the end, all she said was: ‘So your investigations and Miss Tey’s aren’t as separate as I imagined. How strange that those paths should cross.’
‘Yes. Can you think of anyone here—staff or inmate—who might know of the connection between the Bakers and the Sachs?’
‘Not unless it had been handed on as gossip. When I got Miss Tey’s request, I checked very carefully in case there was someone here who could help her, but I drew a blank. Celia might know—but she probably gave you the information in the first place?’ He nodded. ‘You’re welcome to talk to anyone here, of course, but I’m afraid I can’t give you a shortcut. You obviously think that her death is connected to who her family was?’ Again, he confirmed with a nod. ‘Well, I’m sure you’re right, but I will say one thing: I would have thought it highly unlikely that Marjorie would be any keener than her mother or father for the truth to come out. Unfortunately, a shame like that spreads and Marjorie was more aware than most of how difficult it is to distance yourself from the mistakes of the past.’ Penrose agreed with her, but he also thought that panic could have driven any possibility of careful reasoning from Nora Edwards’s mind. ‘This really was a new start for Marjorie,’ she emphasised.
‘At Motley?’
‘Yes. Ironically, the most important thing for me is what happens to these women when they leave Holloway. We prepare them as best we can for the outside world, offer them tuition in cookery or childcare or home management, but it’s organisations like Motley which really allow us to make a difference.’ He smiled. ‘You know Lettice and Ronnie?’
‘We’re cousins, for my sins.’
‘Are you? Then I’m glad they have someone who can help them at a time like this—after I’d got over the shock of Marjorie, I thought of them. It must be a devastating thing to have to come to terms with—a death like that on your watch.’ She spoke of Lettice and Ronnie as if they were custodians of Marjorie’s welfare and in some ways, he supposed, they had been. She carried on, unconsciously echoing the sentiments expressed by Celia Bannerman. ‘But what I was going to say was that it’s a worthless existence without some kind of meaningful work, without a way to support yourself and make your own way in the world, and that’s hard for ex-prisoners, particularly the younger ones. Employers actively discriminate against them, and they’re hounded by fellow workers or exposed by policemen with a grudge. No offence meant.’
‘None taken. I know it goes on.’
‘We used to bang our heads against the problem, but now we concentrate on a few forward-thinking organisations who genuinely want to do some good and it’s paying off: just after the war, we placed an average of 150 prisoners in employment; this year, it’s 250. It’s people like your cousins and Celia at the Cowdray Club who have made that possible.’
‘How do you find the club? I wouldn’t have thought you had much spare time.’
‘For another claustrophobic female institution, you mean?’ He was treated to the laugh again. ‘I don’t, really, although I can’t deny that a change of surroundings is welcome, but it’s a valuable contact so I sit on the committee. Some of our nurses come from the college, and lots of the ladies on the Discharged Prisoners’ Aid Society are members. Cynically speaking, the Cowdray Club is a rich recruiting ground for ladies with time and money on their hands, and Celia helps tremendously—one of us, gone over to the other side; the volunteers adore that. And of course the food’s excellent.’ She looked down at herself good-humouredly. ‘As you can see, a good dinner is a splendid antidote to incarceration.’
‘And were you at the club for dinner last night?’
‘What a charming way of asking for my alibi. No, I was here. I came straight back after my fitting because we had a bit of trouble in the hospital wing. When staff are off sick, it’s all hands to the pump—or to the bedpan, in this particular case. There are plenty of people who’ll confirm that.’
‘Did Marjorie have anything to do with the club, apart from the preparations for the gala?’
‘Not to my knowledge, although I bumped into her there yesterday lunchtime when she was dropping something off, and she seemed perfectly at home in those surroundings. She was certainly giving that awful Timpson woman the run-around.’
‘Oh? In what way?’
‘Well, you know the sort. She’s a terrible snob and hates it if the likes of Marjorie get above their station, and Marjorie was clearly enjoying the fact that she had as much right to be there as Timpson.’
‘But nothing more vindictive than that.’
‘Oh no. It was cheeky, but I didn’t blame her. In fact, I encouraged her.’
‘I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but some of the Cowdray Club committee members have received some unpleasant letters.’
‘Yes, I know. I’ve had one myself.’
‘Really? It’s not on the list that Miss Bannerman gave us.’
‘I didn’t bother reporting it. Someone in my position gets lots of mail; most of it’s kind and most of it’s signed, but not all of it. I destroyed it as soon as it arrived.’
