Chapter 5: Phryne and Jack: Warrington House Clues
Having picked up sandwiches, fruit and a thermos of tea from the inn's kitchen, they pile into the Hispano, each of them lost in their own thoughts as to what they might find at the Warrington house.
They arrive at the Warrington house, which is a very stately plantation-style house. The house is well maintained on the outside with impeccable gardens. They sit in the car a few moments observing the house and grounds. Jack cautiously opens the door of the Hispano Suiza his eyes alert and observing and moves around to open the doors for the ladies. He offers a helping hand to each as they step out of the car. The four of them march up the path to the front door; Jack rapping on the door with his firm policeman's knock and then waiting for the door to open. There is no response. Jack waits a few more minutes and knocks again. Still there is no response.
He motions to Constable Collins to go around to the back. Hugh nods and moves deliberately across the porch to disappear around the back. They hear him knock loudly on the back door and they wait with baited breath. "Suddenly Constable Collins calls "Inspector, can you come here, please?" Jack exchanges glances with Phryne and Dot, "Stay here" he orders commandingly, and Phryne immediately arches her brow at him a small frown forming. "Jack", she begins. "Please Miss Fisher, allow the Constable and me to do our jobs" he interrupts, then seeing her frown deepen, says quietly "We will let you know if it is safe to come around – I promise. Speaking more loudly Jack calls "Coming Collins". Phryne gives a slight nod and Jack ambles off around the house. There is silence again. The time seems to drag on forever, and Phryne is getting impatient. Dot's eyes are huge in her face, concern etched there. Finally after what seems like hours, they hear movement and voices. They hear the lock on the front door clicking open, and look up to see Constable Collins opening the door looking very grave.
Phryne and Dot enter the house. The scene that meets their eyes is very concerning, though perhaps not totally unexpected given the circumstances of why they are there and the dead body in the morgue. The house has been ransacked. Clearly someone had been searching for something. "Is it like this everywhere," Phryne asks in a how will we ever sort through for clues voice. "Yes" replies Inspector Robinson in his most professional voice. "Let's split up. Look for any clues, bread crumbs, anything that will help us figure this out."
Phryne looking at an oil painting above the mantel says thoughtfully, "I wonder if this is Silvia Warrington's portrait?" Hugh and the Inspector both move to observe the portrait of the lovely woman. She has clear skin and a very pretty smile. Her hair is strawberry blond, she is slim and lithe. "I think it must be" said Jack thinking back to the pretty blonde woman who came to his office. "The daughter resembles her very much; same delicate bone structure, blonde hair, pretty smile…"he trails off noticing the look Phryne is throwing at him. Jack recovers quickly, "What do you think Constable?" Hugh looks at the painting and sees the daughter in his mind's eye. "I believe it must be her mother, sir."
"One of the things we need to look for are other family photographs so we can get a feel for the magnitude of the family" Jack states as each of them took a separate room to search. It is a very fatiguing job as there is so much stuff moved about. To help them know where they have been already, they return things to proper locations or stack them neatly. They place anything they think might be a clue in the home's foyer, the only untouched place in the house. After several hours hard sleuthing, Dot calls them for their dinner, which they eat at the dining room table. The sandwiches, fruit and tea are just right. Finishing quickly as it is getting late, they resume their search. "Miss Fisher," calls Jack "Can you come here a moment?" "Certainly Inspector," she quips and going in search of him she finds him in what is clearly the master bedroom. "I need your eyes in this room Miss Fisher" he uttered in his deep bass voice. "Of course, "she replies looking up at him with a saucy smile. Swinging her head around so that her hair swings around her like halo, she starts to examine the room. She observes that there is no jewelry. Every case is empty. She looks for a suitcase and doesn't find one. "I wonder if there is a storage area on this floor. Normally a woman keeps a suitcase in or close to her closet, so that it is free of dust and dank smells, but I don't see one here."
Jack simply stares at her, wondering if there will be any way to tell if a suitcase has been packed and taken away. Phryne continues to peruse the room. It will be impossible to tell if any dresses have been taken, so she moves to the dresser. Looking in one of the drawers under a pile of under garments, she finds a scrap of paper. She fishes it out of the drawer and holds it up "Help me" is scrawled on the paper. "Jack, look at this," she says excitedly. She quickly shows it to Jack. He takes it and puts it in a small evidence bag. Phryne looks over the toiletries with careful precision. "Jack, there is no hairbrush to be found and there are some other items that seem to be missing as well. I think we have to assume that a bag was packed and taken with Silvia." He nods in agreement, as taken with her thought process and sleuthing skills as he ever had been. She continues to move around the room saying thoughtfully, "Based on the amount of jewelry we found at the boarding house and the cases here, I think there must be a secret safe or hiding spot somewhere".
Jack quickly calls Collins and tells him to carefully check the study for a safe, then joins Phryne as she taps the walls in the bedroom. As they work their way around the room, they do not speak. They are concentrating so hard on what they are hearing as they tap, that they bump right into each. Phryne stumbles slightly, and Jack reaches out his arms to steady her. "Why thank you Jack" Phryne says coyly looking deeply into his blue eyes "No need to bump into me though Inspector, I will allow you to steady me for no reason at all." Jack's lips twitch as he responds, "I'll keep that in mind for future Miss Fisher". They circle the room and find nothing, but Phryne does not give up. She goes into the closet beginning the same procedure. Suddenly she hisses "Jack, I think I found something".
He immediately comes to her side. "Feel this", she says grabbing his hand and placing it on the wall. Jack ran his fingers up and down and across the paneling. He smiles at her his eyes alight with the thrill of discovering a clue. "You may do the honors Miss Fisher". At those words Phryne presses the place she found and the panel slides aside silently revealing a small storage space between the studs. There nestling on black velvet lay a necklace of the most exquisite amethysts Phryne has ever seen. She gasps and pulls the necklace from the space. "It is incredible," she breathes. Jack says "Yes", but he isn't looking at the necklace. He is looking intently down at Phryne. "Inspector, business at hand please," she says sharply. He gives her a searching look and turns his gaze to the necklace. It really is a work of art and the amethyst stones are the color of Phryne's eyes in certain lights. He wants to hug her, but his natural reserve will not allow it. He praises her discovery, "Well done Miss Fisher. Let's tell the others." With that Jack and Phryne go downstairs to meet Hugh and Dot. Hugh and Dot are standing very close together when they come down the stairs and Phryne suspects they have shared a kiss. Jack also notes their closeness and when he catches Collins's eye, he jerks his head slightly as if to say, "Remember you are on duty, or possibly I see the Shakespeare reading is working". Hugh begins speaking immediately about what they have found downstairs.
It is quite late now, and Jack feels the house has probably told them all it can, at least for now. They load up the evidence and start the drive back to the inn. They are quiet on the ride back for the most part although Jack does lead them in singing a few songs to help chase away the gnawing concern that he has for Silvia Warrington's safety and whereabouts.
The four of them return to the inn, exhausted from the events of the day. The evidence is placed in the room the inn has provided for their work and the necklace into a strong box in Jack's room. They share cocoa in the lounge and then they all go up to bed, their good natured good nights echoing around them. Dot draws Phryne a bath and brushes out her clothes, and while Phryne soaks in the bath they discuss the case. Dot leaves a short while later to go to her own room, and she quickly makes her nightly preparations for rest; asleep in a matter of minutes.