Funny Meeting You Here
Chapter 12
William met Fitzroy in the foyer as the coroner was ending his search of the body to see signs of entry and exit of the bullet wound.
"A bad business, this," the coroner said. "I never like domestic cases. They always seem to be the worst."
"How soon before I can get a positive identification on who this woman is?" William asked.
"It's going to be a few days, sir. I'm very behind at the moment," the coroner stated.
William nodded in understanding. Everyone seemed to be behind in solving crimes; however, committing them seemed to be at an all-time high.
"As soon as you can then," William said. "Detective Fitzroy will accompany you back to the mortuary to give me his report."
"Yes, sir. Shall I meet you back at Scotland Yard?" Fitzroy asked.
Taking Fitzroy aside to speak quietly to him, William conveyed Eliza's statement that the corpse was not really whom the husband said it was.
"I will be taking the husband down to Scotland Yard for additional questioning because, as usual, with Eliza's cases, there is more here than presents itself."
"Yes, sir. I will stay with the coroner to learn what I can. I should pull the report on the other corpse found in the area as well. It seems they may be related," Fitzroy commented.
"Very good. Yes, it seems that this has been a family affair from the beginning. The male victim you found previously is supposedly the brother of the dead woman. So, find out all you can and bring me the reports."
"Yes, sir," Fitzroy said.
As Fitzroy was leaving with the coroner, he turned his head back toward William. "I'm glad you're back, sir."
William smiled for the first time that day.
After William had joined Eliza back in the living room, Eliza began to tell William what their next move should be when William interrupted her.
"Miss Scarlet, I need you to accompany me to Scotland Yard with ."
"William…Inspecter Wellington I think I could solve this much sooner if you let me go back and question Ruby at the lounge."
William attempted to reign in his impatience put up a hand to stop Eliza from chattering about her next move. He and Scotland Yard were involved, yet again, in one of her cases.
"Miss Scarlet, do as you are told."
She looked up at him defiantly and, hopefully and quietly, he could see he could trust her to do the right thing and get this case solved.
"Please William?" She whispered.
William heavily sighed exhaling air. He was feeling less compassionate and supportive with Eliza than usual and he was so sick of them butting heads in solving crimes. This case had just happened to coincide with one another involving the same family. William looked down into the face of the woman he truly loved. He nodded his assent.
"I will have one of the plainclothesmen to be there in case you're in over your head, Eliza," William told her brooking no argument.
Eliza knew by the stern, admonishing, and impatient look he gave her that he only meant to keep her safe. She could not in her heart argue with him for that.
Bydinway watched as Eliza walked out his front door unaccompanied. He got up and hotly protested.
""Ere! She's got the coin in her possession. That doesn't belong to 'er! I want it back!"
"Yes, Mr. Bydinway, Miss Scarlet will be processing that at Scotland Yard as evidence for the reasons we discussed earlier. Now, you will accompany me to Scotland Yard where you will be further interrogated until we can determine your innocence."
"But…"
"Do not make me cuff you, Mr. Bydinway. You are a suspect and should be but because I am feeling sympathetic toward you today I will not insist. However, do not trifle with me."
William's brogue and deep voice only increased the severeness of the threat in his words.
Mr. Bydinway did as he was told.
Eliza in the meantime walked hurriedly back to Victoria's Haunt. After hearing Bydinway's words and now knowing what she knew, Eliza's mind deduced what really happened with the coin and who actually killed Octavia and her brother Sam Stout.
Luckily, Eliza was still dressed in her casual garb since the person that she was looking for was sitting in the dining room pulling her fishnet stockings over one long dark-skinned leg.
"Scarlet! I was wondrin' if you'd be back. You lit out'ov here like a bat out of 'ell," Ruby said amusedly. After fastening her stocking, she rose to her full height which was a bit taller than Eliza's petite height.
"I was hoping I would find you still here, Ruby," Eliza stated without affecting a cockney accent.
"Wha' for? Why are you talkin' like that?" Ruby asked.
"Because I am not really a bawdy house entertainer. My name is Eliza Scarlet and I am a private detective," Eliza stated.
"Ha! Sure you are…wait a minute! Then you and the Inspector…." Ruby implied with a sideways look.
"…are friends and have been for a very long time," Eliza finished Ruby's sentence.
"No wonder why he lit out've here a couple o'nights ago like his pants were on fire. You must be a lot more than friends for that reaction," Ruby laughed and snorted at the illicit fun the joke had derived.
"Whatever Inspector Wellington and I are…were…to each other has nothing to do with the murder of Octavia Stout Larson, Ruby. Or this," Eliza said as she removed the valuable coin from her purse. She noticed Ruby's eyes as the dim lamplight flashed on the coin.
"Now, I am hoping that you will corroborate what Billy Bydinway told Inspector Wellington and myself when we interrogated him at his house earlier today."
"I've never seen that before," Ruby protested.
"Oh, I'm sure you have," Eliza taunted back.
At the silence that ensued after that a woman's voice could be heard, "I'll take that, Miss Scarlet. I knew if I had employed a woman she would find what I was looking for."
"Clarissa Stout Bydinway. I should have known that there was more to this than just your sister, Octavia, missing. She is now dead and lying in the morgue awaiting firm identification."
"What did Billy do?"
"It seems he claimed that you were the dead woman lying in his foyer and then called the police. Detective Inspector Wellington has taken him to Scotland Yard to continue questioning," Eliza said.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't the snooping Miss Scarlet," a new male voice sarcastically greeted.
Scarlet craned her head further behind her to spot the short, pudgy half-brother of Clarissa Stout Bydinway.
"Henry Stout, I presume," Eliza said addressing Henry although she knew fully well who he was.
"Correct. I likes to be called 'arry by the way," he gibed as he held a gun on Eliza and Ruby. Clarissa took refuge behind her half-brother.
Eliza never liked facing a gun. She had only fired one a couple of times and that was to deflect attention from William being shot.
"Now, I knows you have the coin. So be a good girl, Miss Eliza, and 'and it over," Harry Stout taunted.
"Inspector Wellington knows I am here, so I won't be doing that. There are designated plainclothesmen concealed in the dark parts of this room." Eliza prayed that whomever William was sending had the good sense not to make a noise when he arrived if he had arrived at all.
"Go ahead and shoot, "'Arry. You don't have the balls to do it," Ruby challenged.
""Ow do you know? I've shot before," Harry said as he took his eye off the target.
"Not accurately…why?" Ruby suddenly stopped her tirade. She had swiped the gun from Harry and had pointed it at not Eliza but at Harry and Clarissa.
"Now, you two, get over to the wall. Scarlet…Eliza…you, too," Ruby said as she waved the gun. All three did hurriedly scoot over to the far wall and had their backs to it which met they could see whatever activity afforded itself at the front door.
"Ok, 'ere's the deal. I'm gonna get the coin from you, Eliza, and then shoot all three of you. By the time, the police actually get 'ere, I'll be off where no one can find me."
"Wha' about Billy? 'E's the whole reason for you doing this in the first place, isn't he?" Clarissa asked.
"Yeah, it's true. Me and Billy was 'aving an affair but as soon as 'e lost this," Ruby said holding out her hand for Eliza to give her the coin which Eliza shook her head and refused to hand it over to the tall dark lounge singer.
"C'mon, blondie, I'm not foolin' 'ere!"
"So, the whole reason for you finding your sister, Mrs. Bydinway was to retrieve the coin that you thought your brother, Sam took. You suspected that your husband and Ruby were having an affair, so you thought this would flush them out. However, you didn't count on Ruby here killing Octavia and spurning your husband."
""Nuff talkin', Miss Eliza, hand it over!" Ruby said. "Or I'll shoot the lot of ya so you're never heard from again!"
"Put the gun down, Ruby! You're not shooting anything today!"
"No, I don't think I will!" Ruby protested hearing William walk in the door of the club.
"I'm sorry, Miss, but I think you will," Detective Fitzroy had walked out of the shadows and grasped Ruby from behind and was able to shake her grip from the handle while holding her other arm behind her.
"William," Eliza exhaled with relief.
Harry and Clarissa were also relieved that the police had come. They both tried to leave but two other uniformed cops prevented it.
"We're not through yet, Mr. Stout and Mrs. Bydinway," William said loudly.
"Shall I take her down to Scotland Yard, sir?" Detective Fitzroy asked.
"No, not yet. I believe Miss Scarlet has some explaining to do as she has figured out the murderer or murderess of Octavia Stout Larson and Samuel Stout. Go on, Miss Scarlet."
Eliza smiled at William. Although he still looked annoyed at Eliza, he gave her the floor since it was hers.
"First the murders of Octavia and Sam Stout were committed two people. It came as a surprise to me, but Clarissa Stout was a desperate woman. She was losing her husband and at the same time held her brother and sister in contempt. She gained the cooperation of her brother Harry Stout has either taking the fall for the crime or being a compatriot when she succeeded in killing off the other members of her family."
"'Ow you figure?" Clarissa stood with her hands behind her back now locked in irons.
"To begin, the coin had been in your possession but your brother Samuel had lifted from your possession. However, I believe you probably baited him with it because you had covered the coin in an oil made from flowers that Samuel was severely allergic. If he should happen to touch the coin for any length of time the oil would seep into his bloodstream causing him to go into shock and die."
Harry turned his head towards his sister and said, "I thought you said it was Octavia!"
"Shh!" Clarissa said.
"Can I continue?" Eliza asked striding the floor.
"In the meantime, Billy, Clarissa's husband was upset that the coin was gone because he had planned to swipe it himself so he and Ruby could run away. So, to make a long story short, Clarissa hired me to find Octavia when it was really a ruse for her to throw her siblings off the scent of wanting the coin. Clarissa finally figured out the affair and harassed her husband about it dividing the two lovers, Billy and Ruby."
"So, why we did we kidnap Octavia?" Harry asked Clarissa.
"Because she wanted you to think that Octavia and Samuel were working together to steal the coin from the rest of the family. Kidnapping Octavia and keeping her hostage in the alcove behind my dressing room was a scare tactic. Only it didn't work. Inspector Wellington, would you like to explain the rest before all three are charged with crimes?"
William's eyes finally shone with something besides apathy. He actually smiled for the second time that day as he listened to the elaborate plan that Eliza had pieced together.
"No, go on, Miss Scarlet," he responded attempting to continue his grumpy attitude towards her.
"Thank you, Inspecter. Mrs. Bydinway would you please clarify a few points for us?"
"I'm not sayin' anything."
"Perhaps, you would like to continue this story at Scotland Yard?" William asked.
Eliza said, "Well, maybe, Ruby, would you like to tell us who really murdered Octavia Stout Larson?"
"Ah didn't do it!"
"I beg to differ," Eliza said.
"You decided that Clarissa was spoiling your plans, so you followed her to their home. You knew that Mr. Bydinway and his wife had been separated for a small time and that she had taken another home which was where I first met her as Clarissa Stout. You followed her and thinking that Octavia was Clarissa you shot her in the back. When Mr. Bydinway and, probably, Mrs Bydinway, too, knew who was killed. Billy Bydinway acquired some acting skills, called the police, and misidentified the woman lying dead in his foyer as his wife. Not his sister-in-law. Have I got it right, Clarissa?"
Eliza walked over to where William was sitting and handed him the handkerchief with the coin. Since Eliza had been wearing gloves the whole time anyone's fingerprints and the oil could still be found on it.
"By the way, Inspector, here is the coin."
"Thank you, Miss Scarlet."
Rising from his chair he instructed Detective Fitzroy and the other policemen to take all three suspects to Scotland Yard for processing."
As the suspects and the policemen left the lounge, William lingered. He walked over to Eliza who was retrieving her bag and pulling herself together.
"Eliza, escort me to your dressing room, so I can see the alcove and have the remainder of the bobbies here sweep for evidence, please," William addressed her coldly.
Eliza stood as tall as she could suddenly feeling small and vulnerable in William's presence. She raised only her eyes to William. She tried to denote some type of emotion from him whether he was still embarrassed by her or if they had come to a point where they could talk about what happened.
"William."
"Not now, Eliza. Not now," William said abruptly. "Please just direct me to those areas of which I have asked."
Eliza walked up to the stage as William and the other policemen followed behind.