Kerry Tombs - The Malvern Murders

Armitage went to enter his cottage but Crabb smartly moved to one side of the path, blocking his way.

‘Mr. Armitage, you will oblige us sir by answering our questions,’ said Ravenscroft using his best voice of authority. Armitage gave him an unwelcome stare, and sighed.

‘When I came here three years ago, I could see that the almshouses were in a poor state of disrepair. The buildings had been sadly neglected for many years, and the previous incumbent had spent the majority of his time in Tewkesbury instead of supervising the health and education of the old people. I merely suggested, upon a number of occasions, that the trustees spend more of the money that has been invested from old Lechmere’s bequest, on the improvement of the houses for the benefit of the residents.’

‘And the trustees refused?’ suggested Crabb, looking up from his notebook.

‘Let us say that they were not forthcoming. I know that some of them regard my ideas as being somewhat too liberal. Malvern is a very conservative town. It does not welcome change inspector.’

‘What radical ideas were those, Mr. Armitage?’ asked Ravenscroft, anxious to know more of the rift between Armitage and his employers.

‘I felt that we should be adopting a more outgoing approach; that we should extend our mission, for want of a better word, out towards.the less fortunate members of the village. I wanted to start classes for not only the residents but also those poor villagers who would benefit from them. I am a great believer in education for the poorer classes inspector.’

‘It all sounds a noble idea to me, Mr. Armitage. I cannot see why the trustees would object.’

‘Ah well, inspector that is where you are wrong. Pitzer and several of the trustees thought that my ideas would prove too radical for the people of Colwall, who might be tempted to stray from the straight and narrow. In other words I was regarded as a corrupting influence. Some of the trustees tried to remove me and replace me with another, who would be more in tune with their current conservative thinking.’

There was no doubting the bitterness of tone in Armitage’s voice.

‘The reverend Touchmore spoke of financial irregularities in the running of the almshouses,’ said Ravenscroft.

‘Touchmore is a silly old man who ought to keep his idle thoughts to himself,’ replied Armitage contemptuously.

‘You have charge of the finances of the almshouses?’

‘I have access to some finance. As the warden I am expected to attend to bills that may arise from time to time, in regard to the food, clothing and daily expenditure of the inmates.’

‘For which you keep accounts sir?’ asked Crabb.

‘For which I keep detailed accounts. Look I really don’t see the relevance of all this,’ replied Armitage throwing up his arms in the air.

‘It is for us to decide what is relevant, Mr. Armitage, and what is not. So Mr. Pitzer and the reverend Touchmore and some of the other trustees thought that the accounts were not in order?’ suggested Ravenscroft.

‘I have said inspector, that some of the trustees wanted to remove me because of my reforming views. If they could have found some financial irregularities in the accounts, well that would have provided them with the excuse they were looking for to dismiss me.’

‘And did they find any such irregularities?’

‘Certainly not!’

‘Then you would not object if we studied the accounts?’

There was silence for a moment or so, before Armitage spoke. ‘I do not have the accounts here.’

‘Where are they then sir?’ asked Crabb.

‘The accounts are at my sister’s house. She resides in Ledbury.’

‘That is rather a strange state of affairs. Surely it would be more convenient to keep the account books here at the almshouses?’ asked Ravenscroft

‘I visit my sister usually once a week and it is an easy matter for me to bring the books up to date. I do not like leaving the account books here.’

‘And why is that sir?’

‘There have been one or two burglaries recently at the almshouses. I removed the books and one or two more valuable items to my sister’s house, where I considered they would be safer.’

‘You did not report these burglaries to the police station at Malvern sir,’ ventured Crabb, writing down something in his note book.

‘No, I did not consider they were important, although I may have mentioned it to the constable on duty at the Ledbury station. Look I really must go now.’

‘Very well Mr. Armitage. That will be all for now. I should warn you though that we may need to talk with you again, and that we might require access to the accounts of the almshouses.’

‘Of course,’ nodded Armitage turning away.

‘Good day to you, sir.’

Crabb and Ravenscroft made their way up the garden path, as Armitage opened the door of his cottage and went inside.

‘Good day to you gentlemen,’ said Crabb as they passed by the two old men.

‘What’s he say?’ asked one of the other.

‘Says he has to go home, lest his wife tell him off!’

The two men laughed.

‘Well that Armitage is a tight fellow and no mistake,’ said Crabb as they made their way back to their waiting cab. ‘All that nonsense he gave us, about the almshouses being burgled.’

‘He was certainly reluctant to let us view the accounts. I find it very difficult to accept that the books are lodged with his sister in Ledbury,’ said Ravenscroft climbing back into the cab, ‘We will certainly need to speak with him again. Our Mr. Armitage is holding something back, I’m sure.’

‘Perhaps Pitzer found that Armitage had been cheating the almshouses of money and called him to account, and rather than be discovered he decided to kill Pitzer so that it would all be kept secret,’ suggested Crabb.

‘That is a strong possibility, but your argument has only one flaw. If we accept what Touchmore told us, namely that the other trustees knew or suspected that Armitage had been appropriating some of the funds for himself, then Armitage would have to kill the other trustees as well to safeguard his secret. To remove all the trustees would cause a great deal of suspicion, I think you would agree.’

‘Pitzer might have discovered something that the other trustees did not know about, and decided to keep it secret.’

‘True. We must consider all possibilities. Where do you suggest we go next Constable Crabb?’

‘I thought we should call on Doctor Gladwyn sir.’

‘Then Doctor Gladwyn it is.’

Twenty minutes later the men found their cab had returned them to the town of Great Malvern.

‘Gladwyn lives just below Link Top,’ said Crabb, as the cab sped past the Tudor, along Belle Vue Terrace and out of the town. After passing a church on their left, and the beginnings of a large expansive common stretching away on their right, their journey took them past a number of attractively designed villas, until eventually lower down the road their driver swung the cab through a gateway which lead up to an old house built in the recent gothic style.

‘This is where the good doctor resides,’ said Crabb stepping down from the cab and instructing their driver to await their return.

Ravenscroft walked up to the front door, and pulled the bell under a brass plaque bearing the well-worn words — ‘Septimus Gladwyn. Physician’.

‘Let us hope that the doctor is in residence,’ said Crabb.

The door was opened by a maid.

‘Inspector Ravenscroft and Constable Crabb called to see Doctor Gladwyn if you please.’

The girl gave Crabb a disapproving stare, and said ‘Wait here’ before disappearing inside the building.

The two men stepped inside and found themselves in a drab, dark hallway. Ravenscroft looked at the old faded photographs on the walls, and across towards the cluttered hall stand full of battered hats and ancient walking sticks. A plant which had clearly seen better days, spread out from a large cracked pot in the corner.