Murder at Westminster: A 1920s Historical Cozy Mystery (The Kitty Worthington Mysteries) by Magda Alexander

Author:Magda Alexander [Alexander, Magda]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781943321124
Publisher: Hearts Afire Publishing
Published: 2022-01-24T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 20

ANOTHER BODY IS DISCOVERED

BETSY WOKE ME the next morning with the news of a note from Scotland Yard. “The police officer who delivered it said it was urgent, Miss.”

I’d spent the night tossing and turning with dreams of somebody chasing me with a bloody dagger. An omen or a manifestation of my fears? Regardless, it meant a restless sleep. I dreaded reading the message, but there was no help for it. It had to be done. I ripped open the envelope to find Inspector Crawford’s scrawl. He’d been in a hurry when he wrote the note.

Miss Worthington,

Body found in the Thames. Preliminarily identified as Thomas Hodgkins. I’ve been asked to investigate.

Your Humble Servant,

Inspector Robert Crawford

Metropolitan Police

The sense of foreboding in my dreams had materialized. Thomas Hodgkins’ death could only make matters worse for dead bodies don’t talk. Without his testimony, we couldn’t verify Sebastian’s account of the night the duke was killed. Just as important, my discussions with Inspector Crawford would need to cease since Sebastian would feature prominently in both investigations.

“Anything wrong, Miss?” Betsy must have noticed my distress.

As I climbed from my bed, I shared the note contents with her.

She glanced wide-eyed at me. “Blimey, Miss. Is that the gentleman Mister Dalrymple had supper with?”

“I’m afraid so.” I shivered. Either the morning was cooler than usual, or my body was reacting adversely to the news.

“Here, Miss.” Betsy held out my wrap. “Should I draw you a warm bath?”

I glanced gratefully at her for she always looked out for my wellbeing. “No, thank you, Betsy. I’ll bathe later. Right now, I need to tell Margaret the news and telephone Ned to let him know.” We already had so much to do. And now we had this to investigate as well. I didn’t know how we would get it all done.

Once I’d dressed, I headed to the library where a footman told me Margaret was to be found. More than likely with her nose stuck in some legal journal. After being denied access to Sebastian by the prison governor—only family or a member of the solicitor’s office was allowed to see him—she’d taken to studying criminal law in the hope of qualifying as a solicitor’s assistant. An uphill climb to be sure, but it kept her occupied. Besides, something she discovered might very well help with the investigation.

I found her staring into the distance, an open book in front of her. She appeared to have been crying.

“What’s wrong, dearest?”

“Oh, Kitty.” Her breath hitched, and a sob broke through. Things were dire indeed. Five years ago, when our sister Emily died from the Spanish Influenza, Margaret hadn’t broken down once. Just the contrary. She’d been the rock we’d clung to when Mother had fallen apart. So, if she was this distraught, her emotional wellbeing was rocky to say the least.

Putting my arms around her, I led her to a leather divan and rang for tea and scones.

“Now tell me all about it,” I said.

“I received a note from Sebastian this morning.

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