Dr. Spilsbury and the Camden Town Killer by D. L. Douglas

Author:D. L. Douglas [Douglas, D. L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-08-29T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 39

‘Captain Tobias Warriner. For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty in rushing to a dug-out in which men had been buried by shell fire and attempting to dig out the men, aided by two other officers. He himself was in a state of collapse, but insisted on helping to carry the wounded to a dressing station under shell fire.’

Charlie put down the London Gazette and looked up at Inspector Mount.

He had known the name was familiar, as soon as he’d heard it. But he’d had to go through nearly two years’ worth of back copies of the newspaper to find what he was looking for.

‘So he was awarded the Military Cross?’ the inspector said.

‘Yes, sir. He was one of the first to receive it.’

‘And is he from Yorkshire, by any chance?’

‘His family are from Derbyshire, sir. That’s why he wasn’t on my list to start with.’

‘Your list!’ George muttered under his breath. He had been very sour ever since Charlie made his discovery.

‘All the same, it’s close enough. It’s possible that Hilda Hodges may have been mistaken.’

‘That’s what I thought, sir.’ Charlie remembered the tingle of excitement when he’d come across the name in the Gazette . It was as if a missing piece of a particularly difficult jigsaw had suddenly materialised and slotted into place, pulling the whole puzzle together.

‘It’s certainly a strange coincidence that someone fitting the description of Jean Hodges’ boyfriend was at Elizabeth Franklin’s funeral,’ Inspector Mount said.

‘With respect, sir, it’s hardly a description!’ George said. ‘A former soldier from Yorkshire with a Military Cross? There must be hundreds of men who fit the bill.’

‘One hundred and twenty-eight, to be precise.’ Charlie had found out their names, and then begun the painstaking task of tracking them all down. So far he’d found five who were dead, one who had emigrated to America, eight who had married French girls and remained in Europe, one living on a remote island off the Scotland coast and thirty-six who were in nursing homes, too incapacitated to put on their own boots, let alone murder two women.

Captain Tobias Warriner was the most promising lead they had. And he wasn’t prepared to let it go without a fight.

Thankfully the inspector seemed to agree with him. ‘Nevertheless, it’s all we have to go on so far,’ he said. He turned to Charlie. ‘And this Warriner chap was a friend of the nephew’s, you say?’

‘That’s right, sir. Although …’

‘What?’

‘It seemed like an odd sort of friendship to me, sir.’

‘How so?’

‘He was very overbearing. And he didn’t take kindly to the idea of us talking to Mr Franklin.’

‘Why do you think that was?’

‘Perhaps he was trying to protect him?’ George said.

‘Or protect himself.’ Charlie hadn’t realised he’d said the words aloud until he caught the inspector looking at him keenly.

‘From what?’ he asked. ‘Are you suggesting they might be working together?’

George snorted with laughter. Charlie ignored him. ‘I couldn’t say, sir. But we know Matthew Franklin was very bitter about his aunt controlling his life, and especially his money.

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