The Lexington House Murder
~ Chapter Sixteen
Ichabod
took Katrina’s hand as they neared Lexington House.
“I
still don’t feel right about this.” She said in a
low voice. “We
don’t even know if she is here. She may have just gone for a
walk.”
Ichabod turned to her and placed his finger over his lips. He
pointed to the downstairs sitting room window. There was a dim light
just visible in spite of the heavy draperies.
“However will
we get in?”
“The way any one might, by knocking at the
door. I have a right to question them in light of Janelle’s
sudden
disappearance. Remember, they do not have to like me, all they have
to do is let me in. And, by the way, I want you to stay hidden on the
porch. I do not want you to come in with me.”
“Why”
“Because there is likely to be some confrontation and,
frankly, your presence will weaken my position. Do you understand
me?”
Katrina hid down among the bushes which surrounded the
porch fencing. She did not want the light to cast her shadow. Ichabod
knocked firmly on the door. There had been a weak sound of
conversation before, but it ceased immediately upon his knocking.
A
small creaking as someone crossed the hall. The peephole opened.
Crane announced himself in a clear, strong voice. “Constable
Crane,
here. I know someone is awake in this household. Open this door
immediately.”
Mrs. Parker opened the door. Her face a
complete mask. “What do you want here, Constable?”
But
Crane pushed her rather roughly out of the way. He could already see
Janelle standing in the sitting room. It appeared she was being held
by someone. He quickened his pace to the doorway. And felt for the
pistol in his coat. Damn! In his haste to get dressed he had
forgotten it.
Outside Katrina almost screamed as she felt
something rub up against her in the bushes. “It is only me,
mother”
whispered Jonathan. He pointed to the carriage as it pulled away from
the curb.
“Why are you sending the carriage away? And why
are you here? I ordered you to stay home. Jonathan, this is not a
game.”
“I came because of Ichabod. He knows I am here.”
“I expressly heard him tell you to remain with
Cook.”
“I didn’t say he told me to come. But he knows well
enough that no threat or order would keep me away from you. And good
thing he knows it, I have sent the driver back to get word to
Magistrate Mailer. And I have brought this.” He had
Ichabod’s
pistol in his hand. “One of us needs to get this to
him.”
“Jonathan, keep quiet. Give me the gun. Katrina took the
pistol and hid it beneath her cloak.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
James
Wellington-Trumbell had Janelle hard by the arm, but as
soon as he heard Ichabod approach he quickly moved Janelle on to the
settee. He continued to squeeze her arm, as he leaned over her
solicitously.
“Now, look the good Constable is here to take
you home. You really are in such a state, my dear.”
He
tried hard to smile at Ichabod. “Your timing is very
fortunate,
Constable. As you can see we have had an unexpected visitor tonight.
Miss Janelle came just a short while ago, demanding to see me. She is
practically raving. No doubt under the stress of her recent loss.
Thought somehow to reach the spirit of her sister by coming back here
tonight.”
Janelle grew pale, as his fingers gave her tender
flesh a particularly painful twist before removing his hand.
Crane
nodded and stepped forward towards James. But at the last minute he
raised his hand as if to strike the man and James immediately
cowered. “Step away from the girl, Wellington-Trumbell. And
tell
your housekeeper to maintain her distance. Make no alarm.”
“So
we can assume you have additional patrolman outside. For what
purpose? To witness you, Constable Crane, being removed from my home
after forcing your way in and accosting me and my
housekeeper?”
“The master is right. The girl practically threatened me to
let her in. She has no legal right to be here.”
Ichabod
gestured for Janelle to get up from her seat and come towards him.
But she did not move. Behind Ichabod, suddenly Katrina appeared.
Before he could stop her Katrina stepped aside Ichabod, and
said “Janelle, we are here to help you. Ichabod will take
care of
James. We have come to take you home, now.”
“You should
not have come, Katrina.” Janelle shook her head with her face
covered in tears. She stood and gestured towards James. “This
man
still believed he could protect himself by threatening me. And I did
believe him. Then I suddenly realized, that I have nothing left he
can threaten me with. As long as I make it so. I realize I will lose
John and any hope of a normal life, but at least it will put a stop
to him. And that I can do if I choose. Don’t you feel done in
now,
James Wellington-Trumbell?” Janelle pulled a gun from a
pocket in
her dress and aimed it directly at James.
“Janelle, put
down the gun,” Ichabod ordered.
“Woman, are you mad?”
Wellington-Trumbell gasped as her. His hands began to tremble
noticeably.
Parker merely stifled a scream by covering her
mouth with her hand.
Katrina had moved closer to Ichabod, and
now unseen she passed him his pistol. Ichabod closed his eyes for a
second to thank god for his wife and son. He slowly began to raise
the pistol when Katrina, put her hand on his arm, signally not to do
it.
She said, “Janelle, can you not tell us why? If this
man has done wrong to you or your sister, he will be
arrested.”
“Arrested is not good enough for me. Because I
can’t
offer any proof that he actually killed my sister, yet it is the
truth. I can not prove that he has lead such a life of slobbering
drunkenness and degradation with young girls, that his own brother
could not go on existing in same world. James has always resorted to
blackmail to get his way. And he had this soulless creature to do his
bidding. Janelle momentarily aimed the gun at Parker.”
“So
I am doing the only thing I can to save my sister’s child. I
promised her always I would take care of Megan. But to do that, I
have to remove the threat and the only way is commit murder myself.
It makes no difference what happens to me. At least she will be
saved.”
“Take the child; we will let you have her.”
James suddenly assumed a confused and frightened look upon his face.
Parker cried out. “He does not mean that. She is
hysterical. Her dummy sister made up all types of stories. And was
dim-witted enough to let a stranger into this house who then killed
her for her stupidity. There is no more than that.”
Janelle
only smiled. “Well, that is the point of me being here. I
never
will have proof; you are too good at paying off the poor and
threatening the weak. This way James will get his due and the
simpering passion you have suppressed into a life will have lost its
purpose. Poor Eloise, in love with him since he was a toddler. By the
time James is old enough to desire a woman, you are already too old
and ugly for him. He likes girls that are young, firm and innocent.
Not used-up housemaids.”
Parker made a hideous sound and
lunged at Janelle. She moved so fast that she somehow dislodged the
gun from Janelle’s hand and sent it skidding across the
floor.
Ichabod drew his pistol. “No one is to move. Parker and
Wellington-Trumbell, on the settee please. Janelle, come over to
Katrina. Everything will be alright, I promise you. We will take care
of Megan.”
“It is too late for that.” The quiet voice
of Helen Wellington-Trumbell caused everyone to freeze as she stepped
forward from the shadows. “Too late, he has already spirited
her
away. Who knows where.”
James seized upon the situation.
“Do not do anything stupid, my dear wife. No harm will come
to our
beautiful daughter. I am the girl’s father and it is no crime
to
send her away as I wish. No one has witnessed any crime of my doing
tonight.”
“Not one more soul should have to suffer
because of you. You are useless as a man. And stupid. Letting Parker
feed you lies and puff up your ego. All these years. All these young
girls, and myself, did it not ever occur to you why you never
produced a child among the lot of us. Megan is Thomas’ child,
you
fool. He just never knew it. You are an unfertile, lying bully. But,
perhaps the real criminal here is you, Parker. You raised the mangy
dog.”
Eloise Parker turned to James beseeching him. “Do
not believe her, she is the liar, James. I have always served you
and, yes, loved you. I have always thought only to protect
you.”
She placed her hand on his arm. James shook it off as if it was
diseased.
“You, bitch. And to think I put up with the
grotesque feel of your hands and your foul breath in my face, because
I trusted you. Is this true? Is Megan not my child?” He
fairly spat
the words at Parker.
Parkers face was tortured. “No. She is
the child of Thomas and Margaret. But he did not know. And I kept him
from knowing. I looked out only for you, James.”
He shrank
away from her.
“This is suddenly all so tiresome. Best just
to put an end to it.” Helen Wellington-Trumbell drew out a
pistol
and put it to her own head. Ichabod immediately turned to where he
had last seen the gun and then back to Helen. “No one picked
it
up,” she said softly.
Ichabod implored the woman, “Put
down the gun, Helen. There will be an end to it. I promise. Do not
end your own life because of this man.”
Helen slowly
lowered the gun, but then pointed it directly at James. “The
only
way to save him is to shoot me, Constable Crane. Are you willing to
do that?”
“I repeat, put the gun down, Mrs.
Wellington-Trumbell. Let us sort this out and we will find Megan. I
promise.”
Janelle began to sob. “Dear God, Helen you are
not like them. Do not do this. If he has hidden Megan, then spare his
miserable life, so that I may find her. I am begging you!”
“I
am so sorry my dear. You will see Megan again. Parker knows where she
is.” Without a moments hesitation she fired the gun three
times
into James’ chest. He sank to the floor without a sound.
Janelle
screamed and fell to the floor. Katrina rushed to her side. For a
second, Parker remained frozen where she sat. Then a low keening
sound came from her as she slowly made her way over to the body of
James. She placed his head in her lap. She rocked back and forth,
mumbling something incoherent. Helen turned the gun around in her
hand, and walked over to Ichabod. She handed it to him. “I
hope you
can understand, Constable. When Parker has come to her senses. She
can tell you where the girl is.”
Helen then walked over to
Janelle, “I am sorry my dear. I am as much to blame as
anyone. Only
now did I find the courage which I should have had long before. But
tonight I could not stand idly by and watch you sacrifice your
happiness to this beast. I hope you and God can forgive me.”
From
the corner of his eye, Ichabod saw Jonathan step up.
“Constable
Mailer is on his way, father. I sent for him.”
Ichabod put
his gun away. “You remembered my pistol?”
Jonathan
nodded. “You knew I would come, father.”
Ichabod stoked
the boy’s hair. “Thank you, son.”
The gunshot had
awakened the entire household, and the hall suddenly seemed full of
maids and houseman, staring unbelievably at the scene in front of
them.
Ichabod quickly took control. “All of you, back to
your rooms. Except for you Pierce. Fetch blankets, strong coffee and
brandy. Jonathan, help Mrs. Wellington-Trumbell into to the dining
room. Katrina, take Janelle along as well. I will stand guard over
this scene until Mailer has come.”
They each did as they
were told, until finally only Crane stood over the lifeless body of
James. Parker has ceased her moaning. She had not yet released her
hold on the body.
Then, Mailer was at his side, and he could
hear the heavy footfalls of several patrolmen.
“I am here,
Crane. Is anyone else hurt?” Ichabod shook his head.
“I have them
collected in the dining room. Mailer, what have you done with your
mustache?”
Mailer barked out. “ Staley, Hawkins, secure
the scene. Remove that woman and make sure no one disturbs the scene
or the body.” When Parker had been lifted to her feet, Mailer
approached her and grasped her arm. Come with me, Mrs. Parker. I
believe you have a lot to tell us.”