Harriett (The Tipton Hollow 1)

“This cloth is too small to be of any use to anyone though, so you need to consider whether it was specifically cut for purpose. What could anyone use something of this size for?” He pointed to the small piece of cloth that was no bigger than an inch and a half square.

“Do you think someone intended to frighten her?”

&nb

sp; “Why would you want to frighten someone by dropping a piece of muslin into their drink though? I mean, for what purpose? Nobody is going to admit to putting it there as a joke. It isn’t inconceivable that it contained someone’s medication; a tablet or powders of some sort, and it was accidentally dropped into Minerva’s drink, but it seems highly unlikely that someone would take powders in the middle of a psychic circle meeting.”

Mark studied the object. “It’s too small for powders, even if one could put powders into a piece of cloth like this.”

“Powders are usually wrapped in paper though, Mark,” David replied. He leaned back in his seat and studied his colleague. He really didn’t relish Mark having to figure this one out.

“We are doing more tests on the contents of her stomach. I should have some of the answers to you tomorrow morning at the earliest, but it may take longer than that if I need to do more detailed tests.”

“Was she on any medication at all?” Mark frowned. He wondered if the woman had carried a tablet or powders in the cloth and had accidentally dropped it in her drink herself.

David shook his head. “I haven’t seen her for at least six months. If she was taking medication, it was nothing I have given her. I am going to call into the pharmacist and make a few enquiries, but Minerva always seemed to be one of the village’s residents who was always in fine fettle.”

“Good Lord, so there may be a killer amidst Tipton Hollow’s first psychic circle?”

“There may indeed.”

“Damn,” Mark sighed. He inwardly groaned at the thought of all of the people who were in the room last night. It was going to take the next couple of days to interview everyone. The only high point was the fact that he now had a very good reason to remain in contact with Harriett for the next few days at least.

“Do you know if anyone else in the room were on any kind of medication that they might conceivably need to take with them?”

David frowned at that. “I don’t have Madame Humphries or Miss Hepplethwaite on my list, I think I would remember them,” he added wryly. “I can check the records of the rest of the group though and get the list to you by this afternoon.”

“What about Harriett or Babette? Are they on any medication as far as you know?” Mark’s question was just a little too sharp, a little too pointed, and he inwardly groaned at the look of interest on his friend’s face.

David sighed. He had never seen that intent look on Mark’s face before and wasn’t sure what to make of it. Was it because he suspected that either Harriett or Babette might be involved? Or was it because he had rather too much of an interest in proving their innocence? He rather suspected the latter might be the case but wisely kept quiet.

“Harriett is always in excellent health. My family have known hers for many years. My father delivered her you know. I haven’t seen Harriett at my surgery since she was a young child with chicken pox. Babette has only had cause to visit me oh, about once or twice in the last ten years. As far as I can recall, there isn’t anything strange or startling about any of the family, apart from the usual aches and pains, that sort of thing. None of them are on any mediation as far as I know.”

Mark heaved a mental sigh of relief and leaned back in his chair. “I don’t think it is likely that the muslin cloth was left in the glass the last time it was cleaned.”

“It’s too small for a cleaning cloth, don’t you think?” David frowned dubiously.

“I know.” Mark shook his head. “I really cannot see that something of this size has any particular purpose.”

“I know. It had to be cut for its intended purpose.”

He nodded slowly and pushed to his feet. “Thank you for your haste in getting this to me.” He watched David slowly fold up the cloth and shuddered with revulsion. He had no idea how David did the job he did and was very grateful that his own work was more cut and dried – no pun intended. “I had better go and ask some questions of Tipton Hollow’s Psychic Circle, hadn’t I?”

David sighed and made his way toward the door. “If you can get me the decanters, I will study them for any trace of anything unusual.”

“I will do that. In the meantime, send me the reports when you have them. Just leave them on my desk and I will get to them when I have conducted the first round of interviews. Thank you, David.”

Mark parted company with his friend at the front door to the constabulary and stopped Detective Brown as he entered the building.

“You had better come with me. We have some investigating to do.” He nodded down the road toward a black carriage that waited by the kerb.

“What have you found out?” Isaac asked as he cast a glance at the rapidly retreating back of Doctor Woods.

“Tipton Hollow, please,” Mark called to the driver and settled back into the seat to relay his conversation with David.

“Good Lord,” Isaac grumbled with a sigh.

“Although we cannot rule anyone out, I think it is highly unlikely that Harriett or Babette Marchington would kill anyone in their own parlour. Not only would it be foolish to draw attention to themselves by committing murder in their own house, but it would have to be a very arrogant murderer indeed to take someone’s life with so many people around.”