Inspector Playfair's Notebook

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 220, 17 September 1938, Page 8 (Supplement)

Inspector Playfair's Notebook

lOSHUA PLAYFAIR and hi. » second in cosnmand, DetectiveSergeant DumJbell, were summoned to "The Cedars," Hempwell, one chilly winter evening.

"The Cedars" wa* an old-fashioned manor hou*c standing in grounds of its own, and at no point approachable from the road save across some portion of what was loft of Hcmpwrll Common. It was this Isolation of the acene of the crime that gave the tragedy of "The Cedars" its special character. Snow had fallen heavily until 3 o'clock that day, and the first thing Playfair noted wan that—apart from the authenticated prints of the polW—there were only two sets of footsteps vbtible. One led from the neighbouring crossroad* to the front door of "The Cedara"; the other led from th« house back to the •ame apot.

The facts of the case were these. At a quarter past six that evening the local police had received a call from the telephone kiosk at the crossroads.

The caller was Reginald Fitzmalahide, coresident at "The Cedars." He reported, in a state of great agitation, that on arriving home, 10 minuter before, he had found his aunt, Mitts Emily Fitzmalahide, dead in her drawing room. She had apparently been strangled. The police were quickly on the scene—on the instructions of the superintendent, Reginald did not return to the house with them—and the circumstances of the murder were so mysterious that Scotland Yard wa« called in without delay.

A couple of hours later Playfair had assembled the relevant fact«:

First, Mies Fitzmalahide's death had taken place between 4 and 5 o'clock. The cause of death was undoubtedly strangulation, and both accident and •uicide were out of the question.

Second, there was no obvious motive for the murder. Reginald Fitzmalahide. whom Playfair sent for after he had completed his investigation*, was positive that nothing of value was missing.

No. 9 THE FITZMALAHIDE CASE

Third, only three persona, In addition to the murdered woman, had been at the house that day. One was Reginald himeelf, nephew of the murdered woman, who had returned to "The Cedars" just before 6 o'clock after spending the day m iwual at his office at Hempwell. There were any number of witnesses to Reginald'* alibi.

well known as an amateur photographer, had («o she stated) left the house before lunch and had spent the afternoon taking snapshots of birds and other "nature" subjects in the neighbouring Epstone Forest. Stella was unable to produce a positive alibi. But she had seen, she said, two stranger* in the foyest—tramps probably—whom the police should have no difficulty in tracking down and with whom she had exchanged a few words somewhere about

Then there was Reginald's sister, Stella, who also lived at "The Cedars" and was co-heir with Reginald to their aunt's not inconsiderable fortune. Stella,

5 o'clock. In addition (as ehe was not slow to point out) there was that heaven-sent witness —the snow. Akto, at some time during the inornitijf. a cousin, Eustace Fitzmalahide, had visited liin aunt. He had come, he said, to ask for a small loan; hie principal means of livelihood was backing horses and of late things had not gone well with him. He had found life aunt in obdurate mood. She had declined to lend him anything and had shown him the door—as Stella indeed hm able to witness —somewhere about noon. Eustace's etory was that, after this rebuff, he had got out his ear and driven up to town, intending to sell the car. Halfway there, however, he had changed his mind and driven home again. He, like Stella, could

produce no alibi which could stand up to investigation. There was evidence that Eustace had long been on bad terms with both Reginald and Stella. Finally, there was the evidence of the snow. As already mentioned, no snow had fallen since just before 3 o'clock. There were no footprints, leading either towards the house or away from it, other than those admittedly made by Reginald. Xor was there any sign anywhere of the snow having been otherwise disturbed. "It's a rum go, sir," said Dumbell to his chief. "Eustace might have killed the old lady —he seems to have a motive all right—but he can't have flown in at the window and out again." "I agree," said Flayfair, "and that, Dumbell, is why I have formed an alternative theory. A theory which explains the facts and which also may well l>e supported by a motive. When I said something just now about examining Reginald's account, books there was an Ugly look on his face." "But I don't see." said Dumbell, scratching hi« head, "how Reginald can possibly be implicated." Play'fair smiled a little grimly, "Ask yourself two questions, Dumbell," he said. "First, why, after discovering the murder. did Reginald walk from the house instead of run ? For the evidence that lie di<l walk is unmistakable. Second, why did he 'phone the police from a call-box and not, from the house itself? The 'phone at 'The Cedars' is in perfect working order." • • • •

What was Playfair's theory of the 1

(See page 9 for solution.)