The Three Locks by Bonnie MacBird (learn to read books txt) 📕

You wanted your ring returned. You saw her enter the rectory, but you didn’t go in right away. Instead, you stood outside her window, in the rain, watching.’ The boy stared at Holmes in astonishment. I had seen that look many times before.

‘I saw a partial footprint outside, but it was muddied from the rain and I was not sure until now. Through the window you saw Buttons with her, but soon after, he left. I warrant you did not want a fight. You only wanted your ring back from her.’

Leo Vitale continued to stare at Holmes, wide eyed. He nodded again.

‘But your ring was not there. That is because Dillie had just sent Deacon Buttons to the pawnshop with it, and also with Freddie Eden-Summers’ ring. But she did not tell you that.’

Vitale moaned. ‘Dillie said her sister had stolen it.’ His voice was barely above a whisper.

‘Ha! Atalanta. A smart lie, and believable. Otherwise you would have followed Buttons and retrieved your ring. So you stayed.’

‘And you attacked Miss Wyndham!’ said Hadley, picking up Vitale’s right hand. ‘Look, gentlemen. His knuckles are abraded. You hit something with force. Odelia Wyndham was beaten before she died.’ Vitale closed his eyes and shook his head weakly.

‘Mr Hadley, please,’ said Holmes. ‘He fought with Eden-Summers later. That part is true, isn’t that right Mr Vitale? We will get to that. No. You lingered in the doorway of Buttons’ room instead of entering. A sense of propriety, perhaps?’

‘Yes. She … she was …’

‘Unclothed. Yes, I know.’

How did he know? I did not voice the question, Vitale did.

‘How do you know this, sir? It is like you were there!’

‘Traces in the deacon’s bed. The girl got into his bed unclothed. But this was after you left. We will get to that, too. You remained in the doorway … and …’ Holmes closed his eyes. I would swear that the scene was playing almost like a series of daguerreotypes, flipping in a carnival peepshow in his head.

‘Yes, yes, I see it now,’ he continued. ‘That ink stain on your neck, Mr Vitale. The residue in the doorframe. Watson! The half empty bottle of purple ink with the dented cap! Do you remember?’ Do you see?’

I remember him noting the ink bottle in Buttons’ room. But … ‘No, I don’t see,’ I said, frankly more puzzled than before.

Holmes stood up abruptly and looked down at Vitale.

‘Miss Wyndham picked up that bottle of ink and flung it across the room at you. It hit the doorjamb, the cap cracked, and a few drops spattered on your neck, there. And on the moulding around the door, which I noted, even though it was cleaned up after you left.’

Leo Vitale was breathing in quick, shallow breaths.

‘Slow, deep breaths, Mr Vitale,’ I said.

‘You might well have become enraged. You had been betrayed, stolen from, used – and attacked – and yet you left. You left the young lady unharmed.’

Vitale closed his eyes, nodding.

‘But those torn knuckles!’ insisted Hadley.

Holmes held up a hand. ‘Tell us about the fight with Eden-Summers at Trinity. What happened there? Why did you go there?’

‘I tried to tell him what Dillie … what I thought she …’ He began to cough. ‘Perhaps together we could … but he would not let me into the room, he would not listen.’ Another coughing spell overtook him.

‘Easy, Mr Vitale,’ I said.

‘He came into the hall. He told me he would have nothing to do with me. That Dillie would never do what I claimed. He was inebriated, belligerent. We fought …’

I remembered now that Eden-Summers claimed his injuries were from a fight with some stranger in the hall. He had obviously left out a key element of the story.

‘But why did you go there?’ asked Hadley. ‘What did you expect?’

The boy was now coughing so hard he could not answer.

‘He hoped that Eden-Summers would join him, and that the two of them together could perhaps recover their rings. Isn’t that right, Mr Vitale?’ said Holmes.

The boy nodded, recovering. ‘I thought he might have more influence.’

‘But as you said before, some combination of pride, ego and a great deal of alcohol prevented your rival from seeing the logic of your plan. You left Eden-Summers. What did you do next?’ continued my friend.

‘I went back to my room. I tried to sleep.’ Tears ran down Vitale’s face. ‘I regret … I regret …’

‘You are lying!’ cried Hadley. ‘What you regret is killing Odelia Wyndham!’

‘No!’ gasped Vitale. ‘I regret not returning to her. Because I might have saved her.’

Holmes rose abruptly. ‘May we finish this in your office, Mr Hadley?’ said he.

Vitale closed his eyes and tears coursed down his cheeks. ‘I might have saved … if only …’

Ten minutes later we faced Hadley in his spacious and well-lit office. The police inspector sat behind an imposing desk and leaned forward on it, attentive and fully ready to listen to Holmes. My friend and I were seated in chairs facing the desk. Holmes was wrapped in a blanket and holding coffee in his shivering hands, despite the rising warmth of the day. He had not eaten in a day and a half, and the rescue in the lock and contretemps in Vitale’s cell would have laid low a lesser man.

‘Mr Holmes, this remains a puzzle,’ said Hadley. ‘If you believe Mr Vitale, and it seems you do, then who killed Miss Wyndham, and why on earth would Father Lamb attempt to kill Leo Vitale just now?’ asked Hadley. ‘There are too many unanswered questions in the scenario you project.’

‘I will answer these questions within the hour. I can tell you one thing, however. Miss Wyndham was killed for love. Has Constable Wright returned from inspecting Deacon Buttons’ room?’

‘Not yet. For love, you say? But here is another question. Who pulled the lever at the lock, nearly killing you and Buttons?’ asked Hadley. ‘Tell us again, Dr Watson, what you saw?’

The men turned to me. I shrugged. ‘As I said, the figure