The Mystery of Fitzjames Manor

©2015 Richard Humphreys

The Find-Outers visit Fitzjames Manor and are very quickly embroiled in a new mystery that has its roots in the distant past. With the help of a couple of old friends, Fatty and the Find-Outers piece together the clues and are led finally to an astonishing discovery.

Chapter 17: The Mystery is Solved

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The party, including Robbie Harris, who had to be almost dragged out of the car, made their way across the lawns to the maze. It was a lovely morning and the children chattered excitedly. Fatty, however, remained silent, deep in thought. He had to get all the strands of this complicated mystery in the correct order and so he went over everything in his mind as they made their way.

On reaching the maze, Fatty led the way through the main entrance and along the winding paths. He had managed to memorize the route and before long they were all standing in the centre.

Lady Fitzjames was horrified when she saw the damage that had been done to the fountain and the large hole dug in the ground at its base. 'Good heavens,' she cried, her face blanching, 'who's responsible for this?'

Fatty turned to her. 'I'll explain that in a moment, Lady Fitzjames.' He gestured towards the shelter. 'Perhaps you and Mrs. Chivers would be more comfortable sitting down?' Lady Fitzjames and Mrs. Chivers sat on the bench in the shelter whilst the others stood around, their eyes glued on Fatty.

'This has been one of the strangest mysteries we have ever had to solve,' he began. 'It started out with what appeared to be just another country house burglary, but has ended as a mystery that extends back in time well over one hundred years.' He paused to allow the tension to rise before continuing. 'It begins with Sir Henry Fitzjames, a man who was a proud collector of art and beautiful and precious things, but a man that was cursed with a wastrel for a son. That son was Jasper, an unruly and lazy man who was addicted to gambling from an early age and his father was alarmed by the thought that once he was gone and had passed on the family wealth, Jasper would squander it to feed his addiction. The only chance that Sir Henry could see was Jasper's young son Hercules, who from an early age showed himself to be both level headed and intelligent beyond his years. Therefore, Sir Henry decided that whatever damage Jasper would do, Hercules would need to rectify when he in his turn inherited the estate. To this end, Sir Henry did three things. Firstly, he concealed something very valuable, so valuable in fact that it would restore the wealth to the Fitzjames family if, as he suspected, Jasper destroyed it. Next, Sir Henry had a portrait of himself painted in which he gave a clue to the whereabouts of these valuables. And lastly, in his will, he left something to Hercules, that he hoped at some future date would point Hercules to the treasure.'

Robbie Harris, who had been standing with his head down suddenly interrupted: 'We haven't all been dragged here for a history lesson,' he sneered. 'What's your point?'

'Yes, what is your point?' echoed Mr. Goon.

'Just continue, Frederick,' the Superintendent said calmly. 'You're doing fine.'

'Thank you, Sir,' Fatty said. 'Well, a few years ago, during a fete at the manor some of Sir Henry's papers were stolen and then last month, before a general auction in Maidenhead, there was a burglary. The only things stolen belonged to Lady Fitzjames and these things were later found smashed to pieces nearby. A few days ago, the night before a sale here at the manor, there was another robbery and these things too were found smashed up. All of the things stolen would have been in the house at the time of Sir Henry. But why were they smashed up? Well, they were smashed because whoever stole them was looking for the clue that Sir Henry left to his Grandson, Hercules. However, the robber didn't find it. He didn't find it because it was concealed in a small Japanese puzzle box, that somehow rolled under the bench in the shelter here and wasn't seen by the robber.' Fatty reached into his satchel and pulled out the puzzle box. 'This is it.' He then held up a small piece of paper. 'And this is the message Eunice found in it. It has just two dates written on it, January 20th and February 18th.' He handed the box and paper to the Superintendent. 'What do those dates mean? Well, Mr. Goon helped us out there, by reminding us of the signs of the Zodiac. They are in fact the dates for Aquarius.' Mr. Goon huffed loudly at this and shuffled his feet. Fatty continued. 'Robbie Harris had studied the painting closely, especially the little Japanese man which Sir Henry is holding. He saw what I checked on my arrival here this morning. Around the waist of the figure is a belt and hanging from it is the puzzle box. It's painted so small that it can only really be made out with the aid of a magnifying glass. Robbie couldn't think what had happened to this box and apparently when he asked her about it, Lady Fitzjames told him she had given it to Eunice. He had to find out what was in it and last night he told Eunice that he came down to Peterswood in disguise and followed us all to the dairy where he overheard us talking about the clue we'd found in the box.'

Bets felt herself blushing and Pip nudged her with his elbow.

'This is all rubbish,' Robbie declared. 'I don't go around in disguise, it's all lies.'

'I think you do go around in disguise,' Fatty said. 'You were an actor for a while and know about make-up.'

Robbie sneered at him. 'You think you're so clever don't you, you amateur.'

Fatty ignored this comment and continued. 'He no longer needed the box, as he now knew what the clue was, and armed with this information, he came to the conclusion that the treasure was buried beneath this fountain which, as you can see, has a figure on it representing Aquarius, the water carrier. He came here last night to dig up the ground under the fountain, but was interrupted by Eunice whom he forced to help him. It was lucky for her that he tripped and banged his head on the side of the shelter giving her the opportunity to escape.'

'More rubbish,' Robbie said. 'I found her here last night vandalising the fountain and when I tried to stop her, she hit me on the head. She's a very nasty piece of work.'

Fatty continued. 'Everyone was wondering how the burglary at the manor was carried out as there was no sign of a forced entry,' he said. 'I'm sorry to say that the burglar had inside help.'

'Inside help,' Lady Fitzjames cried. 'But I trust my staff completely. Surely you are mistaken, Frederick.'

'I don't think I am mistaken, Lady Fitzjames,' Fatty said and from his satchel took an envelope. 'I found this caught on a twig in the maze just by the hidden gate.' He opened the envelope and took out its contents. 'At first I thought it was a caterpillar, but I quickly saw that it was in fact a false eyebrow.' He handed it to the Superintendent who examined it carefully.

Mrs. Chivers gave a little gasp, she put a handkerchief to her face and began to sob gently. Lady Fitzjames turned to her. 'Good gracious, Emily, what on Earth is the matter with you?'

'I think I can answer that,' Fatty said. 'Mrs. Chivers has a son called Monty. He's a bit of a wastrel it seems and has recently spent some time in prison. He's always exploited his parents and over the years they did as much as they could to dig him out of the various holes he managed to bury himself in.'

'I know all this, Frederick,' Lady Fitzjames said. 'But what has Monty got to do with it?'

'When was the last time you saw him?' Fatty asked her.

'Oh, it was a few years ago, he was quite young, then,' Lady Fitzjames replied. She turned to Mrs Chivers. 'It was when you and Anthony came down for the fete we held here, you remember?'

Mrs Chivers, still holding a handkerchief to her face, nodded her head.

Fatty looked at Robbie Harris. 'Would you care to come over here and look at the fountain, Mr. Harris?' he asked. Robbie Harris did not move. 'I'm sure you'll find it extremely interesting,' Fatty said and with a shrug of his shoulders, Robbie joined him by the fallen fountain.

'And what is it you want me to look at?' he asked with a suspicious look on his face. He did not trust this annoying boy who seemed to know so much.

'Down there on the ground,' Fatty said pointing. 'Can't you see it?'

Robbie Harris bent down to look to where Fatty was pointing, and at that moment Fatty grabbed his hair and pulled. To everyone's astonishment his whole head of hair came away in Fatty's hand, it was a wig. Robbie Harris jumped up and made to grab for the wig. Fatty handed it back to him. 'I'm sorry I had to do that,' he said. 'But now everyone can see that you're not Robbie Harris at all, but Monty Chivers. You suffer from alopecia as have many other members of your family over the years.'

'Appo, appolopo, apolecia, what's that then?' Goon asked. 'The fellow's just bald, that's all.'

'No, Mr. Goon,' Fatty said. 'Robbie, or Monty as we should call him, suffers from a condition that has bedevilled the Fitzjames family for many years. No one's really sure why it happens, but the sufferer loses all their hair including their eyebrows.'

'How dare you assault me in this way,' Robbie shouted. 'Why, I've a good mind to teach you a lesson you young upstart.' He turned to the Superintendent. 'You saw what he did, that constitutes an assault.'

'You keep quiet,' the Superintendent said in a threatening voice. 'Carry on, Frederick.'

'From what I know of Monty's behaviour, I imagine that he coerced his mother into helping him find the treasure. He was here on the viewing day, I remember seeing him, and when that was over, I would imagine that Mrs Chivers concealed him in her room so that he could sneak down in the night and carry out the theft. He found the artists pram and used that to transport the stolen items to the maze where he smashed them up in a desperate attempt to find the hidden clue. But unfortunately for him, the very thing that held the clue, the puzzle box, had rolled under the bench in the shelter and he completely missed it. Then next day he realised he had lost one of his false eyebrows and returned to the maze to look for it. He was heard using the concealed entrance by Daisy and Ern.' He turned to Robbie. 'You would have acted earlier, if you could. You had heard about the legend, probably from your father, and took the opportunity to steal documents from the house when you attended a fete here with your parents a few years ago, but before you could work out your strategy, you were put in prison for a completely unrelated offence. It was only on your release six months ago, that you put your plan into operation. I'm right aren't I?'

Robbie scowled and remained silent. Lady Fitzjames turned to Mrs Chivers. 'Oh, Emily, tell me this isn't true?'

Mrs Chivers wiped her eyes and looked at Lady Fitzjames. 'I'm so sorry, but I'm afraid it is true. This is my son Monty and I did conceal him as the boy says.'

'But I've no doubt that he put a lot of pressure on you to help him,' Fatty said in a gentle voice.

Mrs Chivers nodded and began to cry into her handkerchief again. 'He said it would be the last time I would have to help him,' she sobbed. 'And I just wanted all the worry to end.'

Lady Fitzjames put her arm around Mrs Chivers' shoulders. 'Please don't upset your self, Emily,' she said comfortingly. 'He won't trouble you anymore, the police will see to that.'

'And now,' Fatty said grandly. 'What did Sir Henry hide all those years ago and where did he hide it?' He cleared his throat theatrically. 'The big mistake Robbie Harris, or I should say Monty Chivers, made,' he continued, 'was believing that the fountain marked the spot where the treasure is buried.' He gestured to the large hole in the ground. 'But the fountain wasn't moved to this position until long after Sir Henry's death, so it couldn't possibly be a marker.'

'What is it then, Frederick?' Superintendent Jenks asked.

'It's the treasure itself,' Fatty said and everyone gasped. 'Mr. Pippin, could you help me stand the fountain upright, please?' Pippin helped Fatty put the fountain back into position. 'I thought it odd that a fountain figure should be made of lead, as they're usually made of bronze, and I asked myself whether it's possible that Sir Henry had a valuable statue made and simply coated it in lead.' Everyone's attention was now well and truly focussed on the statue at the top of the fountain. Bets was holding her breath, this was so exciting! Fatty took a knife from his satchel and scraped the surface of the statue. Everyone crowded around him to get a better view as he scraped it again and again.

Goon laughed. 'Gah, it's only lead, after all,' he scoffed. 'What a waste of time.'

But Fatty continued to scrape the black surface of the statue until quite suddenly everyone saw the glint of gold.

'Good heavens,' Lady Fitzjames cried, hardly daring to believe her eyes. 'Can it be you're right, Frederick?'

Fatty scraped away some more of the lead and revealed a bright red stone embedded in the gold. 'I wouldn't be at all surprised if this figure is encrusted with precious stones,' Fatty said. 'Sir Henry must have melted down no end of gold items and broke up lots of pieces of family jewellery making this, in order to preserve the future of the estate.'

Lady Fitzjames turned to Mrs Chivers. 'This means I won't have to sell the manor,' she said.

Robbie Harris stared first at the statue and then at Fatty with hatred in his eyes, but said nothing.

'Well, Frederick,' The Superintendent said, 'this is one of the most extraordinary things I've ever seen. I'm lost for words.'

Everyone gathered around the statue to get a glimpse of the gold. 'This must be worth an absolute fortune, Lady Fitzjames,' Superintendent Jenks said. 'And just as Sir Henry had intended all those years ago, it will definitely secure the future of the estate.'

'It's so difficult to take in,' Lady Fitzjames said and turned to Fatty. 'You are the most extraordinary boy I have ever had the good fortune to meet,' she said, and turning to the others added: 'as are you all, as I'm sure you have all played your part in unearthing this miracle.' She then looked at Monty. 'I can't find it in me to resent you,' she said, 'for without your crimes, this treasure would never have seen the light of day and would have been lost, probably, forever. So I must thank you also.' She looked down at Mrs Chivers who had remained seated in the shelter. 'Come along Emily,' she said, 'dry your eyes, I think we could both do with a good strong cup of tea.'

Between them, and with the help of a wheelbarrow that had been hastily brought from the manor, a somewhat disgruntled Goon and a rather amused Pippin, carried the statue, which was still on its pedestal, out of the maze and back to the forecourt where they placed it carefully into the boot of one of the police cars. Monty had been swiftly handcuffed by the Superintendent and bundled into the same car.

The Find Outers said goodbye to Lady Fitzjames and climbed into the cars for the short journey back to Peterswood where they were dropped off at Fatty's. They agreed to meet in Fatty's shed that afternoon at three o'clock.

Before he rode off again on his cousins little bicycle, Ern told Fatty that he had a small present for everyone, which he would bring to the meeting.

Three o'clock arrived and the Find Outers and Dog with Eunice and Ern gathered in Fatty's shed.

'Lady Fitzjames has been on the phone to Mother this afternoon to sing our praises,' Fatty said pouring out lemonade for everyone, 'and Mother, I have to say, is Cock-a-hoop. I think she's coming round to the idea that one day I'm going to be a proper detective. All she has to do now is convince Dad.'

'And Lady Fitzjames won't have to sell the manor, now, I gather,' said Pip. 'Now she can pay off all the taxes left after her husband died. She spoke on the phone to our neighbour, Lady Candling, who passed on the news to Mother.'

'That's wonderful, Pip,' Fatty said. 'So for the rest of her life she can remain in the home she loves.'

'Will that ghastly Robbie or Monty person get it one day?' Eunice asked. 'I mean, after Lady Fitzjames has passed away, he'll be the next in line, won't he?'

'Apparently not,' Fatty said with a note of deep satisfaction in his voice. 'Mother tells me that Lady Fitzjames' late husband has much closer relatives farming in Kenya, so they will inherit the estate one day, and from what I gather they are decent people.'

'So all's well that end's well,' said Bets. 'I'm so pleased it all worked out for the best.'

'And now,' Fatty said, making himself comfortable and looking at Ern, 'what's this present you said you had for everyone? I'm dying to know.'

Ern blushed slightly. 'Well, it's like this,' he said, reaching into his jacket pocket and pulling out his little note pad. 'This mystery inspired me to write a pome.'

This was a treat, as everyone enjoyed Ern's poetry and they all turned eagerly towards him.

'Er, its called 'The Sad Old Maze',' he said standing up, and having cleared his throat, began to read:

'The Sad Old Maze by Ern Goon

The maze that once delighted all,
Was now left all alone.
Its paths were dark and full of weeds,
Its hedges overgrown.
Unloved, it slowly closed around
The secret that it kept
Within its heart and in the night
The old maze gently wept.
Foxes, hedgehogs, mice and birds
Were all that came its way.
No children ran along its paths
To laugh and sing and play.
And then at last, when years had passed,
And while the maze still slept,
Some people came and found at last
The secret it had kept.
For though the maze was made to trap
And puzzle young and old,
They found that in its centre lay
A heart of solid gold.'

Everyone applauded and Fatty stood and patted him on the back. 'That was marvellous, Ern,' he said, 'and I can't think of a better present anyone could have received.'

'Well, it's the first pome I've finished properly,' Ern said still feeling a little embarrassed but also pleased with the praise of the others.

'The first of many, I have no doubt,' Fatty said and everyone cheered. He looked around the little shed at their happy faces. 'I propose a toast,' he said grandly and they all raised their glasses of lemonade. 'To friends,' he said, and then added: 'and to mysteries.'

The End

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