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 9: Theories and Plans

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They had all agreed to meet in Fatty's shed at seven that evening for a 'de-brief', as Fatty called it.

After supper, Fatty, Eunice and Buster went down to the shed at the end of the garden. This was the first time that Eunice had seen inside this piece of hallowed ground, and while Fatty wrote up some notes, she had a good look round. The shed was full of Fatty's detective paraphernalia, racks of old clothes, a box of theatrical make-up, another containing wigs, false eyebrows, moustaches and beards of various colours. Eunice opened a drawer and was startled to find two frighteningly realistic sets of false teeth grinning up at her. Next to the teeth were a couple of pairs of glasses and an eye-patch. In a wicker basket in the corner was a collection of walking sticks and umbrellas. Next to this stood a full-length mirror, that was rather pitted, and a rack of old and, Eunice thought, rather smelly, hats and coats. There was a low bookcase full of books, mostly about detection, but also including a set of encyclopaedias and some books on conjuring. A number of upturned orange boxes with cushions on were arranged around a very moth-eaten bearskin that lay forlornly on the floor. By the curtained window stood Fatty's desk on which were arranged an oil lamp, more books, a pencil case and ruler, a large bottle of lemonade and a tin of biscuits. A modern up-to-date paraffin heater had made the shed nice and warm and as the sun was now low and hidden by clouds, Fatty lighted the oil lamp, which made the shed even cosier.

Fatty closed his notebook. 'Well,' he said, 'does the shed live up to your expectations?'

'Yes,' Eunice replied. 'It's all very interesting, Frederick, I must say. Where on earth did you get all of these things?'

'Oh, here and there, Eunice, here and there,' he answered vaguely.

Just then there was a tap at the door and in trooped Larry, Daisy, Pip and Bets.

'What, no Ern?' Fatty said, and at that moment the sound of running was heard and into the shed puffed Ern.

'Coo, am I late?' he asked breathlessly when he saw all the others had arrived before him.

'Not at all, Ern,' Fatty said welcoming him warmly. 'Have a seat.'

Everyone settled down and Fatty handed round the lemonade and biscuits. Then, it was time to get down to business.

'Right,' Fatty began. 'What I propose to do is go over the important points of the investigation, for that's what it is now. And please add anything you feel I've missed, no matter how small.'

For the next fifteen minutes, Fatty outlined the basic facts as he saw them and then gave a summing up. 'So we know that Lady Fitzjames' possessions were stolen both from the auction house in Maidenhead and from her own home, and we know that on both occasions, they were destroyed. We need to determine A, why specifically Lady Fitzjames' possessions are being stolen, and B, why they are then being destroyed. We know that the things stolen from the manor were taken into the maze through the concealed entrance. That point is important. Who would know about this way into the maze? Also, it's very likely that the stolen goods were taken there in some kind of trolley that had one set of wheels set further apart than the other. What kind of trolley has wheels like that? And,' he said, taking an envelope from his pocket, 'I have a very interesting clue here which I shall reveal to you shortly.' He looked around at the others. 'That's what we know so far,' he looked at Ern, 'except Ern has some more information for us.'

Ern opened his notebook and explained about the man and the woman he had seen. His descriptions gave rise to some amusement amongst the others. And when he mentioned his conversation with the man, they all laughed and Daisy reminded Ern that the things in the auction were called lots not locks.

'Well,' said Larry when Ern had finished. 'The woman must be Mrs Chivers, because she has grey hair and was wearing a pink cardigan.'

'But who was the man?' Pip said. 'We didn't see anyone fitting Ern's description.'

'And why would he be studying the manor and making notes?' Daisy asked.

'I'm far more interested to know what Frederick has in that envelope,' Eunice said.

'Yes, Fatty,' Bets said, 'don't keep us waiting any longer.'

'Very well,' Fatty said. 'When I went back into the maze after teasing Goon, I saw, hanging on a twig a few inches from me, what I took to be an unusual caterpillar. On closer inspection, I saw that it was this.'

He opened the envelope and tipped the contents onto his desk. The others crowded round.

'What is it?' asked Ern peering closely at this strange thing.

'It's an eyebrow,' Bets squealed, 'a false eyebrow. Is it one of yours Fatty?'

Fatty shook his head. 'No Bets, it's not. All mine are accounted for. And anyway, I've never been in that maze before today either in or out of disguise.'

'So it must have been left by someone else,' Bets said.

'Obviously, it was,' Pip said scornfully. 'Some one was in the maze in disguise, I wonder who it was?'

'Probably the person that Ern and I heard,' said Daisy.

Ern suddenly got excited. 'The man I saw and spoke to,' he said. 'Well, he may have had only one eyebrow.'

They all stared at him in disbelief.

'What do you mean, Ern,' Fatty said, 'you didn't say that before.'

'No because I can't be sure, but his hat was pulled down over one side of his forehead. He might have done that because he'd lost one,' Ern said.

'Give us your description of this fellow again,' said Fatty leaning towards Ern with renewed interest.

Ern referred to his notes. 'He was wearing a sombrero,' he looked at the others. 'Well, a hat with a wide brim, anyway.'

Fatty nodded. 'Go on,' he said.

'A kind of checked jacket, a bit shabby,' Ern said. 'I put down tartan, but it's not really. It was more a kind of bluey grey check.'

'Possibly a Prince of Wales check, or something similar,' Fatty said.

'And then he had these corduroy trousers, like,' Ern continued. 'Blue, I think. And brown shoes that were all scruffy looking,'

'And if I remember correctly,' Fatty said. 'You said he wore thick glasses and had a moustache.'

Ern nodded. 'And he wasn't very friendly neither,' Ern said. 'He reminded me a bit of my Uncle, so I didn't want to hang around in case he clobbered me, he was that angry.'

'Perhaps he was the gardener,' Eunice suggested.

'Or a tramp,' said Bets.

'He doesn't sound much like a tramp,' Fatty said. 'I doubt he'd have spoken to Ern like that if he was.'

'And anyway,' Larry said. 'Ern said he was writing in a book and looking at the manor, that's pretty suspicious behaviour.'

'Right,' Fatty said, 'before we get too involved with the mysterious man on the lawn, let's try to come up with some answers to the other questions I asked.' He opened his book. 'Why is the thief targeting Lady Fitzjames' belongings?'

'Could it be a grudge against her?' Daisy asked.

Fatty shook his head. 'I don't think so,' he said. 'I think the thief is interested in her belongings rather than her.'

'Why do you say that?' asked Eunice.

'Because, if someone had a grudge against her, he could frighten her in so many other ways, by making abusive telephone calls or sending anonymous letters, for example. Committing burglary at the auctioneers in Maidenhead and then at Fitzjames Manor is extremely risky and if they were done simply to upset Lady Fitzjames, then I think the risk is far too great. No,' he shook his head, 'this has to be something altogether more complex than that.'

They all thought for a moment. 'What was the next question?' Pip asked.

'Why were the stolen items subsequently smashed up?' Fatty said. 'We know that this happened both after the burglary in Maidenhead and this time. But why?'

They were all quiet, thinking hard. Then Larry said: 'Well, I think they must be looking for something.'

Fatty nodded slowly. 'Yes, Larry, that's just what I was thinking. And,' he added, 'is there a connection between the theft of the documents a few years ago and the last two robberies?

'Sir Henry's son, Jasper I think he was called, squandered the family's wealth by gambling it away,' Eunice said. 'Might it be possible that Sir Henry, knowing what his son was like, hid something valuable and left a clue to its whereabouts somewhere?'

They all stared at Eunice.

'Things like that only happen in books,' Daisy said dismissively.

'Hold on, though,' Fatty said. 'It may seem far-fetched, but it just might link all the robberies.' He thought for a moment. 'Yes,' he said. 'Just suppose that the burglar knew that Sir Henry had done something like Eunice suggests. He would need to get confirmation of it or even some clue as to where it might be hidden, so he steals Sir Henry's diaries and journals, discovers something and then starts trying to find whatever it was Sir Henry hid.'

Larry chipped in. 'And I've just remembered that Lady Fitzjames said that at the robbery in Maidenhead, only the oldest items were stolen. Things that were around at the same time as Sir Henry, possibly.'

'That's right,' Fatty said. 'If Sir Henry did leave a clue it would have to be in something he had in his possession at that time, so anything that post-dates him would be useless to the burglar.'

This flood of sudden ideas and possibilities left the children breathless with excitement.

'Whatever it is, must be very valuable,' Bets said. 'Treasure of some kind.'

Fatty laughed. 'Yes, Bets, I expect it is valuable, if it exists. And something else has occurred to me,' he continued. 'Whoever the burglar is, he must have a knowledge of antiques, how else would he be able to identify which pieces came from Sir Henry's time?'

'An antiques expert,' said Eunice. 'Someone from the auction house?'

'Possibly,' Fatty said. 'But let's not get too carried away, all of this is just a theory and until we check it with Lady Fitzjames, we need to concentrate on the things we know for sure.' He looked down at his notes. 'The hidden entrance,' he said, 'now who would know about that?'

'Lady Fitzjames would,' Daisy said. 'It's her maze, after all.'

'And Mrs Chivers, probably,' Pip added. 'And remember, Ern saw her talking to this stranger.'

'Yes, that's interesting,' Fatty said, 'but possibly quite innocent. We need to find out who this person is.'

'Gardeners and other members of staff would probably know,' Eunice said. 'Especially the gardeners.'

Fatty made some notes. 'And what about these wheel marks?' he said. 'One set of wheels wider than the other.'

'That's stumped me,' said Larry. 'I've never seen a trolley like that. It may be some type of cart, though, but to be honest, I don't really notice how the wheels are spaced on things.'

'Some prams have wheels like that,' said Bets. 'When I was little I had a small pram to push my dolls around in and the front wheels were wider apart than the back ones.'

'What do you mean, when you were little?' Laughed Pip, who never missed an opportunity to tease his little sister. 'You've still got it, and you still push your dolls around in it.'

Bets blushed. 'Only when I've got nothing else to do,' she said and scowled at Pip.

'Don't mind Pip,' Fatty said sympathetically. 'He's only teasing. But it's an interesting idea and the best any of us can come with at the moment. I wonder who would use a pram at Fitzjames Manor?'

'And what about the eyebrow?' Ern asked.

'That, Ern, will have to remain a mystery for the time being,' Fatty said. 'It must have been part of the burglar's disguise as there's no other reason why a false eyebrow should have found its way into the maze.'

'What does the Great One think we ought to do next?' Larry asked.

Fatty laughed. 'The Great One thinks we should go back to Fitzjames Manor tomorrow and ask a few questions. Hopefully, Lady Fitzjames will have spoken to Superintendent Jenks by then and he will have told her that we're trustworthy. That being the case, Lady Fitzjames may be a bit more forthcoming.'

He handed round some more lemonade. 'However,' he said when they had all settled again. 'I don't think we should all go up to the manor. With our numbers having been increased by two, we do resemble some kind of deputation. So, Ern, Larry and Eunice, I'd like you to go to the library and find out as much as you can about Sir Henry Fitzjames. I know there's a large section on local history there, and Mrs Sharple, the librarian, is always very helpful.'

'Oh, I can't,' Eunice said suddenly remembering. 'I've promised to help your mother with the curtains.'

'Never mind,' Fatty said. 'That's important work too. Daisy, perhaps you could go with Ern and Larry instead of Eunice? The library opens at ten, so perhaps you three could meet there at, say half past? Bets, Pip and I will go up to the manor. We'll use our bicycles, so it won't take long to get there. And we'll meet back here after lunch, at two-thirty.'

'I'm frightened of bumping into Uncle,' Ern said. 'If I'm walking round Peterswood in broad daylight, he's bound to see me.'

'Yes, you're right, Ern,' Fatty said. 'It'll only be a matter of time.' Then he suddenly had an idea. 'I know, you can wear a disguise when you're out.' He opened a drawer and took out a false beard and pair of horn-rimmed glasses. 'Nothing too outrageous,' he said. 'These should do the trick.' He handed them over. 'Try these on, Ern.'

Ern stood in front of the mirror, stuck on the beard and put on the glasses. There were shouts of laughter when he turned round. 'Ern, you look just like my geography master,' Daisy shrieked.

Fatty rubbed his chin and thought. He went over to the coat pegs and selected a tweed cap, which he planted on Ern's head. 'That just finishes it off nicely,' he said.

Ern looked closely at his reflection. 'Lummie, Fatty, these glasses are so strong, I can't see nothing, how can I walk around in these?' he said, his nose almost touching the mirror.

'You'll have to push them down your nose and look over the top of them,' Fatty said. 'That's what I do.'

Ern pushed the glasses down his nose and peered at the others over the top of them, to more shrieks of laughter.

Everyone thought it was a great disguise and it was unlikely that Goon would recognise him without getting up very close.

'Oh, and wear long trousers, if you can,' Fatty said. 'There's no point looking like an adult just from the neck up.'

'I did bring a pair with me, so I'll be sure to wear them,' Ern said.

Fatty looked at his watch. 'Well, Find Outers and Eunice and Ern,' he said. 'We have a busy day tomorrow, so we'd better wind the meeting up.'

Fatty walked with them down to the front gate.

'Things are hotting up,' Ern said gleefully. 'I've a feeling that this is going to be the best mystery yet.'

'Let's hope so, Ern,' Fatty said patting him on the back.

That night, Fatty lay in bed thinking about everything that had happened during the day. This was a nice mystery, but not juicy enough yet. It would need a lot of detecting and quite a bit of luck to solve it.

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