Chapter 31 Chapter 31 Frankie Asks a Question

Exhausted by her adventures, Frankie slept in until late the next morning.It was half past ten when she came down to the little café.She found Bobby there waiting for her. "Hello, Frankie, here you are at last." "Don't be so terribly energetic." Frankie sat down calmly in her chair. "What would you like? They brought cod, eggs, bacon, and cold ham." "I want some bread and tea," said Frankie, calming Bobby. "What's the matter with you?" "Must be the sandbag," said Bobby. "I guess the sandbag broke the glue in my brain. I feel so energetic, energetic, quick-witted, and eager to get out there and do something."

"Well, why don't you rush out?" Frankie asked feebly. "I rushed out. I was with Inspector Hammond half an hour ago. We'll have to treat what's going on as a joke for a while, Frankie." "Oh, but Bobby..." "I said 'temporarily'. We have to get to the bottom of this, Frankie, we're all here, and the first thing we need to do is think about it. We can't have Roger for kidnapping, we're going for murder. Come and hunt him down." "And we're going to get him." Frankie recovered. "Exactly," agreed Bobby. "Have some tea."

"How's Moira?" "Pretty bad. She was in a very severe state of nervous tension, obviously terrified. She went to London and rested in a nursing home at Queensgate. She said she felt safe there. She was terrified of being here." "She's never been so nervous," said Frankie. "Yeah, a ruthless and eccentric killer like Roger escaped to this area, and anyone might be stupefied with fright." "He didn't want to kill her, we were the ones he was after." "He's probably too busy looking after himself to have us for a while," said Bobby. "Well, Frankie, we've got to think about it. The whole thing must have started with John Savage's death and will. There's something wrong with this. Either the will was forged, or Savage was murdered..."

"Forgery of wills is entirely possible if Roger is concerned," said Frankie thoughtfully. "Forgery seems to be his specialty." "There may be forgery and murder in this. We must find out." Frankie nodded. "After I went to check the will, I took some notes. The witnesses were Rose the cook, Chadley and Albert Mailer the gardener. They were easy to find. And the two lawyers who drafted the will, Elford De Heli, according to Mr. Sprague, the two lawyers are from a very prestigious firm." "Yes, that's where we'll start. I reckon you'd better get a lawyer. You'll get more out of them than I can. I'll search for Ross Chudley and Albert Mailer."

"Where's Badger?" "He won't be up until lunchtime, so you don't have to worry about him." "We'll have to settle his debt someday," said Frankie. "He saved my life after all." "Those debts are going to be a mess again soon," said Bobby. "Oh! By the way, what do you think of that?" He took out a photo of a dirty number and showed it to Frankie for examination. "Mr. Cayman," cried Frankie at once. "Where did you get it?" "Behind the phone last night." "That makes it clear who the Templetons are."

A waitress just approached them with bread.Frankie showed her the photo. "Do you know who he is?" she asked. The waitress turned her head slightly to one side, gazing at the photograph. "Well, I've seen this gentleman, but I don't remember it. Oh! Yes, he's the master of Tudor House, Mr. Templeton. I see they're gone now, somewhere abroad. gone." "What was he like?" asked Frankie. "I can't really tell. They don't come here very often, only at weekends. No one sees him very often. Mrs. Templeton is very pretty. But they didn't live at Tudor House very long, maybe half a year." .a very rich gentleman died and left all his money to Mrs. Templeton and they went abroad to live.Nevertheless they didn't sell the Tudor house.I think they rented it sometimes It’s someone else’s weekend. But I don’t think they’ll come back here with a lot of money like that.”

"Didn't they employ a cook called Rose Chudley?" asked Frankie, but the waitress didn't seem to have any interest in the cook business, and it's true that a rich gentleman leaves a fortune. to stimulate her imagination.To Frankie's question, she replied that she knew nothing, and went away with an empty bread rack. "It's been smooth sailing," said Frankie. But they kept the house for the convenience of the gang." They decided to split up on Bobby's proposal.Frankie spruced up some local shopping and drove off in a Bentley, while Bobby left to visit gardener Albert Mailer.

They met at lunchtime. "How is it?" asked Bobby.Frankie shook her head. "There's no way a forgery of a will is possible," she said despondently. "I've had a long talk with Mr. Elford, a lovely old man. He's got wind of what happened to us last night, and all he's got is bits and pieces." Details. I don't think they have much excitement here. Anyway, I quickly got him under my control. Then I talked about the Savage case, deliberately saying that I had met some of Savage's relatives, They suggested that the will was a forgery. On hearing this, the lovely old man flew into a rage and said absolutely impossible! A will is not a letter or anything like that. He saw Savage himself, and Mr. Savage insisted that it was drawn up A will. And Mr. Elford wanted to take it away and make it more formal, you know how they do it, one by one with trivial clauses..."

"I don't know," said Bobby. "I never made a will." "I made . "Who did you leave your money to?" "you." "It's kind of ill-considered, isn't it? If Roger gets rid of you smoothly, I'll probably hang myself for the money!" "I didn't think of it at all," said Frankie. "Well, Mr. Savage, as I said, was so nervous and emotional that Mr. Elford had to draw up the will on the spot, and have the servants and flowers The craftsman came to sign and testify, and Mr. Elford took the will away for safekeeping."

"So there's no such thing as falsification," agreed Bobby. "I know. When you see these people's signatures with your own eyes, you don't think it's a forgery. As for the murder story, it's hard to know the circumstances about it now. The one Savage originally hired The doctor is dead. The doctor we saw last night is new here, only been here about two months." "We look like we're going to add another to the number of unfortunate deaths," said Bobby. "Yeah, who died again?" "Albert Mailer." "Do you think they were all killed?"

"That looks too much like a massacre. We may have to give a good-natured explanation for the death of Albert Mailer, a poor old man of seventy-two." "Well," said Frankie, "I admit you took his death to be natural. Is Rose Chadley lucky to be alive?" "Yes. She left the Templetons and went to live in the north of England for a while, but she has returned and married a local man who seems to have been with her for seventeen years. Unfortunately, she A little demented, doesn't seem to remember anything about her. Maybe you can deal with her." "I've got to go," said Frankie. "I'm good with fools. Where's Badger?" "My God! I forgot all about him," said Bobby.He got up and left the room, returning a few minutes later. "He's still asleep," he said, "and is getting up now, and the maid in charge of the room has called him four times with no response." "Well, we'd better go see the fool." Frankie stood up, "and then I must buy a toothbrush, a pajamas, a sponge, and a few other necessities of civilized life. I was too close to primitive last night I didn’t think about these things at all, I just took off my coat and fell on the bed.” "I see," said Bobby, "I'm the same as you." "Let's go talk to Ross Chudley," said Frankie. Rose Chudley, now Grand Master Pratt, lived in a small farmhouse stuffed with china dogs and furniture.Mrs. Pratt was a heavy, blunt woman with goldfish eyes and a thyroid. "Look, I'm back again." Bobby said with a smile on his face. Mrs. Pratt looked at Bobby and Frankie breathlessly, expressionlessly. "I heard that you lived with Mrs. Templeton before, and we are very interested." Frankie began to explain the purpose of coming. "Yes, ma'am," said Mrs. Pratt. "I think she's abroad now," went on Frankie, trying to look familiar with the family. "I've heard so," Mrs. Pratt agreed. "Have you been with her for a while?" Frankie asked. "With whom, madam?" "Spent a while with Mrs. Templeton," said Frankie clearly. "I don't say that, ma'am. Only two months." "Oh! I thought you'd been with her longer." "That's Gladys, ma'am. She's the housemaid, and she's been there six months." "Where are you both?" "Yes. She cleans the room and I cook." "You were there when Mr Savage died, weren't you?" "I'm sorry, I didn't catch you, ma'am." "Were you there when Mr Savage died?" "Mr. Templeton isn't dead, at least I haven't heard so. He's gone abroad." "It's not Mr. Templeton, it's Mr. Savage," said Bobby.Pratt looked at him blankly. "The gentleman who left all the money to Mrs. Templeton," said Frankie. Mrs. Pratt showed a look of understanding: "Oh: yes, madam, it is the gentleman who was autopsyed." "By the way," said Frankie excitedly at his success, "he comes here a lot, doesn't he?" "I can't tell, ma'am. I've only been here a while, you understand. Gladys knows." "But you signed Mr. Savage's will, didn't you?" Mrs. Pratt looked blank. "When you went, you saw him sign a piece of paper, and you signed it too." Pratt showed an understanding expression again. "Yes, ma'am. Albert and I signed. I've never done anything like this before, and I don't want to. I told Gladys I didn't want to sign the paper, and that's true. Gladys Dees said it didn't matter because Mr Elford was there, he's a lawyer, and he's a decent gentleman." "What exactly is it?" asked Bobby. "I don't understand, sir." "Who asked you to sign it?" asked Frankie. "It's the mistress, sir. She came into the kitchen and said she wanted me to go out and call Albert, and send the two of us into the best bedroom, which the mistress moved out the night before and put in Mr. What This room. The gentleman is sitting on the bed. He has been in bed since he came back from London. He looks very ill. I have never seen him before. He looks very scary. Mr. Elford is also there, He was very kind, and he said there was nothing to be afraid of, and asked me to sign my name where the gentleman had signed, so I did, and wrote 'cook' and address after my name, Albert. Te signed too. I went downstairs to Gladys, trembling all over, and said I never saw such a dead gentleman, and Gladys said the gentleman looked all right the night before, must be in What happened to London bothered him. He went to London early in the morning when no one was up. I said later about not wanting to sign anything, and Gladys said it was all right because El Mr Ford is there." "Then when did Mr. Savage, that gentleman, die?" "The next morning, ma'am. That night he shut himself up in his room, and kept no one near him. When Gladys called him in the morning, he was hard dead, and the bed There was a letter beside it that said 'to the coroner'. Oops: this got Gladys questioned, and then the coroner and all. About two months later, Templeton The lady told me she was going to live abroad, but she set me up in the North with a nice house, and a lot of wages, and gave me a nice present and other things. Mrs. Templeton is a very good person." At this moment Mrs. Pratt was thoroughly absorbed in the pleasure of chattering. Frankie stood up. "Well," she said, "it's a pleasure to hear what you've said." She drew a bill from her purse. "You will allow me to leave you a little present. I take your money." A lot of time." "Oh, thank you so much, ma'am. Good luck to you and your fine gentleman." Frankie blushed and hurried out of the room.Bobby followed in a moment.He looked preoccupied. "Well," he said, "it looks like we've emptied her of everything she knew." "Yeah," said Frankie, "it's all connected. Savage did make that will, there seems to be no doubt about that. I think his fear of cancer was real as well. They couldn't have been completely Pay off a doctor. I think they killed him just after his will was signed, before he changed his mind. I don't see how we or anyone else can prove how they killed him, though." "I see. We may conjecture that Mrs. Templeton gave him 'something to put him to sleep', but we cannot verify that. Roger Bassington-French may have forged the letter to The coroner's letter, but we can't confirm this at this time. I would expect that the letter was destroyed shortly after it was sent as evidence for the coroner's hearing." "So we're back to the old question: What is it that makes Roger Bassington-French and Co. so terrified of what we've found?" "You haven't suddenly thought of any particularly queer reason?" "No, I didn't think so. I just thought of one thing: there was a housemaid in the house. Why did Mrs. Templeton go out and get a gardener to sign the will? Why didn't they have a housemaid?" ?” "That's a little strange of yours, Frankie," said Bobby. His voice sounded odd, and Frankie stared at him in amazement. "Why?" Frankie asked. "Because I asked Mrs. Pratt for Gladys' name and address after you went out." "yes?" "The maid's name is Evans!"

---

Notes: