I felt capable of playing a great part again. But I had to have money.
Moira made several trips across to Canada to ‘see her people’.
Nicholson adored her and believed anything she told him. Most men did. Owing to the complications of the drug business she travelled under various names. She was travelling as Mrs Templeton when she met Savage. She knew all about Savage and his enormous wealth and she went all out for him. He was attracted, but he wasn ‘t attracted enough to lose his common sense.
However, we concocted a plan. You know pretty well the story of that. The man you know as Cayman acted the part of the unfeeling husband. Savage was induced to come down and stay at Tudor Cottage more than once. The third time he came our plans were laid. I needn’t go into all that -you know it. The whole thing went with a bang. Moira cleared the money and went of if ostensibly abroad – in reality back to Staverley and the Grange.
In the meantime, I was perfecting my own plans. Henry and young Tommy had to be got out of the way. I had bad luck over Tommy. A couple of perfectly good accidents went wrong. I wasn’t going to fool about with accidents in Henry’s case. He had a good deal of rheumatic pain after an accident in the hunting field. I introduced him to morphia. He took it in all good faith. Henry was a simple soul. He soon became an addict. Our plan was that he should go to the Grange for treatment and should there either ‘commit suicide’ or get hold of an overdose of morphia. Moira would do the business. I shouldn ‘t be connected with it in any way.
And then that fool Car stairs began to be active. It seems that Savage had written him a line on board ship mentioning Mrs Templeton and even enclosing a snapshot of her. Carstairs went on a shooting trip soon afterwards. When he came back from the wilds and heard the news of Savage’s death and will, he was frankly incredulous. The story didn ‘t ring true to him. He was certain that Savage wasn’t worried about his death and he didn’t believe he had any special fear of cancer. Also the wording of the will sounded to him highly uncharacteristic. Savage was a hard-headed business man and while he might be quite ready to have an affair with a pretty woman, Carstairs didn’t believe he would leave a vast sum of money to her and the rest to charity. The charity touch was my idea. It sounded so respectable and unfishy.
Carstairs came over here, determined to look into the business.
He began to poke about.
And straightaway we had a piece of bad luck. Some friends brought him down to lunch and he saw a picture of Moira on the piano, and recognized it as the woman of the snapshot that Savage had sent him. He went down to Chipping Somerton and started to poke about there.
Moira and I began to get the wind up – I sometimes think unnecessarily. But Carstairs was a shrewd chap.
I went down to Chipping Somerton after him. He failed to trace the cook – Rose Chudleigh. She’d gone to the north, but he tracked down Evans, found out her married name and started of if for Marchbolt.
Things were getting serious. If Evans identified Mrs Templeton and Mrs Nicholson as one and the same person matters were going to become difficult. Also, she ‘d been in the house some time and we weren ‘t sure quite how much she might know.
I decided that Carstairs had got to be suppressed. He was making a serious nuisance of himself. Chance came to my aid. I was close behind him when the mist came up. I crept up nearer and a sudden push did the job.
But I was still in a dilemma. I didn’t know what incriminating matter he might have on him. However, your young naval friend played into my hands very nicely. I was left alone with the body for a short time – quite enough for my purpose. He had a photograph of Moira – he’d got it from the photographers – presumably for identification. I removed that and any letters or identifying matter. Then I planted the photograph of one of the gang.