The Bennet Case
by Lily Papandrea
“Aha, I have it. The murder was committed by Mrs Peacock, in the library, with the candlestick!”
Allison Walker is ecstatic, her smile from ear to ear as she reveals her victory, much to her cousin’s dismay.
“You win. Again” bored, tired, and slightly sarcastic, her cousin adds another tally to the score board. 10 to 1.
“Don’t be such a downer Tristan, perhaps if you tried harder, you’d win more than one game” a single eyebrow is raised as Tristan looks at his cousin, as if the very concept of “winning a game” against her was possible. As the two pack away the game, the phone begins to ring from the kitchen, Tristan volunteering to answer.
“This is Tristan Walker speaking…” Allison couldn’t make out the words on the other end, but the words assignment and murder coming from her cousin, meant to Allison that Tristan must have been assigned another case. Fiddling with the dice in her hand, her cousin finishes the call returning with a sly smile and hands her a note pad with small scribbles saying.
Case: Henry Bennet Murdered. Last night, home on Campden Hill Road, house number 21.
Four suspects. Tomorrow, 8 am sharp.
“The case,” he says sitting on the couch across from her “has been assigned to you, Ally” her smile grows, a wicked delight shining in her eyes.
“I suggest you start looking into your suspects. Be careful, the Bennet’s a quite a messy family” he says
“You don’t need to tell me twice” slipping the dice into her pocket, Allison runs to her study, to prepare for the day ahead.
***
8 o’clock on the dot, Detective Allison Walker makes her way up the stairs to the old Bennet Mansion. Several police vehicles were already outside the moment she had arrived, meaning that Detective Walker was not only going to have to solve a case but deal with a bunch of idiotic men. The very thought had Allison roll her eyes, as if a woman couldn’t solve a murder, it’s why the department had never assigned her a major case, if it weren’t for Tristan and his position, she wouldn’t be a detective in the first place.
The mansion was large, each room measured to be the same size and colour, the same carpet lining the floor and the same styled furniture to fit what looked to be a vintage goth aesthetic. The only difference to each room was the decoration. Each room had an assortment of masks, each mask with their own face and colour, some that sparkled and others that dulled in comparison. It was a strange place, then again, it was owned by a strange man. Walker had read that Henry Bennet was a collector, as well as a secretly vile human who held a very high power over the people he worked with, this was due to the rumours of his ‘little birds’ around the city. His house evidently proved that.
Walker met the four suspects in the sitting room. Richard Bennet, eldest son and successful businessman, Nicholas Bennet, youngest son and owner of Bennet’s toy shop, Ruby Bennet, youngest daughter still living in her father’s house at 23 years, and finally Nia Smith, afro-Caribbean house maid, also living in the house.
“Morning, I’m Detective Walker, I will be investigating the murder of your father. If I could please see each of you one at a time at the scene of the crime, I would very much appreciate it.” the introduction was brief and simple, and Detective Walker was almost cheerful, like a child.
“Well if it isn’t little miss Angel Walker, since when did you get given murder cases?” Frank Peterson, chief policeman. What a pompous ass, of course he was on this case. Reeling in her anger Walker plastered a smile onto her face “Officer Peterson, what a surprise. I didn’t realise the department thought that highly of you, putting you on a case like this. If you excuse me, I have some business to attend to,”
Peterson’s eyebrows rose, as she walked off to the study not giving him a chance to respond. She had always wanted to do that, considering that she was now head officer on site, Walker had finally reached a new position of power, and she loved it.
The crime scene was as you would imagine, gloomy, haunting. Although the body had been removed, the presence of Henry Bennet remained, as if you could still see his limp body, hunched over his desk with a letter opener in his throat. That was how the maid had found him, so the report said. Walker made sure to look it over before seeing the suspects.
As she requested, each suspect came in for interrogation. Each having an alibi.
Richard had been with his father the morning before his murder, discussing plans for Richard’s child, he had left afterwards for Streatham, for a business meeting, his partners confirm that.
Nicholas had also been with Henry that morning, discussing shipments for the shop. He’d left afterwards for the shop and then went home, witnesses confirmed.
Ruby, also with her father that morning, discussing her future, moving out, money, etc. She’d left for a café, met with Nicholas at the shop, was then missing between the hours of her leaving the shop and returning home, but she did return home, at midnight, the light in her father’s study had been switched off as she went upstairs. Walker made a note of Ruby’s very shiny, very expensive wrist. Her father would have paid a pretty penny, or, perhaps he didn’t.
With each suspect came a role of the dice, each roll was Walker’s next move. Each suspect getting their own page in her note pad. A note for a clue, a weapon, a falsified truth.
“Nia Smith, you’re my last suspect, pleasure to meet you,” I extended my hand, which she took, firmly, pulling away Walker wrote something on her note pad. “Pleasure is mine,” she responded.
“Now Nia, what I know of you is quite brief. You were hired as a young girl to work here. You’re an Afro-Caribbean woman. You get paid very little and you sleep in the basement. And the only sun you get is when you’re in the garden. Correct?”
“That about sums it up Detective,” her stare was piercing, “Please call me Allison,”
“The policeman said your name was Rachel,” of course they did, that wasn’t even remotely close.
“Never mind. Back to the task at hand. I’m going to read you out the alibis of the Bennet children. I know, that as someone who sees everything, you also hear everything as well. Shall we begin.” She nodded again. Walker read each alibi, noting every twitch, every expression that Nia Smith showed. When Walker finished, Nia began to speak.
“It’s not true mam. They all met their father that morning, but each time they argue. Richard was first, he and his father never get along so well. I not hear the whole thing, but I remember words Streatham and baby, then I hear Richard mention his wife and money. And then I hear the master scream, Richard stormed out…”
“Might I stop you for a moment. What did Henry scream?”
“He screamed, “Remember who I am!” and then his son leave.” another note.
“You may continue,”
“Nicholas come in after, and same thing happened. They talk, the words shop and children…” there was a slight pause and then she said “black beasts, he said those words. Nicholas is kind to us, his father don’t like it. Master screamed again, the same words, as Nicholas left” the way Nia said ‘us’ must be referring to the black British community.
“As for his daughter, she a mess that child. Living with her father for years, always coming home from secret meeting with people, covered in fine cloth and jewel. They discuss her future, in prison. That is what I hear, prison, and a reward. He not scream this time, but the door was open when he said the words to his daughter ‘Remember who I am’”
The pieces were coming together. “I would now like to hear your alibi Nia” so she told Walker, that night Henry was very angry, and while in his study he attacked her, hurt her, violated her, screaming in her ear, the same words he’d said to his children. He had dragged her to the basement after and locked her in there.
“Follow me if you please,”
***
“Thank you all for your cooperation. Its been a long day for us all, but I believe it’s time for the final role of the dice” looks of confusion and irritation came from everyone, including the police, so Walker proceeded.
“You see, as I interviewed each of you, it came to my attention that each alibi was false. Starting with you Richard. I know a thing or two about your line of work, the people you work with, as well as your frequent meetings with them, in Streatham. At the brothel. Now I can concur that your father new this too, and this is why you were overheard arguing with your father, he threatened you and your family with the knowledge that you’re a liar and a cheat, wasting your money at a brothel, your father’s money too no doubt. But you didn’t kill him.” Stunned silence filled the room.
“Nicholas. You’re simply innocent, as all you did was anger your father for helping those in need, despite their colour. You were ruled out the second you walked in.”
“Ruby,” Walker came closer to Ruby as she spoke, her voice getting lower “Your father kept a lot of tabs on you, his little birds bringing him messages about your whereabouts since you were sixteen,” Walker was whispering to Ruby, making sure the police didn’t hear “that bracelet is too valuable for you or your father to buy, and from what the little birds have found, I’m certain that you’re the young jewel bandit my cousin has been chasing for years. Your father was going to turn you in wasn’t he, unless you stopped of course.” At eye level Walker could see the disbelief in Ruby’s eyes.
“But,” Whirling away from Ruby, Walker turns to Nia “Miss Smith, you have the most convincing alibi of all. You were beaten and raped by your master an hour before midnight, which is when Ruby arrived home and saw the light in her father’s study go out. The bruises on your wrist confirm that. After you were abused you were locked in the basement” the look of confusion from the Bennet children was a sign that Walker smiled at.
“I checked that basement door,” Nia’s fear shone like a star, the police already in position for an arrest “there is no lock. You murdered Henry Bennet. In the study. With the letter opener!”