For some time now, I have had a desire to see more of her. But I feel much too shy to ask her if she would like to meet outside work. And I’m afraid she’ll turn me down. So I have admired Jemima from afar for some time.
Imagine my shock when Alexander told me how fond he was of her! And he asked me if I thought it was a good idea if he asked her to go to the pictures with him. Can you imagine how I felt? Alexander is a good friend of mine, but I found it quite difficult to hide my envy when he mentioned this. I feel sure I’ve admired Jemima for longer than him and his mention of her made me realise I should muster up the courage to ask her out myself. If only I had done it. Then Alexander wouldn’t have got the same idea!
So I’m ashamed to admit I told Alexander a lie. I told him I had seen her with a boyfriend and she had been going steady with him for a while. Alexander was surprised and very disappointed. He had never seen the boyfriend, and that’s because the boyfriend doesn’t exist. Not to my knowledge, anyway. The man I told him about was entirely fictional. But I said it because I didn’t want Alexander to ask Jemima out for the evening. It was selfish of me. Especially as I think she would prefer him over me, anyway. He has more confidence, and he’s certainly more handsome.
And now I find myself in a troublesome spot. How can I ask Jemima out for myself after I’ve told Alexander she has a boyfriend? I would have to invent a story about their relationship ending. And surely if I asked her out, then Alexander would realise that I had made up the story. So I’ve dug myself into a bit of a hole, and I only have myself to blame. It’s quite ridiculous. It’s torment when a woman drives a wedge between two friends. And poor Jemima is oblivious to all of it!
Chapter 24
Augusta told Fred about Jemima the following morning.
‘Oh dear,’ he said. ‘Alexander and John both fell for the same woman?’
‘It seems so. I’ve still got a lot of letters to read so I don’t know what the full story is yet. But learning about Jemima has given me a new thought. Perhaps the answer to Alexander’s disappearance has something to do with the affection they both had for Jemima. Maybe John was behind Alexander’s disappearance.’
‘You think John murdered his friend?’ said Fred.
‘It’s a possibility, isn’t it? From what I’ve learned about John Gibson, it seems he was a pleasant young man. But when he discovered his friend also liked Jemima, he lied to him and told him she was courting someone. He clearly felt bad about lying to Alexander because he confessed to his sister what he’d done. But maybe his envy got the better of him?’
‘It could have done,’ said Fred.
Movement outside the window caught Augusta’s eye. A man of about sixty was peering in at the shop. He wore a flat cap and a thin cigarette drooped from his mouth. When he caught Augusta’s eye, he moved on.
She turned back to Fred. ‘In his letter, John describes Alexander as being more confident and handsome than him,’ she said. ‘Maybe he was unsure he would ever win Jemima’s affection but was also keen to prevent someone else from being with her.’
‘Even his own friend.’
‘Yes. Quite selfish, really.’
‘And yet quite common,’ said Fred. ‘It is a situation which can lead to murder.’
‘And John’s death later that year could be for two reasons,’ said Augusta. ‘Either someone knew he was behind Alexander’s disappearance and took their revenge. Or he felt so awful about what he’d done that he deliberately jumped in front of the train.’
‘But if someone had known John was behind Alexander’s disappearance, surely they would have reported it to the police,’ said Fred. ‘I think it’s unlikely they would have taken matters into their own hands and pushed him under a train. I think the second explanation is more likely. John was so consumed by guilt about what he did to Alexander that he jumped in front of the train. That’s not unheard of, is it? Someone commits murder and they can’t live with themselves afterwards.’
‘So perhaps John Gibson is our only suspect,’ said Augusta. ‘It’s going to be difficult to establish where he was at the time of Alexander’s disappearance.’
‘But let’s not forget John did a lot of work to try to find out what had happened to Alexander. Would he have done that if he was guilty?’
‘Yes, because he would have been keen to act as normally as possible. Perhaps he wished to show how concerned he was about his friend so that no one would suspect him?’
‘And it seems no one did.’
‘Exactly. So his plan worked.’
There was a pause as they considered this idea. Fred scratched his chin as he thought. ‘This could be the answer, Augusta. But if it’s not, then I feel quite guilty accusing John Gibson of murder.’
‘We have to consider everyone,’ said Augusta. ‘And I’m not sure why I didn’t think of him sooner. We need to find out what happened about Jemima. Did she choose Alexander over John? There may be some clues in John’s letters. But his sister, Mrs Bradshaw, must know more. I’m going to pay her a visit.’
They heard footsteps on the staircase and a smartly dressed, tall man with grey hair came into view.
‘Hello again, Mr Ramsden,’ said Augusta.
‘Hello!’ He reached the bottom of the stairs. ‘I’ve just had a meeting with your colleague, Mr Fisher, and I thought I’d come down here and purchase a few more books from you.’
‘Have you already read the ones you bought last time?’
‘Oh yes. I’m a voracious reader, I’m afraid! I would probably save a bit of money by borrowing from the library. But I often forget to return books and run up large fines. So it suits me to buy books instead. And one can justify the cost when it comes to second-hand books. Your books are well-priced, Mrs Peel, and they’re almost all as good as new!’
Mr Ramsden was in a jovial mood, which suggested Philip hadn’t yet found any evidence of his wife’s affair.
‘I can look after Mr Ramsden if you need to get on your way, Augusta,’ said Fred.
Augusta thanked him. ‘Hopefully we’ll find out more about Jemima.’
Louisa Bradshaw’s housekeeper answered the door of her Notting Hill home. Augusta sensed something was wrong when the housekeeper planted herself firmly in the doorway.
‘Mrs Bradshaw is not receiving visitors at the present time.’ Her gaze was steely.
‘Oh dear. Has something happened?’
‘I am following her instructions, madam.’
‘But Mrs Bradshaw is alright?’
‘She wishes to be left in peace.’
