He said nothing.
‘Not even a word on Alexander Miller’s final resting place?’
Ramsden still said nothing.
‘I have a theory about that,’ said Joyce after the pause. He pulled a sheet of paper from his file. ‘This is a map of Finchley,’ he said as he placed it in the centre of the table. ‘Ramsden’s laboratory was here on Station Road.’ He pointed to the building with his pen. ‘It backed onto the railway line. As you can see, there’s a bridge over the railway line which becomes Squires Lane. And just off that road, is this.’ He circled his pen around a feature. ‘It’s a reservoir which was constructed about twenty-five years ago for Claigmar Vineyard. They grow grapes, tomatoes and cucumbers there although there’s word they’re going to close soon and the land’s going to be sold off for housing. Anyway, it’s a short walk from the building which was once Dr Jackson’s laboratory to that reservoir. Perhaps the journey was undertaken in the middle of the night? With the body of Alexander Miller transported in a trolley or wheelbarrow of some sort?’
‘And possibly weighed down so his remains would never resurface,’ said Philip. He turned to Mr Ramsden. ‘Is that what happened?’
Mr Ramsden smiled. ‘They say great minds think alike, Mr Fisher.’
Chapter 62
‘We got him, Augusta,’ said Philip. ‘And I can only hope Joyce gets a full confession from him now. I’m embarrassed I worked for Ramsden without ever suspecting him of anything. But what on earth made you suspect him? What gave you the clue?’
‘It was the cufflink which Fred found,’ said Augusta. ‘I remember thinking about the people who’d visited the shop that day, and Mr Ramsden was on my mind. But the initials didn’t match, so I dismissed the idea. Then I read about the trial of Dr Jackson and discovered his real name was Daniel Collins. I then thought of the cufflink we’d found. Fred and I had joked it belonged to David Cartwright.’
‘Who’s he?’
‘Fred invented him.’
‘Oh.’
‘Those initials resonated with me as soon as I read about Daniel Collins. Then I thought again about Mr Ramsden and how he owned a pharmaceutical company. He was actually doing a similar thing to Dr Jackson, only with more credibility. I also knew the person behind Alexander Miller’s disappearance was keeping a keen eye on our investigation. Louisa Bradshaw and Jemima Campbell were threatened. Jane Stanton was murdered. The culprit had to be close by.
‘And then I realised Mr Ramsden had only appeared on the scene after the newspaper report about the long-lost letter had been published. It seemed a fantastical thought, but I couldn’t put it out of my mind. What if Mr Ramsden was watching us? And when I realised Mr Ramsden and Dr Jackson were the same age and had come from the same place… I was determined then to find some evidence to support my theory.’
Augusta thanked Fred when they got back to the bookshop. ‘I couldn’t have done it without your help,’ she added.
‘Oh, I didn’t do much.’
‘Yes, you did. We did it together,’ said Augusta. ‘All three of us.’
‘Yes, I suppose we did,’ said Philip. ‘And with a bit of luck, Walter Ferguson will be charged after sending someone to steal those letters from your flat.’
‘That was Walter Ferguson?’ said Fred.
‘Apparently so,’ said Philip. ‘And the unpleasant man he paid to do that will be tracked down and charged with assaulting Augusta.’
‘I’d almost forgotten about that,’ said Augusta.
‘How can you have forgotten? You broke a rib!’
‘I’m just relieved we got Ramsden and that Ferguson’s article was never printed.’
‘Two very good reasons to be relieved,’ said Philip. ‘I think we need a drink to celebrate.’
‘Good idea,’ said Augusta. ‘I’ll put the kettle on.’
‘Kettle?’
‘What’s wrong with that?’
‘I was thinking of something stronger.’
‘At eleven in the morning?’
‘Well, it’s not every day you solve an obscure case which has evaded everyone for ten years.’
A short while later, they stood at the counter with a cup of tea each. Augusta sipped her tea and felt a warm gratitude towards her colleagues. They had become more than colleagues. They felt like proper friends now.
‘I’m happy Ferguson’s article was never published,’ she said. ‘But I feel like I owe you both an explanation.’
‘An explanation?’ said Philip. ‘No Augusta. You don’t owe us anything.’
‘There’s something I want to tell you. I trust you both and I don’t want you thinking I’m hiding anything from you.’
‘We don’t think that,’ said Fred.
‘Even so. It’s time I told you the truth.’
Chapter 63
‘I changed my name when I joined British intelligence during the war,’ said Augusta.
‘We all did,’ said Philip.
‘Yes. You called yourself George Whitaker. But you went back to being Philip Fisher again, didn’t you? I kept the name Augusta Peel because… I feel like Augusta Peel. That’s who I am.’
