So, he wasn’t going to mention it. A ribbon wasn’t enough to convict me.
“Of course. Through the door is my workshop and living quarters. Nothing much really.”
And off the detective and his constable went. Cleopatra purred softly, I almost thought she was smirking.
A thick sea-green velvet curtain separated the shop from the workshop. It hung heavy, like a stage curtain. I followed them into the small space, the ladybird grandfather clock standing in the corner, my work desk covered in mechanisms and trinkets. The room was poorly lit but comfortable, and I watched Constable Walnut poke around while the detective merely viewed with his eyes. Sharp eyes, I thought. His attention was drawn to a pile of empty barrels and wooden crates in the corner of the room.
I explained them immediately. “For transportation of my large clocks.”
And then his eyes moved to the ladybird grandfather clock.
“I’ve seen this before,” he said. “From a previous case. A young girl was locked up inside it.”
“I created the clock and sold it many years ago to Lord Loveheart.”
“Lord Loveheart, who disappeared?” said Detective Sergeant White.
“Yes, his son John Loveheart returned it to me. I am not sure why. You may have heard of him, he’s something of an eccentric.”
“I would like a list of all of your clients, Mr Chimes.”
I looked through my bureau drawers and retrieved a roll of my regular clients, which held about twenty or so names, and handed it to him begrudgingly. The list thankfully withheld the names of my more sensitive clients. He examined it carefully.
“Quite a collection of customers you have here. What makes your clocks so special?” And then he looked at me, and I felt for the first time in my life I had encountered someone who was able to see right through me. Eyes like a spiritualist. Telescopic.
“My work is very highly regarded. It’s an artform, really. See the engravings on the clocks, delicate craftsmanship, it’s hard to come by. I have been established for nearly fifty years so my reputation precedes me.”
“And with a client list like this you choose to remain in this area of poverty and filth.”
“It’s my home, detective sergeant.” And the children are easier to catch here, I thought.
The constable scribbled down everything I said while the Sergeant put the list of my clients into his pocket. “We may need to ask you further questions at a later date.”
“Very well, but I am not sure how on Earth I can assist you. I have told you everything I know, which is nothing.”
The detective stroked Cleopatra, who purred softly in response.
I watched them leave, the doorbell ringing as the door shut behind them. A delicate warning.
Along the Thames, a barrel bobbed up and down, a barrel that should have sunk to the bottom. It floated towards the shoreline.
II: Detective Sergeant White, Constable Walnut & the Clientele List
I had examined the list carefully as Constable Walnut and I walked back to the police station. “There’s a lot of very influential people on this list, constable.”
“You think he did it, sergeant?”
“He’s either murdered her or sold her. The ribbon was the trophy. I want a full list of children that have gone missing in this area in the last year. He’s made a mistake this time. She’s a barrister’s daughter.”
“Yes, sir,” Walnut replied.
“In the meantime, we shall be paying a visit to some of his clients.”
I spent that afternoon gaining information on Mr Chimes’ clientele list. Of the twenty names, fourteen were located abroad, one was in Scotland. The remaining accessible names were:
* * *
Dr Edmund Cherrytree – a psychoanalyst who
resided in London.
Lady Rosamund Clarence – widower who resided in
London.
Elijah Whistle – a painter of portraits to the aristocrats, whose patron was Lady Clarence.
Obadiah Deadlock – a notorious recluse, who resided
in London.
Lord Loveheart who had disappeared, but his son
John had made contact with Albert Chimes and
resided on the outskirts of London.
* * *
Letters had been sent ahead immediately announcing our forthcoming arrival.
I had been trying to formulate a connection. My immediate suspicion was that Albert Chimes was providing these clients with children that he kidnapped and was transporting them in wooden boxes in the guise of clocks. I had worked on cases before of child abduction for brothels and the sex trade.