The Christmas Mansion Mystery ( Part Fifteen )

It was Monday Afternoon, Detective Evans and, Inspector Brooks, had
been too busy to pay a visit to Madam Lilly on the Sunday, so it was
Monday afternoon before they finally arrived at her brothel, stroke home.

Johnny's room was just down the hallway from the kitchen, his room
was filthy, with old crisp packets and empty cans of lager and beer,
scattered across the floor. His sheets were filthy and fag ends littered
his bedside table. Spiders webs had made a home in his curtains, it was
almost as if the curtains were held together by the webs.

He awoke suddenly, after having a nightmare. Jumping up quick, he
realised he'd slept in his jeans and cheesecloth top. Picking up his dirty
mug, he made his way to the kitchen to make a mug of tea. Filling the
kettle with water, he was just about to turn the kettle on, when there was a knock at the front door.

Now all the girls were asleep upstairs, so Johnny was the only one
awake, he knew Lilly would be getting ready for the night to come, so
he made his way down the red dimly lit hallway. There was another
knock, Johnny thought it might be some of his mates come to pick him up for a drinking session.

Another knock came. “All right...All right! Keep your shirt on, I'm
coming,” he said...brushing his long greasy hair out of his eyes.

Opening the door, he couldn't believe it. “Shit...the cops!” he yelled,
then he slammed the front door and ran down the hallway, into his
bedroom, picking up the car keys off his bedside cabinet. He ran
through the kitchen, out the back door and into the yard. His car was
parked in the yard, so quick as a flash, he opened the gates and jumped
in, starting the engine and took off out of the yard and into the back lane.

Meanwhile the two officers, ran down the street, to cut him off at the top of the lane, expecting him to be running on foot.

Johnny drove straight for them, not prepared to stop. Detective Evans
and Inspector Brooks, leapt out of the way, not hardly believing what
they had just seen.

“Did you see that?” said Evans.

“Yeah! A white hillman Imp, exactly what we've been looking for.”
replied Brooks. “Looks like we've found our culprit, don't you think?”

“It sure does!” replied Evans.

While all this had been going on, Lilly had been upstairs in her bedroom, laying on the thick...caked make up, she applied every night.
Her hair was in a very tight bun, gathered up with hair pins. Her room
was floral, just how she liked it, with a huge dressing table, with many
perfume bottles, standing like soldiers. 'What smell shall I wear today?'
she thought to herself.

She was just deciding, when she heard a commotion downstairs,
“What on earth is going on?” she said to herself. Coming down the stairs, she called out. “Johnny is that you, banging doors?” no reply
came.

The police came back and knocked at the door again. “All right I'm
coming!” said Lilly walking down the hallway.

Lilly opened the door, “yes can I help you?”

“Yes! We think you can. This is Inspector Brooks and I'm Detective
Evans, can we come in?”

“Yes okay, but what's the problem?” Lilly was feeling slightly worried,
but smiled, not wishing to look nervous.

“We need to speak with you, it's very important, if you wouldn't mind
letting us in!” said Evans.

“Of course!” replied Lilly, “do come in, I thought I just heard my son
answer the door?”

“I'm afraid you did, only he made a run for it, out the back door and
drove off in quite a rush.” said Brooks.

“Now why would he do that? I don't understand...you'd better come
into my office, I don't want my girls woken up to early, otherwise they'll be fit for nothing tonight.”

Lilly took them down the hallway, as Detective Evans asked, “do you
happen to know a Private Investigator, by the name of Jack Rydell?”

Lilly kept as calm as she could. “Why...yes I do, he's done quite a few
jobs for me in the past.”

Detective Evans decided to question Lilly, in a way that would catch
her out. “So have you had any dealings with him lately?”

“Why yes...on Saturday night, as a matter of fact.” Lilly wondered
where this was going.

“And what was it, that you needed him for Ms Lilly?” asked the
Detective.

“Well...it's like this, I'd been given some diamonds to look after, but I
didn't feel safe with them in the house, so I asked Mr Rydell to look
after them for me.”

“So Lilly, who might I ask, did the diamonds belong too?”

“To a Mr Andrew Henvey, but sadly he passed away, or so I heard.”
replied Lilly.

“That name rings a bell!” said Inspector Brooks. “Isn't that the case
Inspector Lampard's dealing with?”

“You know, I do believe your right Brooks!” replied Evans. “So Lilly,
you said you gave the diamonds to Mr Rydell to look after?”

“Yes that's right!” Lilly was feeling really worried now, “look what's
all this about?”

“Well! Lilly...it's like this. Mr Rydell is in hospital with concussion, he
told us about the diamonds and now you have confirmed his story.”

“What!” replied Lilly, “Why!...why! Is he in the hospital with concussion...what's happened?”

“Apparently after your meeting with him, he was attacked and hit over
the head with a brick, he needed stitches in his head. Whoever hit him,
took your precious diamonds,” said the Inspector.

Lilly was seething, her face became redder and redder. “So...why are
you telling me all this?”

“Because...an old couple witnessed a white hillman imp, driving away
from the scene of the crime, in fact a car exactly the same as the one,
we just saw your son driving away in.”

“I...I...don't understand!” said Lilly shaking, “My Johnny wouldn't do
anything like that, it could have been another hillman imp, there are
loads out there, it doesn't prove it was my Johnny.” Inside Lilly was
fuming, she thought to herself, 'wait till I get my hands on him.'

“Look...it's no good covering up for him, we know it was him, but why,
Lilly would your son be stealing something that belonged to his mother?”

“I really don't know...I feel awful about, Mr Rydell, will he be okay?”

“Look, Lilly...we are not here to talk about Mr Rydell, you realise we
will need to search the property now, or do we need to get a search
warrant? I must warn you, that if we do, your house stands a good
chance of being turned upside down.”

Lilly was really panicking now, she needed time to think, but the
Detective, was not going to give her the time she needed.

To be continued ….............