Doofus Detectives Ch 5 : Locked.

“Please tell me your name.” Mel asked, sitting in a secluded room in the Lawrence mansion, her pencil poised over her pencil pad.

“It- it’s Rosaline Whitts.”

“And how are you related to the Lawrences?”

The pretty middle-aged woman smiled nervously, wringing her fingers, “I’m their housekeeper, I have been for the last two years.”

Mel nodded, “I see, please describe how you came to find Mrs Lawrence.”

Ms Whitts took a deep breath, “Well, it was last Friday and I was about to leave for the day, when I remembered that it had been a while since I had been to the study to see Mrs Lawrence and I decided to go up before leaving.”

Another deep breath.

“I walked up the stairs and up to the study and knocked. When – when she didn’t reply, I knocked again.”

Another deep breath.

“I knocked once again and called out, saying that it was the housekeeper and I wanted to let her know that it had been three days and that I needed her to let me in.”

Another deep breath.

“When she didn’t reply I tried the door and since it was open I went in that’s when I saw her there lying all bloody – I – she – “ Mrs Whitts voice cracked she took several deep shuddering breaths, wringing her hands. She shuffled her feet nervously, “Sorry – I’m sorry, I just find the whole thing very distressing.”

Mel’s lips moulded into a kind smile, in a contrast with her sharp gleaming eyes, “That’s all right ma'am, tell me, what did you mean when you said that ‘it had been three days’ and that ‘she had to come out’?”

Rosaline exhaled, almost in relief, “Well, Mrs Lawrence is – was – was rather bad at taking care of herself, she would often hole herself up in the study for days with coffee and not exit. She wouldn’t eat, wouldn’t bathe, I’m not even sure if she ever used the water closet.

She would get absolutely furious if anybody disturbed her, so we all kept away. This was obviously bad for her health, so I had taken permission from Mr Lawrence that if it was longer than three days I could enter without permission, to make her come out.”

“So before Mrs Lawrence was found, by you, she had been locked up in her study for three days?”

“Yes. Well she didn’t lock the door, Mr Lawrence had forbidden her from doing so, but yes.”

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Adi and Matt stepped into the room. It was large, opulent dark wood flooring and furniture and rich creamy walls, and well kept unlike the study. Adi set his kit down by the door frowning, “I don’t like how neat this is compared to the study, it’s almost like she didn’t live here at all.”

Matt adjusted his gloves, “It wouldn’t be very surprising though, she could easily have been that type of person who lives in their study and is obsessed with everything being in the correct place and therefore had banned the cleaning staff from it.”

“Hmm, I suppose. I’ll start with the bathroom?”

Matt nodded, “Sounds good, I'll begin with the dressing and the study table.”

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“Please state you name.” Ham asked, he was sitting in a dank attic in the Lawrence house, it was dusty and his clothes were absolutely filthy. Anybody he was questioning would have to stand with their head bent in an uncomfortable position.

“My name, is, Paul Lasong.”

“What’s you connection with the Lawrences?”

“I, am their butler.” Paul stood rigid, like a bored mannequin.

Ham leaned back nonchalantly, tapping his pencil against his writing pad. “How long have you worked for them?”

Tap tap tap tap

“Seventeen years.”

Tap tap tap tap

“When did you hear about the murder?”

Tap tap tap tap

“Friday night, I heard Ms Whitts screaming. I climbed up the stairs to reach her, and, found her collapsed in front of the study, and Mrs Lawrence, was, dead.”

Tap tap tap tap

“What did you do then?”

Tap tap tap tap

“I, told her to go down, to the servant quarter.”

Tap tap tap tap

“And?”

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“And I waited.”

Tap tap tap tap

Ham tilted his head, tapping the pencil faster, Paul’s eyes twitched as if in irritation. “For what?”

Tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap

“For Mr and Mrs Lawrence to return home.”

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“From where?”

Tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap

“I. Am. Not. Aware.” Paul’s voice was tight.

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“Did you find anything?”

Adi shook his head, “No, bathroom’s clean. Only your normal highly overpriced chemicals and soap. Nothing out of the ordinary. It smells a little stale, like it hasn’t been opened in a while, but that’s to be expected I suppose. What about you?”

The dressing table is fine. Too many cosmetics, but only a few look used, smell and run fine but I’ve bagged some samples nonetheless.”

“You started on the table yet?”

“I’m just getting to it, why don’t you handle the wardrobe?”

Adi nodded, and mover towards the wardrobe. He pulled the cupboard open to reveal clean rows of clothing. Just when he was about to begin he heard a rattling sound, he turned around quickly to see Matt jiggling the study tables drawers. “What’s wrong?”

Matt frowned, “They’re locked.”

“Locked?! Hmmm, hang on, lemme go see if I can find anyone with the key.” He walked out the room and looked down the corridor but couldn’t see anyone. Adi hesitated, went back inside. “I’m just going – Matt – what are you doing?!” he hissed.

Matt didn’t look up, “Picking the lock, what do you think?”

“What no put those picks down! We’re detectives! We don’t pick locks that’s not our job!”

Matt rolled his eyes, the lock clicked open, interrupting Adi. Matt smiled, satisfied, and put his lock picks down. Flexed his fingers. Opened the drawer.

It was empty.

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“Tell me more about Camilla, what kind of a person was she?” Mel asked, carefully watching Rosaline.

“Well, I suppose she would be considered a little eccentric – but we all loved her!” She added hurriedly. Mel raised her eyebrows, “Eccentric how?” “Well… she had little quirks, everybody does. She was very picky with her food and was always very – uh formal.”

Mel waited.

“We – well you see she would rarely ever talk to any of us servants directly, she would always communicate through written documents and would demand that we would do the same. All of them would be written up very formally like a contract almost. Since most of us had trouble with them she would route everything through Mr Lasong.”

“She did not talk to you at all?”

“No not like that – she did, but she didn’t like it. And it was usually when she was displeased.”

“Any idea why she insisted on formal documents?”

“I’m not fully sure – but she is a lawyer by profession – she never practiced so…… we-“ Mrs Whitts hesitated, Mel nodded encouragingly, smiling again. “….We always assumed that she was trying to make up for not practising professionally. And – if you ask Mr Lasong well he always said she wanted the paper trail.”

“I see, so, tell me, where you fond of Mrs Lawrence?”

“Of course!! We all loved her!! She was the light of the house really; her death was a terrible shock and tragedy. We all never had any problems with her at all! Like I said she was the light of the house!”

                                                                  *********************

Adi placed the last bag in the packet, sighing, “So we didn’t find anything?” Matt shook his head, “No. her rooms clear, nothing out of place, nothing to suggest anything wrong whatsoever. This’s a bust.”

Adi frowned, and stood up, cracking his back. “What now? What other rooms did you want to hit?”

“The Lawrences’ room of course and I think we should do a sweep of the floor as well, never can be too sure.”

Adi nodded, “Makes sense.”

They slung their bags over their shoulders and stepped out of Camilla’s room into the long corridor. “If Mel’s blueprint is right then that door at the end should open the Lawrences’ room” Matt nodded at the large fancy oak doors at the end of the passage.

Adi snorted “When has Mel ever been wrong?” They began to move down the corridor, periodically checking the doors on the way. Most of them were extra bedrooms, dusty and unused. They reached the large oak doors. Matt adjusted his camera, ready. Adi tried the handle.

Locked.

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Tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap

“Paul, how often are Mr and Mrs Lawrence home?”

Tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap

“Enough. They are home for dinner.”

Tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap

“Not for lunch?”

Tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap

“They spend those outside.”

Ham kept tapping the pencil aggressively, he had found that addressing Paul by his first name would make his eye twitch more than the pencil.

Tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap

“So they spend their entire day outside?”

Tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap

“They are busy people. Mr Lawrence has a large company to run. Mrs Lawrence has better to do than be tied to the house.” His teeth were gritted.

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“Why did you wait before calling the police Paul?”

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“I – did not have permission from Mr Lawrence.”

Tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap

“It was a murder.”

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“It was not right!”

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“Why?”

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“We had been forbidden – ” he broke off abruptly.

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