‘Doctor Gladwyn, can we turn Sommersby over?’ asked Ravenscroft.
The two men knelt down and moved Sommersby over so that his face lay to the floor.
‘Ah, it is just as I suspected. See at the back of his head. He had been hit by a hard instrument of some kind. That is what killed him.’
‘It could have been one of the books that hit him?’ suggested Gladwyn.
‘But the body was positioned on its back when we entered the room. It seems unlikely that after a falling book hit him on the head Sommersby would have turned round to face the rest of the falling books. If the first book hit him on the back of the head he would have fallen in a different position.’
‘I suppose you could be correct inspector,’ replied Gladwyn somewhat grudgingly.
‘Ah here we are sir. I’ve found them on the floor over here,’ announced Crabb holding up the glasses.
‘I think you would agree Doctor Gladwyn that the position of the glasses in the room is too far away from the body,’ said Ravenscroft
‘Sommersby could have taken them off, before he moved over to the bookcase,’ suggested Gladwyn.
‘And left them on the floor? I don’t think so.’ said Ravenscroft kneeling down on the floor and pushing the books to one side.
‘What are you looking for sir?’ asked Crabb.
‘I’m examining the carpet to see — ah, here we are. Do you see Crabb? Look at this patch of blood on the carpet. This was where Sommersby was killed. He was struck on the back of his head by a sharp instrument of some kind, fell to the floor where some of the blood from the wound stained the carpet. He was then dragged across the floor to the base of the bookcases, which were then toppled over on top of him to make it look like an accident.’
‘My word sir!’ exclaimed Crabb. ‘Then it now seems that we now have two murders on our hands.’
‘It would appear so. Did you see Doctor Sommersby enter the library?’ Ravenscroft addressed the porter.
‘He came in here about an hour ago sir.’
‘Did you see anyone else enter, or leave the library, after Doctor Sommersby?’
‘No sir.But my station is in the entrance hall, and I do not have a view of the library from where I am situated,’ replied the porter.
‘So it would have been comparatively simple for someone to enter the library from either the other end of the corridor, or through one of these windows, and you would not have seen them?’ asked Ravenscroft.
‘That is correct sir.’
‘Did you hear the sound of the bookcase fall?’
‘Yes sir. There was an almighty crash.’
‘And what did you do?’
‘I ran into the library. I saw what had happened and ran off to the kitchens to summon help, so we could lift the bookcase from off Doctor Sommersby.’
‘You saw no one in the library, or anyone running away?’ asked Crabb.
‘No.’
‘How long were you away from the library fetching help?’
‘About a minute or so sir. We came back as quickly as we could.’
‘It would have been easy for the murderer to have hidden himself in another part of the library when you entered the room, and for him to slip away unnoticed whilst you were away,’ said Ravenscroft, staring out of the window. ‘Tell me, was Doctor Sommersby a single man?’
‘He was as far as I know sir.’
‘Did he have rooms in college?’
‘Yes sir. As the Assistant Master he was entitled to reside in the college. His rooms are upstairs,’ replied the porter.
‘Then perhaps you would be kind enough to allow my colleague and myself to view them,’ asked Ravenscroft.
‘Do you want me any further Ravenscroft?’ asked Gladwyn.
‘No thank you doctor. You have been most helpful.’
‘I’ll arrange for the collection of the body and inform the coroner,’ said Gladwyn sadly.
‘Thank you Doctor Gladwyn.’
Ravenscroft and Crabb followed the porter up two flights of stairs and down a long corridor until they reached a door at the end of the passageway.
‘These are Doctor Sommersby’s quarters,’ said the porter unlocking the door.
‘Thank you. We will look round on our own, and let you know when we have finished.’ said Ravenscroft entering the rooms as the porter made his way back along the corridor.
The two policemen found themselves standing inside a comfortably furnished living room. A table was situated in the centre of the room, which also contained a desk and an armchair. The walls were lined with rows of books.
‘Right, that must be the bedroom over there. I’ll take this room, you look in there,’ instructed Ravenscroft.
‘What are we looking for sir?’ asked Crabb.
‘I don’t really know Crabb until I find it. Papers, documents, anything I suppose that might tell us more about Doctor Sommersby, and answer the question as to why he was murdered.’
Crabb disappeared into the bedroom as Ravenscroft looked at the many books that lined the dead man’s bookcases. He then crossed over to the table and examined the papers that lay there. Sommersby had evidently been making notes for an impending Latin lesson. On top of the desk lay a pile of unmarked exercise books. Ravenscroft sat down on the chair behind the desk and went through the drawers, taking out the papers and examining them one by one. As he reached the bottom drawer on the left hand side of the desk he found it locked. Taking out his pocket knife, he slipped the blade between the wood and the lock until he was able to open the drawer fully. Inside he found yet more papers, which he placed on the desk and began to go through them.
‘Nothing in the bedroom sir,’ said Crabb returning to the room. ‘Have you found anything of interest there sir?’
‘This document would appear to be a copy of Sommersby’s last will and testament, made five years ago. Nothing particularly startling though. He leaves everything to Malvern College, although there does not appear to be much to leave — a hundred pounds, his watch, some pictures, and the books.’
‘Not much to show for a life of school mastering,’ said Crabb.
‘In my experience Crabb schoolmasters are not particularly well paid, just as policemen are, and he does not seem to have come into any legacies. It does not look as though he was killed for his money then. There was no inheritance to pass on. Ah, this looks interesting. Something to do with Old Lechmere’s almshouses in Colwall,’ said Ravenscroft opening out the document. ‘It names Sommersby as one of the trustees, and was drawn up about twenty years ago, by the look of it, when Sommersby was appointed. It names the other trustees. There is Pitzer’s name and Touchmore, and Gladwyn as well. I don’t know the others. Make a note of their names Crabb. So Sommersby was also a trustee of the almshouses. Something he and Pitzer both had in common. It is interesting how those old almshouses keep arising in our investigations,’ said Ravenscroft replacing the papers in the bottom drawer.
‘I knew that Armitage fellow was hiding something. I didn’t like the look of him at all,’ replied Crabb shaking his head.
‘I certainly think the warden was not exactly forthcoming when we questioned him. I think you and I need to have more words with Mr. Armitage. It is too late this evening, but in the morning another outing to Colwall is called for,’’ said Ravenscroft closing the drawers of the desk. ‘Before we leave, let us look around the rest of this room Crabb. Is there anything you think we have missed? What does this room tell us about its occupant?’ he said rising from his seat.
‘I can’t see anything of note’.
‘Our Mister Sommersby seems to have lived a frugal kind of existence. There is nothing here to suggest a vast expenditure. The contents of this room indicate a comfortable but not an over indulgent life. Our good doctor was not a man to go about wasting his money. What is this?’ said Ravenscroft lifting up a cane from a stand that lay near the doorway.
‘It looks a fine cane to me. Silver handle I’ll be bound,’ said Crabb.
‘You are right Crabb. The handle is well worn, indicating that it was purchased many years ago. What is interesting though, is the monogram. Looks like a large B interlocked with a W and an M.’