Stonebridge Manor
Chapter 43
CHAPTER FORTY THREE
It was Phillip who answered the door to the detectives. He was in casual clothes as his employer was not in residence.
“Mr. Phillip Scott?” asked Chris.
“Yes, that’s me. You must be the detectives I’ve been expecting. Can I see your badges please?”
“I’m Detective Inspector Shaw and this is Detective Sergeant Greene,” Chris replied, both proffering their ID’s, “may we come inside?”
“Of course,” smiled Phillip, “come in. I hope you’ll excuse me for asking for your identification but there have been a couple of reporters sniffing around here, so I need to be careful. It’s part of my job to know who’s entering my employer’s home.”
Phillip was leading them into the main kitchen, which was just off to the right as you entered the house. It was a big kitchen with a large island to work on to the right, a big range on the left and a table with chairs at the south facing side by some windows.
“Can we talk privately?” asked Chris, hearing some chatter from the left, which was the laundry room.
“Yes, of course. I’ll close the door and no one will disturb us,” Phillip replied, leading them over to the table and asking them if they’d like some coffee or anything.
“No, I think we’re fine,” said Chris, seating himself down, “this shouldn’t take long. Why don’t you sit across from us?”
Phillip sat down opposite the two detectives.
“First of all,” said Chris, “can you give us a statement of what transpired the day that Lady Baldwin was murdered? The sergeant here can write it down as you tell us, then you can sign it after you read it. Is that okay?”
“Sure, no problem.”
“Just give us a brief outline to begin with and I’ll ask questions to fill in the gaps.”
“Okay. Well to begin with, I got up pretty early, around six I think, because I had a lot to do. I believe you know now that his Lordship was leaving her Ladyship, so not only did I have to get his things together, I also had to do my own. I spent much of my time packing. I’d already gotten a lot of his stuff done, but that early in the morning it’s quiet, so I was able to get a few more of his things.”
“Did you see or hear anyone else around while you did that?”
“No, it was very quiet.”
“Continue.”
“At about seven I went downstairs. Tom was already there and he’d made some tea. He told me what was going on for the rest of the day. That they would have lunch downstairs by the patio, then the guests would probably leave. He and the chef would be able to handle most of the lunch, but if I could help with the setting up and clearing up, that would be great. During lunch itself I could check on whether anyone needed anything packed. After lunch I could help with bringing their luggage down and bringing around their cars.”
“Tom, meaning the butler at Stonebridge?” asked Chris.
“Yes.”
“Did he know you were leaving that afternoon?”
“Not as far as I know, no.”
“Did anyone else?”
“His Lordship knew, Ian the pilot , and my girlfriend Natalie. Also my friend Ken, but the only other person I think that knew was Kay.”
“Did you tell her so?”
“No, I think his Lordship’s daughter, Miss Sophie did.”
“Why did your friend, girlfriend and pilot know?
“The pilot needed to know because of flying and the weight, and he was also picking up my girlfriend from London early. As my friend had been taking care of her, he also had to know.”
“Did your friend and girlfriend come here on the helicopter?”
“No. He lives in London and she was brought here to Crompton Hall before Ian, the pilot, flew down to Stonebridge.”
“Okay, so tell us how the day went?”
“Well, it was fairly non-eventful until later on. Breakfast took forever as it always does there. They don’t have a set time for it so everyone ambles in and out all morning. In the meantime, we’re trekking up and downstairs with all the lunch stuff. In between, I’m trying to get all our luggage ready to throw onto the helicopter.”
“I see,” replied Chris, “so what happened during the time they had lunch, up to your departure?”
“As always happens down there,” said Phillip referring to Stonebridge Manor, “lunch was late. It should have been 1pm and it was closer to 2pm. Her Ladyship wasn’t ready, so we all had to wait.”
“Why wasn’t she ready?”
“I have no idea, but she and a couple of guests weren’t around so we had to wait.”
“Do you know which guests?
“No. Everyone was here there and everywhere all morning long, but without her Ladyship, lunch wouldn’t begin.”
“Couldn’t Lord Baldwin have started lunch?”
“Sure, but he’s too much of a gentleman to have started lunch without everyone being present.”
“Even though he was leaving?”
“Yes, even though.”
“Do you think he could have killed his wife?”
“No.”
“That was a quick answer. What makes you so sure?”
“Shooting her was too quick. If she’d been strangled or pushed off a cliff then maybe so, but not being shot like that. There is no way he did it, he’s just too nice.”
“Who do you think did it?”
“I have an idea, but that’s all. Not enough of one to point the finger at someone and say they did it.”
“Did you kill her?”
“No.”
“You had motive.”
“Yes, I did. The woman was a bitch and I haven’t shed any tears at her demise. I also won’t be going to her funeral.”
“Did you not tell her to fuck off and go screw herself?”
“I did, yes.”
“And she fired you?”
“Yes.”
“Told you she’d ruin your life?”
“Yes.”
“Yet you didn’t kill her or feel the urge to?”
“No. I was able to tell her what to do to herself and that made me very happy”
“If I was spoken to like that and felt myself and my family threatened, I’d have killed her. Why wouldn’t you?”
“Because his Lordship was leaving her. He’s my employer, not her. I knew he wasn’t going to fire me. That’s why I said what I did, I was free to. I’d rather have seen her go through a divorce and lose her precious title, if she married someone without one.”
“So lunch was late?”
“Yes, then his Lordship told her a few truths and it went crazy.”
“Did that surprise you, him doing that?”
“Yes, but it’s been coming for a long while.”
“Were you witness to that?”
“No.”
“Would Lord Baldwin have been prepared to lose his business if there’d been a divorce?”
“I suppose so. I think he’d just got to the point where it was worth losing his business if it meant saving his relationship with his children, and his own self esteem.”
“Do you think one of his children could have killed her?”
“No. They didn’t like her but they still loved her.”
“After you had words with Lady Baldwin and she fired you, did you see her again?”
“No.”
“Where was she when you last saw her?”
”Downstairs on the patio.”
“Could you have sneaked back down there without anyone seeing you?”
“I don’t know. I had no reason to go see her again.”
“We found a couple of keys in her possession. Do you know where they could be for?”
“She had no reason to carry keys. She doesn’t have one for here, although his Lordship does. One of them may be for her place in London, but I have no idea about the other one.”
“Do you mean the house they own near Harrods.”
“No, she doesn’t need a key there. The housekeeper is always there. I mean her apartment in Soho.”
“I thought the Baldwin’s only owned one property in London,” said Chris, rifling through some of his notes in his notebook and looking at his sergeant who looked equally puzzled.
“They do. The apartment is owned exclusively by her Ladyship, paid for with her own money, maintained by her, and his Lordship is totally oblivious to it.”
“She has her own money?”
“Oh yes. She’s always kept her own bank account secret from his Lordship. That way she can do what she likes without him hearing about it.”
“And she had this apartment for what reason?”
“Come on, detective, you can guess. It was for meeting her men friends privately and without having to check into a hotel.”
“How long has she had this place?”
“Years, I believe.”
“Did anyone else know about it?”
“Apart from the men? Maybe Kay and Cathy did. She used to tell them about her exploits I believe. But I don’t know if they knew about the apartment, because they never let it slip when they gossiped.”
“They’d gossip?”
“Sometimes, when they were in a good mood and only with me as they knew it wouldn’t go any further. I don’t think they knew of the apartment.”
“Have you got the address for this apartment?”
“No, sorry. I know it exists is all.”
“Do you think Lord Baldwin felt threatened by Lady Baldwin?”
“Maybe I suppose, but he wouldn’t have shot her.”
“Does he own any guns?”
“Sure, a bunch. But they’re all shotguns.”
“No handguns?”
“No.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because I’m the butler here and also his valet. If he had a gun, I’d know about it.”
“Do any of the children own a handgun?”
“If they do, I don’t know about it. They certainly have never had one while I’ve been around.”
“Did you see anyone while you were departing Stonebridge Manor who looked like they were possibly heading toward the patio?”
“Not that I noticed, no.”
“Did you see Mrs. Roberts when she was there?”
“Yes. The poor soul was left waiting in the library.”
“Would she have seen, or heard, what was going on down at the patio?”
“Yes, if she was in there. The library is directly above the patio and the windows were open.”
“How do you know the windows were open?”
”Because I opened them myself when she arrived. She thought it was a little stuffy in there.”
“Can anyone vouch for your movements at, or around, 3pm
on Sunday?”
“Not really, no. It was just crazy.”
“Do you own a gun?”
“No.”
“So you wouldn’t mind us looking around?”
“No, not at all.”
“Did you kill Lady Baldwin?”
“Nope.”
“Do you know who did?” A little frustration was showing now.
“Not for sure, but it sure as hell wasn’t Mrs. Roberts.”
There wasn’t much more the detectives got out of Phillip. The sergeant finished the statement, which Phillip read then signed.
It wasn’t long before they returned south, stopping quite quickly to have a bite to eat and for a coffee.
“So what are you thinking, sergeant?” he asked, after they’d sat down with their coffees and sandwiches.
“I think that he may have a better idea than we do, as to who killed one of his employers.”
“Do you think he did it?”
“No, I don’t.”
“Neither do I, but I still have no idea who did it. Have someone try and find this apartment and get a search warrant and forensics down there. Tomorrow, we’ll go and interview the weekend guests who live in London, so tell them we’re coming and to expect us. I don’t want us knocking at empty houses. Also, have someone take a swab from Mr. Scott and take his fingerprints.”