The Hunting Of The Lattimer Party

[SimonW]

( chapter 2, part 5…)

It was not long before the rest of the guests haphazardly came upon the scene. The last arrival was to nobody’s surprise, Lady Constance Lattimer, rudely brushing past the slowly arriving Alberta Lattimer without a second thought to her decorum as she was walking briskly with purpose within her wide brimmed hat and a red dress ensemble. Of course Lady Lattimer had changed, she had to look presentable for any occasion, no matter what the circumstances would be.
Before she could say anything, Terry Lattimer, whom was dressed within a bathrobe, chimed in with a surprised whistle at the sight before him.
“So, somebody carked it, did they?” the teenager asked crassly with a hint of sarcastic wonderment.
Nobody responded at once, mostly stunned by the shocking scene before their eyes as Kyle and Jerry left the bedroom of the departed’s demise. They felt it best to leave as there was nothing they could do to help the dead woman and felt it best to not cause anymore hysteria amongst the other guests. Kyle Lattimer left the room last, shutting the door behind him as murmurs started amongst the remaining 10 guests in the hallway.
Placing his hand to his chin in thought, Jerry Lattimer surveyed the others with suspicion. He trusted nobody here, fool not to as it was evident this was not an accident. All of the other guests seemed to think the same thing as furtive glances were spread between them until Lady Constance Lattimer scoffed at the others around her.
“As much as I abhor the thoughts of killing, this is surely too much for one like me to handle. I want no part of whatever this thing is,” Lady Lattimer said with slight indignation and callousness to the situation.
“This ‘thing’, as you put it, is murder,” Jerry Lattimer said cooly in a calm and matter-of-factly manner without raising his voice.
Lady Constance blanched at that response, not expecting that reaction to her vehement criticism to the situation. The other guests grew somber and silent as this fact came into their minds. Murder, at Lattimer Manor. A vague sense of stale stillness rested around the gathered party guests until the voice of Alfred Lattimer piped up in a shaky tone.
“I d-don’t know what to do. I w-w-want to not be here anymore. P-p-please, take me home,” he pleaded as tears started welling up in the young boy’s eyes.
Mrs. Dorothy Lattimer-Price took the boy by the shoulders and gently held him close to her as he turned and started crying upon the hem of her old lady nightgown, taking charge of looking after the small boy in their presence.

( to be continued…)

 

[SimonW]

( chapter 2, part 6…)

The guests were stock still listening as Alfred Lattimer let his cries out, not at all sure how to proceed in this predicament.
Luckily, their salvation was at hand as Mr. Henry Carmichael Lattimer came marching towards them from the staircase, looking as solemn and rigid as his military presence would allow. He had two mansevants flanking his left and right, shadowing behind him like ghosts as he came upon the still distraught maid that had not said or done anything since the tragedy.
The guests parted to let him through to the maid, since he was head of the household and it was his servant, they felt obligated to allow their host access to her.
Henry Carmichael Lattimer glanced down at her with a slight bend of his neck but did not seem to acknowledge her tears or grief-stricken face.
“Well, whom was it?” he asked with sharp resolve to the maid.
If the guests were surprised by this, they were equally or more so shocked as the maid seemed to brush aside her tears and stood up readily to attention, her demeanour changing in a blink of an eye.
“Mrs. Emily Lattimer, sir,” she responded in a cold voice, precise and prim as if she had not witnessed a ghastly scene mere moments ago.
Mr. Henry Carmichael Lattimer tutted lightly to himself, as if mulling something over in his mind before nodding to the maid in a curt but dismissive gesture.
Taking the nod as a request, she curtsied lightly before demurely leaving the way the host had came, not paying any mind to the guests.
These baffling turn of events did not seem to deter Mr. Henry Carmichael Lattimer in the slightest as he turned his attention towards the twelve guests before him.
“Welcome to Lattimer Manor. No doubt you are surprised by these events. I shall not go into detail but as you are aware, a death has occurred in my household. Honestly, this is unprecedented as the events have happened earlier than I have expected. Happy hunting and let the game begin!” he announced this revelation to the shocked looks the remaining guests had in front of him.


( to be continued…)

 

[Copperfox]

Some will not pay attention, but I appreciate your descriptive details of the PLACES where the action occurs. They put us INSIDE the scenes.

 

[SimonW]

Some will not pay attention, but I appreciate your descriptive details of the PLACES where the action occurs. They put us INSIDE the scenes.

Thank you for the appreciation, Copperfox.


( chapter 2, part 7…)

Nobody said anything in response to Henry Carmichael Lattimer’s impromptu announcement. It seemed unprecedented, just unpleasant and not at all what they were expecting from their host’s mouth. A body laid dead just mere feet from them and yet this reaction from their host seemed surreal.
Mr. Henry Carmichael Lattimer allowed his words to sink into his guest’s minds before nodding slightly and turned to depart, the two manservants no longer shadowing him and had stationed themselves upon opposite sides of Mrs. Emily Lattimer’s bedroom doorway like sentinels.

The twelve guests watched silently as Mr. Henry Carmichael left without explaining anything he had said to them merely a moment ago. Then, a voice rang out at the retreating figure of their host in a tone that was shaky but resolute.
“What do you mean? What are we to do?” asked out loud the voice of Miss Jennifer Lattimer with a demanding yet wavering expression of one unable to know how to proceed.
The retreating figure of Henry Carmichael Lattimer stopped halfway down the hallway and the shoulders notably shifted in a downward angle as an audible sigh was heard by all in the hallway.
“As I stated, you hunt. Whether you are interested in finding the one responsible for this crime against your flesh and blood relative is entirely up to you all that are left alive currently. But know this, I do not intend to let my fortune be taken by those not interested in abhorring a certain amount of “blood sport”. Kill or be killed, that is our family creed, it is our birthright and this weekend getaway is going to be frought with death. Be careful my kin and hope it be not your death as one of you has started this game already,” came the serious and stern reply to Miss Jennifer Lattimer’s questions before Mr. Henry Carmichael Lattimer continued down the hallway and was no longer visible within the hallway to turn the corner towards the stairway.

( to be continued…)

 

[SimonW]

( chapter 2, part 8…)

Jerry Lattimer turned his attention away from the rest of the group of guests as he glanced over at the bedroom door of Mrs. Emily Lattimer with the two stationed manservants acting as guards.
With a shrug of his shoulders, Jerry decided to at least try to gain access to the crime scene and see what he could piece together. He walked over to the two with an amicable smile plastered on his face.
“Good morning, gentlemen. I would like to gain entry, please,” Jerry stated in a put upon chipper attitude tone to his voice.
The two manservants gazed at Mr. Jerry Lattimer almost stoically but then both of them flawlessly nodded their heads in acknowledgement.
“Of course, Mr. Lattimer, sir,” stated the one to the right of the doorway as the one on the left opened the door to the crime scene and stationed himself back to his post.
‘That was easy,’ Jerry Lattimer thought to himself before he entered the room, his fake smile disappearing from his face as he made his way past the doorway into the bedroom.

The first thing Jerry Lattimer did was shut the door behind himself, then surveyed the immediate area around himself. So engrossed by this was Jerry, that he barely noticed the door open behind him until the occupant closed the door behind them.
Jerry twirled with a start but was greeted by a person he had not expected, a guest he had no recollection of seeing in the dining room last evening. But that was hardly surprising, there were twelve others that night so it was hardly likely he recalled everyone at the dining table.
This person was different though, they wore some unassuming clothing and a slightly brimmed brown hat of non-descriptive bearing. The jacket was of black with a slight red trim lining that also could be described of either feminine or masculine qualities. The jeans were slightly more formal in colour, more satin leather and beheld a touch of gaudy lavishness with a belt buckle holding them up. The complete ensemble was completed with some black loafers with no heels to be seen.The base of the loafers seemed silent, hence why Jerry Lattimer was unable to hear this person enter.
This intrusive guest seemed unperturbed by Jerry’s reaction, if anything, amused by it as they smirked and raised their arms in a non-threatening gesture.
“Sorry for the intrusion, friend. It is wise to not be alone at this moment, especially in the scene of a crime,” Guye Lattimer stated plainly and sauntered over to the back wall of where they entered to casually lean against it in a calm and collected manner.

( to be continued…)

 

[SimonW]

( chapter 2, part 9…)

The odd but rational reply from Guye Lattimer left Mr. Jerry Lattimer with disdain at having been disrupted. He decided to ignore the person for now, he had sleuthing to be done.
With a dower look of unappeasable reproach, Jerry Lattimer turned from the figure to glance around the bedroom once more.
There were no scorch or burn marks noticeable within the room, the main focus solely upon the bed where the body lay. The only thing to note was a haphazard bottle laying next to the marble dresser, possibly knocked over from the incident. A stain was upon the ground on the carpeting. Jerry walked over and crouched down to inspect it. Gingerly, he touched the stain with his index finger of his right hand, it was still slightly damp from the carpet soaking up the liquid. Brushing his finger slightly against his tongue, a bitter but slightly numbing taste assaulted his tastebuds. Gin, no doubt. Maybe a touch of vermouth with olive aftertaste.
‘Pure booze, nothing sinister here,’ Jerry Lattimer thought to himself with an afterthought of disappointment. But that did raise another disturbing thought.
‘How did the killer intend to do it? There are no signs of a struggle or the victim thrashing about. It makes no sense,’ he thought to himself as he stood back up again and placed his right hand to his chin in thought.

Guye Lattimer stood idly by, watching with interest as they observed this relative of theirs playing detective.
‘This is a farce, hilarious though,’ they admitted to themselves with a backhanded remark in their mind.
They were possibly the only one at this gathering of relatives with any proper investigative skills, being a bounty hunter they had a background in police training. It was inevitable that there would be amateurs trying to solve whatever happens this weekend. Still, it hurt Guye to see blunders in any investigative fieldwork. But, this distrust within them was misplaced. For unbeknownst to Guye Lattimer, this was not drill exercises or gunplay procedures, this was cognitive reasoning and logical deduction. Something that they clearly lacked in their field of expertise. Maybe that was why they had thought as they did, for they did not fully understand it themselves.

( to be continued…)

 

[SimonW]

( chapter 2, part 10…)

Pondering his troubled mind in frustration at this new conundrum, Jerry Lattimer finally gave up and decided to investigate the body more closely. He had no qualms with this, his stomach could handle it, though his nose and eyes could not in good conscience sway his mind as he decided upon doing something. Gritting his teeth in determination, Mr. Jerry Lattimer glanced at the body of Mrs. Emily Lattimer. There was no questioning it, the body was indeed hers. There could be no notion of a body double either, her half burnt face was evidently that of the lady whom hours ago was sitting at the dining room table enjoying the meal with them.
Feeling a sense of dread wash over him, Jerry Lattimer averted his gaze from the face of the victim and observed her neck. Despite the charring, there were faint abrasions of bruising underneath upon the neck. Surveying the torso of the cadaver was a similar style of bruising from the waist upwards, though it was hard to distinguish from the burn marks. It looked like she was beaten before the burning, not that seemed to indicate anything in the cause of death. Maybe she had these abrasions beforehand, Jerry was not a medical specialist, even he could not be certain. But it was evident from the strong marks on her neck that she was strangled in a violent way.

Jerry Lattimer glanced over at the other figure in the room that had stayed still after leaning against the back wall. He waved the person over, intending to get a fresh input of some sort from his findings.
Guye Lattimer sauntered over with a besmirched grin upon their face, intrigued it seemed to be part of this investigation.
“So, what’s the story?” Guye Lattimer asked with interest.
Jerry Lattimer gazed at this person up close, unsure whether or not of the gender he was speaking to but just decided not to mince his words and be candid in his discoveries.
“Well, from the outset, it appears to be some sort of combustion that killed her. But, there are weird bruises that suggest something else…” Jerry started to say but was interrupted by Guye in the moment.
“Some sort of sexual assault?” they said with a slight disfavoured tone.
“No, well, as far as I have seen, nothing of the sort. Just, well, a beating,” Jerry replied hastily but seemed perturbed by the insinuation that had not crossed his mind.
Guye raised their eyebrow briefly whilst crossing their arms in front of their chest. They did not seem satisfied by this response.
“Uh huh. Anything else of note?”
“Just the fact it seemed to be a brutal death, aside from the burning I mean,” Jerry Lattimer said, glad to be back on topic after the rude interruption. He glanced back down at the corpse, deep in thought about the circumstances of her demise.
Guye stated nothing at this, just gazing at Jerry Lattimer almost like the man was missing something but they could not place what it was. They switched their attention to the corpse also, having no feeling as the dead did not spook them in their line of work. Heck, they created the alive into the dead for a living. It was nothing to get squeamish about. Well, whomever she was, they admitted that the woman didn’t deserve this kind of treatment. The bruising was obscured in parts by the burnt flesh but whomever did this killing had a semi-professional hand at death. This was not an accidental burning, it was on purpose.

( to be continued…)

 

[SimonW]

( chapter 2, part 11…)

Satisfied with what they both had seen at the crime scene, the two moved back towards the door of the victim’s bedroom.
Guye Lattimer opened the door first, the hallway immediately outside a slight buzz of activity as the remaining ten guests were slightly startled at the door opening and glancing over as Jerry and Guye both exited, shutting the door behind afterwards.
“Well? What did you find?” hurriedly asked Lady Constance Lattimer with vigour towards the two that had exited the bedchamber of the late Mrs. Emily Lattimer.
Jerry Lattimer took the lead and reported his findings out loud to the other guests so as to not repeat himself nine more times in present company.

As his explanation was over, he gazed at the gathered with new eyes, possibly searching for a clue to the identity of the killer or new insight to his new companions towards the weekend.
Lady Constance Lattimer held a concerning frown at this news, having been mere feet away and was the first to approach him. So she was naturally the most in focus to Jerry’s field of view. Behind her was Miss Jennifer Lattimer, also looking slightly perplexed but with a hint of a glint of amazement and hanging onto Jerry’s words. This seemed almost apparent within the face of Miss Sidney Lattimer, but her composure was more restrained and shy as opposed to that of Miss Jennifer Lattimer. She demurely hung back behind the outgoing women of the group.
Behind her and gruffly fiddling with a lit lighter was Kyle Lattimer, having ignited his cigarette to supposedly calm his nerves. The burly man seemed on edge, but that seemed understandable with what has happened and his habit of smoking seemed to calm his nerves. The opposite was true on the face of Jacob Lattimer, whom was wringing his hands nervously whilst seeming to absorb what Jerry Lattimer had just recounted to them all. Alberta Lattimer stayed by the side of Mrs. Dorothy Lattimer-Price and both of them were trying to calm down and comfort the young Alfred Lattimer. The ten year old boy still seemed to be in a shocked daze.
Terry Lattimer held a thoughtful expression, as the teen seemed more relaxed at the news, but maybe that was a facade to not look panicked in front of the others.
The last guest, Darryl Lattimer, seemed unperturbed by the news or was he just drunk, whom could say? It did not help his case as he was casually drinking from a hip flask he had upon his person.
Jerry did not bother glancing over at his new companion in the form of Guye Lattimer, he felt he had observed all that was needed within the room when the person had crossed their arms. A handgun had been peeking out of the holstered jacket. There was no gunplay in this case, though he did admit that the butt of the gun would be a handy club to beat someone up with. Putting this new information he gathered about those gathered into his brain, Jerry smirked lightly before shaking his head and laughing out loud.
“Young man, this is hardly a laughing matter. A woman is dead! What is wrong with you?” Lady Constance Lattimer said with reprimanded reproach at this sudden outburst.
Mr. Jerry Lattimer stopped himself but just seemed intentionally to keep smiling as he gathered his thoughts.
“My dear Lady Constance, I am sorry to have caused you grief. But you see, it is just plain simple to me,” he replied with whimsy but casual air that seemed to draw everybody else’s attention to him.
“What are you talking about? What is simple?” piped up Terry Lattimer with teenage contempt.
“This murder, of course. I know who did it,” Jerry Lattimer announced with a serious glint in his eyes at those assembled in front of him.


( to be continued…)

 

[SimonW]

( chapter 2, part 12…)


Before anybody could say anything, the two manservants that had been silently paying attendance to all this at the doorway of the deceased had opened the door at a nod to each other. Jerry Lattimer bowed graciously and beheld his arm out invitingly towards the now open doorway to the crime scene.
“I feel it best to get this done swiftly, if you would all kindly allow me to explain,” Mr. Jerry Lattimer stated as he and the eleven remaining guests swarmed into the scene of the crime.
Guye entered last and the two manservants closed the door behind them. Lightly gracing themselves in front of the now closed door, Guye Lattimer stood vigil as Jerry Lattimer began his revelry.
“Now, to be honest, I did not fully understand the circumstances surrounding this crime until my compatriot, Guye, had allowed me an insight that I had not foreseen before. That this was not as simple as it appears and the burning of the victim was not the cause of death,” Jerry paused as he noticed some sceptical looks whilst others shielded away from glancing at the corpse in front of them.
“Oh, granted, this was a notion even I almost felt was absurd. But, the fact of bruises upon the body led me to believe that the abrasions on the neck were evident of strangulation,” Jerry said seriously and pointed to the deep impression marks upon the neck of the body.
“They are there, no doubt,” gruffly muttered Kyle Lattimer as he glanced at the neck of the victim on the unburnt side of her body. “But, what does it tell us?”
“To answer this question, one has to ask why would the killer burn someone whom was already dead? I had to think about that to be sure, just to eliminate the thought in my mind. But it soon dawned upon me that maybe it did not need to be eliminated, but instead illuminated. The only logical thought to this question was plain and simple, to cover up the cause of death,” Jerry Lattimer paused once again to let the thought seep deep into the minds of those around himself.
“Oh, I get it. The killer did it to…to…I don’t know,” sheepishly muttered Terry Lattimer, grabbing his head as his teenage mind was reeling at his unfinished thought.
“There was traces of the killer left behind, possibly a thing that could not be just taken away,” meekly came the shaky voice of Alfred Lattimer, surprising those around him as he spoke of the first thing to come to his mind.
Surprisingly, Jerry Lattimer did not chide the child, instead he nodded his head in affirmation.
“That is correct, namely a thing like that has to be something they left behind, like fingerprints. The only reasoning of that is the strangulation marks on the neck, meaning she was strangled by somebody’s bare hands,” said Jerry Lattimer calmly and grateful at least one of the other guests had some resemblance of logical reasoning.
“That sounds reasonable, given the circumstances of the corpse. But, who would go to such lengths as to burn the body to cover their tracks?” asked out Sidney Lattimer with a perplexing look upon her face.
“That is where I hit a wall with my logical reasoning. But, thanks to my insightful companion Guye, I was able to jump that hurdle in my thought process. Before we exited the room of the deceased, Guye held me back and suggested the killer was a semi-professional of sorts, meaning they have killed before. But the clumsy arrangement of the half burnt corpse made it obvious the killer was in a rush after having “destroyed” their crime. There is only one person I can think of that fits the three criteria of the killer. Number one, they have to have considerable strength. Number two, they had to have a stimulant to start the flames. And lastly, they have to be used to the lifestyle where death is a common occurrence. There is only one person that fits this criteria perfectly and that person is you, Kyle Lattimer!” vehemently announced Jerry Lattimer and pointed his finger towards Kyle Lattimer.
The other guests glanced sharply towards Kyle Lattimer as the broad shouldered man gazed cooly at Jerry Lattimer with his cigarette in his mouth.


(to be continued…)

 

[SimonW]

( chapter 2, part 13…)

“Well, let me ask you a question. Are you a cop or something?” Kyle Lattimer inquired as he billowed smoke from his mouth in a reflective exhale.
“No, I am not,” honestly replied Jerry Lattimer, slightly intrigued as to what this would entail.
Kyle Lattimer barely nodded, the gangster tensing his muscles before folding his arms whilst remaining calm.
“Then what you got treating me like I did it, huh? Just because I am the right build or got a right temperate for the job ain’t mean a dang thing, ya hear me!” suddenly outbursts Kyle Lattimer, his hot headed temper flaring up without a care about the consequences.
Several of the other relatives gave Kyle Lattimer a bit more space as the American raised his voice out loud. He did not seem to notice as he raised his hands out of the calm state they were in and balled up his fists in defiance at Jerry Lattimer.
“But, your lighter…” started Jerry Lattimer but did not get to finish as Kyle Lattimer interrupted him.
“My lighter be irrelevant, you English moron! Anybody can light that woman with gin and be done with it! Where is hard evidence!?!” Kyle Lattimer asked exploding with rage, his face red from outrage.
Jerry Lattimer just shook his head at the stupidity of this relative.
“You just provided your own undoing. I never mentioned what was used as an accelerant to burn the victim,” Jerry calmly stated. “That is the evidence.”
At that moment, any human semblance within Kyle Lattimer was gone as he started to make a beeline for Jerry’s throat with his meaty fists like a wild animal.
“Well, that’s good enough for me,” came the voice of Guye Lattimer from the doorway as they unholstered their firearm and a single shot was heard within the room. BANG!
A few cries of startled terror emitted from a few of the gathered relatives, but the bullet hit the now slumped down body of Kyle Lattimer before he had a chance to reach Jerry Lattimer. A violent end to a violent man.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Jerry held up his hands in a motion as to settle down the other guests within the room.
“I am sorry for the startle of excitement everyone but it had to be done. He was a murderer after all,” he added as an afterthought as Jerry Lattimer glanced down at the ex-gangster dead at his feet.
“B-b-but why would he do it?” timidly asked Alfred Lattimer. “Why did he kill her?”
“I do not know. Maybe for the inheritance in the letter he got. Who can say?” Guye Lattimer responded as they holstered their Smith and Wesson after blowing the smoke from the barrel of their gun. “Sorry to have spooked you all. I am a doer, not a thinker. I just saw Mr. Jerry in trouble and had to do what I could before another murder happened.”
A murmur of dissent understanding was the reply but Guye Lattimer just took it in stride. Somebody had to do the hard decision making around here and they fit that description perfectly.


End of Chapter 2

 

[Copperfox]

I am reminded of a line of dialogue from "Black Adam": A bad plan is better than no plan at all.

You have a character make a decision, because indecisiveness is often the worst thing. Correct! If you stand still, unable to decide on anything, you are a stationary target for any danger that might be coming.

 

[SimonW]

I am reminded of a line of dialogue from "Black Adam": A bad plan is better than no plan at all.

You have a character make a decision, because indecisiveness is often the worst thing. Correct! If you stand still, unable to decide on anything, you are a stationary target for any danger that might be coming.

Ah, but there’s the rub. Whose plan was the bad one? Kyle’s or Guye’s? But I guess both were pretty bad, though Kyle Lattimer’s was more so since his was the one to start off this catalyst of it all.



Chapter 3: Tea For Two…

The aftermath of this tradegy just made all the guests on edge. And justifying in these feelings they were, for nobody expected two bodies of people they had just met hours ago to be in the same room together. One murdered, the other killed in self-defence.
Hysteric pandemonium kicked in as the guests left as unified shock and horror of these events led them silently out of the bedroom of the late Mrs. Emily Lattimer, at least hoping she would receive some sort of peace. Nobody had any thoughts of niceties towards Kyle Lattimer. He had made his bed in his decision to kill someone, let alone a flesh and blood relative.
After the remaining eleven guests had left, the manservant closed the door and a sense of tensed atmosphere seemed to surround the surviving guests. It was like a burst of stagnant air had just been released by a bursting bubble of condensation. An odd feeling of relaxing with still a twinge of wariness within one’s self.
The demeaning silence was cut short as the figure in military regimental garb approached them all with the heels of his hunting boots clip-clopping upon the smooth marbled floor of the hallway.
He stopped as he surveyed his relatives with his monocled eye glass.
“Well, I have been informed of your success as a whole, congratulations. You have survived your first ordeal. Now, go freshen up if you all would be so kind. Time for breakfast shall be in half an hour,” Mr. Henry Carmichael Lattimer announced as he took out a gold embossened pocket watch and glanced down at it showing the time to be a quarter past seven.
After announcing this fact, he put away his pocket watch and gave a salute towards the two manservants standing by the door. They responded by bowing and flanked behind him as he turned on his heel and they left the bewildered guests hardly time to register this request as the three figures left the hallway once more.

The guests had little to do at this moment, silently without a word to each other, they slunk back to their respective bedrooms to get ready for breakfast.
The most fragile of the lot, Alberta Lattimer, made her way into her room, slightly dizzy from the early goings-on. It did not help her already weak constitution as she demurely sat upon her bed to collect her thoughts. She did find it morbidly fascinating in a way, murder at Lattimer Manor. But with a sigh of dignified reservation, she bolstered herself by having her morning medication, which she honestly should have had an hour ago after when she had awakened. But with all the shocking moments of excitement going on, she had forgotten till now to do so. Luckily, it was a mild dose in the mornings, her evening ones before bed a more taxing yet more important one to have.
After having her libations of medicine, Alberta Lattimer started to get herself ready for the day ahead, though thirty minutes to get showered and dressed seemed ludicrous to her. She usually had to get ready within an hour and a half before being presentable. But, she decided to make do, not letting vanity waiver punctuality in this case because she was still a guest.
‘Besides, my illness is not a hindrance to others, only to myself,’ she thought to herself the mantra that Dr. Stevens had told her as she started to get herself ready.


Jacob Lattimer was still a nervous wreck of a man. Murder? And now two guests dead? In retrospect, the gambler’s mind was giddy with joy in the deep recesses of his mind. He clutched the black letter and envelope in his pocket.
‘Two less to worry about getting the inheritance money,’ Jacob Lattimer greedily thought as his weasel gambler’s mind began churning the numbers within his brain.
Of course, he did not intend to get his hands dirty, odds were that somebody else would in desperation kick off the ball to roll by committing another murder.
‘I just gotta wait, just gotta wait Jacob my old son,’ he thought feverishly, the voice of it almost like a crazed child screaming in joy of presents at Christmas.
But then he thought about his situation again, about not being a real Lattimer by blood. But surely, he was still entitled to a share, right?
‘I am married into the family. That still counts, right? Right,’ thought Jacob Lattimer with a determined thought of reassurance to calm himself down.
Whatever thoughts afterwards kept Jacob Lattimer calm enough in his mind to start getting ready for breakfast.

Terry Lattimer-Davies was unhinged in his right frame of mind, the stressful start to the day almost unbearable to the sixteen year old lad.
‘That Guye person is cool, though. The way he shot that pistol,’ Terry thought to himself, unknowingly labelling Guye as a male figure in his teenage mind.
He glanced down at his bathroom robed body, having had a shower earlier in the morning before he had heard the maid’s scream. Shaking his head at being perturbed by his lack of clothing beneath it, Terry Lattimer-Davies was glad he had the foresight of mind to securely tie it around his body before departure of his bedchambers.
He wandered back into his bathroom to continue his daily routine and started to resume preparing for the day, the events of this morning fleeting from his mind as he began the monotonous process.


( to be continued…)

 

[SimonW]

( chapter 3, part 2…)

Mrs. Dorothy Lattimer-Price was unperplexed by these events this morning. She did feel forlornly about Mrs. Emily Lattimer though. The young lass was a bright moment at the dining table yesterday evening.
‘But now that star’s light is out,’ she thought sadly to herself.
As she started her day brushing her hair into a bun, Mrs. Dorothy’s thoughts were on the youngest of their troop, that poor boy Alfred. Sighing slightly in a diminished state of mentality, Mrs. Dorothy Lattimer-Price brushed aside the cobwebs in her mind as the seventy year old woman began getting ready for morning breakfast.

Darryl Lattimer was day drunk, that much was obvious. What did not make sense in his mind was his suddenly empty hip flask that held his emergency booze. He did not recall when he had drunken it, possibly during the investigation of something or other. But then his mind decided not to dwell upon it, for he knew his libations would be sated since he recalled the drinks of the evening before. Swaying slightly as he haphazardly made his way to his bed, Darryl allowed himself to sleep it off for at least five minutes so to be sobered up enough to get ready for breakfast. He unintentionally slept in for fifteen minutes instead of five but did not acknowledge this as he roused himself awake, apparently refreshed enough to groggily walk his way to his bathroom. Heck, maybe he could wash out his mouth with some mint tulip vodka to get himself primed and ready for breakfast.


The rest of the guests began their morning rituals to be prepared for breakfast while at least one of them had already planned the next game of the hunt. Murder, but unlike the one that boorish American had committed. This one required finesse, some eloquence and of substance. But that would be a germ of an idea festering in their rotten mind.
That and it all relied on a mere pot of tea.


( to be continued…)

 

[SimonW]

( chapter 3, part 3…)

The grandfather clock in the dining room struck on the quarter to eight as the eleven guests were once more seated at the black marble table they had eaten at previously last evening.
Their host was again seated at the far end head of the table, just observing them with his usual solemn continence and composure.
Nobody said anything and the quarter binging chimes of the clock stopped after ringing seven times.
Mr. Henry Carmichael Lattimer cleared his throat, breaking the silence within the dining room.
“Well, shall we begin our meal?” he asked plainly but didn’t wait for a second before clapping his hands.
In response to this summons, at least five of the servants came out from the door behind Henry Carmichael Lattimer, this time all the female members of staff. The one whom found the body of Mrs. Emily Lattimer was not present, or so several of the seated guests noticed. The ones that did not notice either did not care in the slightest or were preoccupied by the dishes in the maids hands.
The plates were silver platters with an assortment of cured pork crackling or bacon rashes with eggs either fried, scrambled or poached. Toasted bread was eloquently placed in mini toast slice holders upon a seperate platter with mixes of spreadable butter, sweet chutney or marmalade in porcelain containers.
The third and final platter held an ornate tea kettle with steam rising from the spout, the bronzed monstrous kettle obviously heated to perfection. Eleven small teacups were handed out once the maid placed the platter down and a pitcher of milk was put off to the side should the guests require it.
It seemed like a decent, if modest, breakfast spread. It allowed the guests limited options to be served by the maids upon warmed plates and placed down with the plates filled to order. It became apparent that the buffet style was pick your choice, the plates filled to your preference and then you got served your meal to your specifications.
One guest was not happy with the limited choices however, that of Darryl Lattimer. He side-eyed the tea served in front of him, the aroma of mild mint and proper herbal mixture assaulted his nose as he chagrined before sipping it. It tasted more mild than he thought, the subtle mint flavour lost to the slightly sweetened tea aftertaste. He almost sputtered it from his mouth but thought better of it and slowly gulped it down with effort. Darryl had hoped for a morning booze of some description. Luckily, he slipped in a small bit of his vodka mint mouthwash whilst he assumed nobody was looking on the sly and drank it again, this time not minding the taste as much as before.

( to be continued…)

 

[Copperfox]

I'll bet that you never expected this story to be compared with Tolkien! But I am reminded of the way "Lord of the Rings" often describes the exact foods which characters eat, like the dinner Frodo's party enjoyed at the Prancing Pony Inn.

 

[SimonW]

I'll bet that you never expected this story to be compared with Tolkien! But I am reminded of the way "Lord of the Rings" often describes the exact foods which characters eat, like the dinner Frodo's party enjoyed at the Prancing Pony Inn.

Nope, not expected at all. In all honesty, it never crossed my mind, but I will admit I have not read that book in years.


( chapter 3, part 4…)

Darryl Lattimer was not the only one surprised by the limited spread of options, but this guest was thinking of in general as foods and drinks. Alfred Lattimer just shrugged his shoulders as he gazed at the breakfast options, not being picky though he would have liked a fruit juice option in his mind. He meekly just pointed out the food options he preferred, especially interested in a side of bacon and scrambled eggs with a piece of buttered toast to have his scrambled eggs sit upon.
The tea he sipped before eating anything, liking the sweet taste without any sugar added before he started to tackle his breakfast with enthusiasm. He was notably hungry this morning. Possibly from all the emotions of the events this morning.
He glanced over at the maid that had given him his plate and watched as she made her way behind his chair to get past and stood next to the other maids at the opposite wall. She had no identifying tag or anything to specify her name as a person. This seemed to make Alfred Lattimer eat silently in thought until he drew his attention to their host. Apparently, he was not eating or drinking anything, the empty plate barren in front of Mr. Henry Carmichael Lattimer.
“Sir, are you not joining us for breakfast?” inquired Alfred with a puzzled look on his face.
The others guests finally noticed their host not imbibing in breakfast and all of them stopped eating and drinking at this juncture.
Mr. Henry Carmichael Lattimer seemed to smile from behind his white moustache and gazed over endearingly at Alfred Lattimer like a kindly grandfather.
“Not today, child. My constitution forbids me of it. I shall have a hearty brunch momentarily,” responded nicely Henry Carmichael Lattimer. “But please, do not let that stop you, my honoured guests, of your morning meals.”
This seemed to ease the guests minds back to partaking breakfast without much hassle and almost made the early morning murders seem like a nightmare drifted on the breeze to forget.

After breakfast, it became apparent that a mini coffee and tea break was an option, which all the guests readily agreed to accept. Thankfully, they did this for Mr. Henry Carmichael Lattimer said they were able to explore the house during this interval and partake of the nearby grounds to soak up the English country air in the mid-morning.
The guests split off in groups of their choosing, each going separately or with someone accompanying them to wherever they were wanting to go to grasp a better layout of the Lattimer Manor and its surrounding gardens.
Guye and Jerry naturally formed a team, opting to investigate the Study of their host, whom had no objections in the slightest. They were joined by the teenager called Terry Lattimer, honestly not fussed and glad for extra company. The group of three didn’t find much of interest in the Study anyway, but they all agreed they were more curious than nosey.

Alfred and Dorothy decided to team up with Alberta and investigate the kitchen, surprised to find that the one maid whom had found the body of Mrs. Emily Lattimer was apparently also a scullery maid and a kitchen hand helping prepare foods and drinks for them all. With idle chit-chat they also found out the maid’s name was Samantha, though they could not coax out her surname as that was not to be knowledge to be divulged to the guests. They did not press this matter but also found out some of the staff rules from her, like no servant was to intrude upon the hunt the guests partook in. Even if the staff were to find out a murderer plotting beforehand or during a hunt, they could not and would not interfere.
Alfred was slightly shook up by this and caused several pots behind him to topple over but was unharmed. He apologised profusely but the kitchen staff silently picked up the toppled pots as Mrs. Dorothy Lattimer-Price helped the young boy to his feet.
Alberta stayed out of this mess, as she knew she would more than likely get in the way and just took a dose of her medicine from her purse as it was gastric pill time after a meal. The three of them decided to leave the kitchen after that and partook some juice and coffee within a lounge room.

The next group comprised of Darryl Lattimer and surprisingly Miss Jennifer Lattimer, the two of them ending up outside amongst a garden bed with a bench. Well, in point of fact, it was Miss Jennifer Lattimer whom had found this secluded spot and Darryl Lattimer just happened to stumble upon her seated at the bench. He noticed she too had a cup of what appeared to be fresh brewed tea that she had gotten from the kitchen staff merely five minutes ago.
“Shall we partake in our drinks together, Miss Jennifer?” Darryl Lattimer said whilst indicating to their cups before pulling out his vodka mint mix and shaking the bottle idly after he sat down next to the twenty year old.
Miss Jennifer Lattimer slightly raised her eyebrow but did not reply in either the affirmative or the negative. This did not seem to sway the man as he deftly added a few drops into his own cup and then a few drops into hers.
They clinked their teacups together lightly in mirth before drinking their improved tea.

The final two guests together partook their own fancy tea within a sitting parlour, enjoying some lavish scones and honeyed jam as a decadent treat for mid-morning tea. Lady Constance Lattimer had practically made Sidney Lattimer join her for a high tea pre-luncheon. Sidney felt bad for the lady, she noticed Lady Constance rabbiting on about idle gossip that led nowhere in between sips of tea and bites of scones. The old money socialite was obviously a very lonely person and did not seem to have any real friends. She confided so many misgivings to Sidney that Sidney Lattimer just had to take it in stride and be sympathetic to this older but richer relative.
“And furthermore, I just do not understand why we are in this predicament, I tell you!” vehemently announced Lady Constance Lattimer as the twenty-two year old next to her seemed to nod in agreement.

Jacob Lattimer was the odd guest out, having nobody else with him. But, that suited him just fine. More chance to drink his coffee in peace. He did not leave the dining room, just enjoying the solitude as he had ordered his coffee five minutes ago to a nearby maid servant. She looked pretty too, not that Jacob was particularly interested. He just knew a pretty face when he saw one. No doubt their host had a good eye for these things himself. It did not surprise Jacob in the slightest as he silently sipped his coffee in contemplation.


It was barely past nine as one of the manservants had found the next victims of the hunt, the two bodies slumped next to each other as if in a deep sleep that they would never awaken from.
Oh yes, now it was two murder victims, that was quite plain and certain. It was also obvious whom they were as they were seated upon the garden bench, the remains of the teacups fallen and broken upon the garden stone pathway. These were the corpses of Darryl Lattimer and Miss Jennifer Lattimer.


( to be continued…)

 

[SimonW]

( chapter 3, part 5…)

It took barely ten minutes for all the guests to be notified of this tragedy, assembling at the scene of the crime as the main butler manservant paraded the party of guests towards the two bodies of Darryl Lattimer and Miss Jennifer Lattimer.
Jerry gazed with a frown at the two corpses, kneeling down to the seated individuals and surveying the area of the crime with thoughtful consideration.
There was slight murmurs of conversation behind Jerry Lattimer as the crime scene was now open to everyone to see in the open gardens of Lattimer Manor.
This distraction did not dissuade Jerry Lattimer, as he took the role of investigator once more, not that it bothered him in the slightest. The only thing he wished was for a better knowledge of forensics at hand. But, that was not available right now, so he had to rely on what he was seeing and smelling right now at the crime scene.
The slight smell of mint and sweet tea was the first thing he was able to distinguish as he delicately picked up one of the broken pieces of porcelain teacups and sniffed lightly. But there was a faint tinge of acidity that Jerry was unable to identify. Sighing lightly to himself, he placed the cup back down and gazed up at the dead bodies in front of him.
They were not in agony, that was apparent. But, unlike the previous case, there were no signs of trauma, no marks of bodily harm upon the two bodies, at least from what Jerry Lattimer could see. Reaching forward, he gently raised the left arm of Miss Jennifer Lattimer that was draped demurely and relaxed to her left side in repose. Letting it fall out of his grasp, he let gravity take over as it fell back limply to her side without any issues.
With a nod of his head, Jerry Lattimer stood back up and noted tucked beside in the hand of Darryl Lattimer was a light green bottle with hardly any liquid within it.
“Well, at least they did not seem to suffer,” Jerry Lattimer stated as he turned towards the other eight relatives behind him and at least three feet from the crime scene.
“All well and good for them. But, what caused them to be dead, young man?” haphazardly asked Lady Constance with genuine if rash curiosity.
“Poison, no doubt about it. They were drugged to death,” he replied with candid simplicity, choosing to ignore the rather snide remark from Lady Constance Lattimer about the deceased.


( to be continued…)

 

[SimonW]

( chapter 3, part 6…)

The relatives and guests of this hunt seemed shocked by Mr. Jerry Lattimer’s statement of fact. But one question was unsaid until Alberta Lattimer raised it after a second of silence.
“But we were all in groups. Was it a case of double suicide?” she asked in an almost hesitant and wavering voice to nobody in particular.
Jerry Lattimer shook his head in response to this question, though others seemed to nod slowly at the question they had all been thinking but were afraid of voicing.
“No, we can’t say it for sure either way just yet. We are in a game of murder, after all,” Jerry Lattimer said to vocalise his opinion to Alberta Lattimer’s question. He touched his chin with his right hand in thought. “In order to figure this out, we need to state where we were and what we were doing, also who we were with at the moments of the crime.”
“Well, that may be tricky, Mr. Detective. As I do not have the luxury of an alibi, seeing I was alone in the dining room by myself,” remarked back Jacob Lattimer.
The other guests grew wary of Jacob Lattimer as he stated this, obviously tensions were high at the moment as the word alibi and alone was thrown out into the conversation. But Jerry Lattimer just took this confession at face value as fact and merely nodded his head. He decided to try a different approach.
“Okay everyone, settle down. How about this? I have my alibi backed up by Guye Lattimer and Terry Lattimer, they were with me in the Study. In point of interest for all concerned, I would like to conduct a one-on-one interview with you all in the Study so no testimonies can be tainted. Is that fair?” Jerry Lattimer suggested so as to reign in this feeling of mistrust at Jacob Lattimer that he could already sense in the air.
His suggestion was begrudgingly accepted by everyone present at that moment in time and he felt relieved as the elderly main manservant took them all back towards the manor house in peace. Jerry Lattimer gazed back once at the two dead bodies and clicked his tongue in irritation, knowing he would have to try extra hard to catch this murderer. He knew it was murder, for that acidic smell he had noticed in the teacup was bitter almonds. He started his way back to Lattimer Manor with a heavy heart.

( to be continued…)

 

[SimonW]

( chapter 3, part 7…)

Jerry Lattimer was seated in the Study leather chair, the dark mahogany desk in front of him with pieces of the teacups and the light green empty bottle that the elderly butler had procured from the crime scene at Mr. Jerry Lattimer’s request.
The old butler, that Jerry had found out was called Gerard, was the head of the staff at Lattimer Manor and beheld himself to the side of Jerry Lattimer. He stood rigidly at attention whilst wearing his white gloves and his manner a stoic one at the ready to serve as best as possible.
Mr. Jerry Lattimer held his hands clasped together in deep thought, his elbows supporting this motion upon the edge of the dark mahogany desk as he awaited until the first guest had entered via the oaken Study door.

Guye Lattimer opened the door in front of them, being the first guest summoned for the one-on-one talk with Jerry Lattimer. The bounty hunter seemed belligerent and care-free, knowing full well they did not do these murders, if in fact that murder it was.
As they sat opposite Jerry Lattimer, the dark desk in between them, Guye Lattimer smiled non-comically in a friendly manner before tipping their hat lightly in acknowledgement of Jerry Lattimer.
“Well, this is a toss up of a mess, eh?” Guye Lattimer asked before Jerry opened his mouth to speak.
Jerry halted as he was about to reply but decided not to antagonise them and merely nodded lightly in response before gesturing with a hand to the pieces of evidence upon the table.
Guye Lattimer leaned in their seat to get a better view and seemed to nod in a solemn manner before leaning back in their chair.
“I don’t envy you, you know. This is a lot less to go upon than the previous case,” they concluded after seeing the evidence before them.
“Yes, things look scarce in the clue department, hence why this questioning. Now, I know you are not the killer. I was with you at the time. But, just as a formality, please do the best you can to recall of our time together at the time of or before the murder,” Jerry Lattimer stated in a forlorn fashion.
“Okay, okay. Gee, you don’t have to make it sound sappy like we were in the throes of each other’s embrace. We merely were together with Terry Lattimer in this here Study, just being nosy and investigative,” replied back Guye Lattimer with a wily grin as they noticed Jerry Lattimer go beet red slightly out of embarrassment.
With that, Guye Lattimer got up and hastily left the Study as Gerard the butler coughed lightly and Jerry Lattimer continued to be ackwardly embarrassed until a slight knock was heard upon the Study door.
“C-come in!” squeaked out Jerry Lattimer a tad too loudly as he tried to regain his flustered composure.

Terry Lattimer-Davies opened the door and moodily sauntered into the Study, almost looking bored as he sat opposite Jerry Lattimer.
“Are you all right? Your cheeks look red,” stated Terry Lattimer-Davies in a factual sense.
“I’m fine, thank you Terry. Now, does any of this look familiar to you?” Jerry Lattimer asked, dismissing the comment made by the teenager.
Terry glanced at the things upon the Study table and merely shrugged his shoulders.
“Nah, dunno anything about em,” he replied in the negative, obviously not interested as he relaxed in the chair in a bored fashion. “Can I go now?”
“Just one more thing, please,Terry. I recall you went to the toilet to use them for a few minutes as we were investigating this Study. What exactly did you do there?”
Terry Lattimer just gazed at Jerry Lattimer like he was stupid. “I did what you always do in the loo, I took a dump and washed my hands. Hardly time to commit murder, you nonce.”
“So, you agree with me, this is murder, right?” Jerry seriously asked Terry.
“Call it whatever ya want, man. Alls I know is I didn’t do it,” Terry stated vehemently and got out of the chair to leave the Study.
As he got to the door, Terry Lattimer opened it and left.
“That, sir, is a very spirited young man,” stated Gerard solemnly and Jerry Lattimer nodded in agreement at the old butler’s words.

“Um, excuse me, but mind if I come in now?” came the timid voice of Miss Sidney Lattimer as she stood in the open doorway of the Study. Terry Lattimer had not bothered closing the door after his departure.
“Not at all, please, come in,” Jerry Lattimer said in jubilant fashion, hoping his next interview would not be as troublesome as his last two.
‘And they were meant to be the easy ones,’ Jerry thought to himself but roused his attention towards Sidney Lattimer as she had sat down after closing the door and walking over to the chair.
“Now, I take it you were, where, exactly?” asked Jerry Lattimer to Sidney Lattimer with pure curiousity.
“In the sitting room parlour, with Lady Constance Lattimer,” she said, glancing down towards her hands as she mentioned Lady Lattimer’s name.
“Is she that unbearable, then?” asked Jerry in an amused tone of voice.
At this, the twenty two year old woman’s eyes gazed up at him and grew wide with fretful surprise.
“Oh no, nothing like that. She’s just…a lot to handle,” admitted Sidney Lattimer, her voice slightly tinged with sadness at the truth she was admitting.
“And what were you two doing in the sitting room parlour?” Jerry Lattimer asked, encouraging her to continue speaking after a two second silence between them.
“Oh, talking mostly. We did partake of honey jam and cream scones with tea,” she stated whilst a small smile came upon her face.
“Tea, like this one?” Jerry asked as he held up a broken teacup to the face of Sidney Lattimer. “Please sniff to identify if it is the same brand, if you could, Miss Lattimer.”
Sidney did as bid, grabbing the broken teacup fragment and inhaled deeply through her nostrils. She put it back down upon the desk after immediately shaking her head.
“No, no, this is not the same brand. We had a High Tea, rather cinnamon-like in scent with a strong odour of English tea. Nothing like this brand at all. But, maybe Lady Lattimer would know more about it then I would,” Sidney said with a hint of self-doubt as she felt inadequate suddenly and her meek demeanour overcame her confidence.
“Not at all, Miss Lattimer, I feel you have adequately explained your taste in teas very well,” Jerry Lattimer said plainly and made Sidney Lattimer blush at the compliment.
“Please, just call me Sid. All my friends do,” she said in response, feeling bolstered by a rare compliment thrown her way. “Is there anything else I can help with?”
“No, not today Miss-ah, Sid. Thank you,” Jerry Lattimer caught himself and Sidney Lattimer just smiled in pleasure as she left the Study, shutting the door behind her as she left.
“You have a way with the young ladies, sir,” briskly stated Gerard in a complimentary tone.
“When you are a Lattimer, anything is possible,” flippantly remarked back Mr. Jerry Lattimer before the next guest opened the door of the Study.


( to be continued…)

 

[SimonW]

( chapter 3, part 8…)

Lady Constance Lattimer held herself up high as she entered the Study, like a peacock flaunting it’s feathers.
“I hope this won’t take too long, as I do not believe this needs much investigation,” the fifty year old woman declared as she sat down promptly yet delicately within the chair at a sideways angle.
“Does this mean you know whom the killer is?” asked incredulously Jerry Lattimer in a surprised tone of voice.
Lady Constance Lattimer just gazed back at Jerry Lattimer before lightly chuckling in a false tone of modesty.
“You poor deluded man, heavens no. I mean this is an obvious case of double suicide. Is that not clear to you?” she stated matter of factly with an undertone of mocking snide snobbery.
Mr. Jerry Lattimer sighed mentally to himself. ‘Of course she would think that.’
“Lady Lattimer, we have yet to determine that is the case. Remember, the other murder…” started Jerry Lattimer before being cut off by Lady Lattimer.
“No, I would rather not, I thank you! I do not want to be reminded of that dreadful ordeal. This is not that, I guarantee it!”
“I’m sorry, Lady Lattimer. It is not that simple. Do you have any proof this is suicide, as you claim?” Jerry Lattimer asked in an almost given up tone of voice.
“Check the bottle, I am sure it contains whatever foul poison that man, David, carried around with him. Not that I abide drunks of any description,” Lady Constance said with vigour and pointed to the light green empty glass bottle upon the desk in front of her.
“Firstly, his name was Darryl. Secondly, I detected a smell of bitter almonds from the teacup fragments. And lastly, I have checked the bottle and there was no such smell of almonds from within. I am sorry, but it is murder, Lady Lattimer,” announced Jerry Lattimer heatedly with as much composure as he could muster not to chew the lady out.
“Well, my mistake, then,” bluntly replied Lady Constance Lattimer flippantly as if nothing was the matter.
Jerry Lattimer would have lost his cool if it were not for the fact she had backpedaled from her entitlement so easily that made him calm down instantly to continue his interrogation.
“I understand from Sid Lattimer that you were with her when the incident occurred?” he asked in a serious tone.
“Who? Oh, Miss Sidney, yes I was. How I am related to a pathetic thing like her is beyond me. Then again,” Lady Constance Lattimer paused as she eyed Jerry Lattimer up and down. “How I am related at all to these relatives, I shall never know.”
“Thank you, Lady Lattimer. That will be all,” stated Jerry Lattimer through gritted teeth as he felt himself about to lose his calmness once more.
“Charmed, I’m sure,” she responded with idle disdain as she got up and walked out of the Study with her head still held high.
“How nobody has murdered HER yet, I will never know,” muttered Jerry Lattimer to himself as he exhaled a sigh to calm himself down once more.
“Possibly by adaptive means, sir,” replied Gerard with a dry sense of wit.

Alfred Lattimer was the next guest to be interrogated. The ten year old child did not seem as upset as he was of the previous murders as he sat across from Jerry Lattimer.
‘Perhaps he has gotten used to it by now,’ thought Jerry Lattimer darkly that sent a slight shiver of concern for the child down his spine.
“I take it you know why we are doing this, right Alfred?” Jerry Lattimer asked tentatively, trying to start things off softly.
“Yes, I know. You want to catch a murderer,” responded back Alfred simply.
“Uh, yes, that’s right,” replied Jerry in a surprised tone of voice.
“Yeah, don’t look down on me like a baby, I hate that. Did you want to know where I was? I was in the kitchen with Dorothy and Alberta, learning things like the servants can’t tell us their last names and the fact they can’t interfere with any murder plots, even in front of a murderer. That’s all we learnt there, oh, and also that I knocked over a couple of pots in the kitchen. Dorothy helped me up as Alberta took her pills for her gastric indigestion after a meal,” Alfred Lattimer said fluidly whilst hardly stopping until he got his information out of his mouth.
“Okay, thank you for the information. Oh, coincidentally, how did you know about Alberta Lattimer’s dosage, Alfred?” Jerry Lattimer asked, trying to keep up with the flood of information he just received.
“Because she told me about it afterwards. She apparently takes a lot of pills during the day. She does suffer from some kinda disease that can’t be treated.”
“I see, anything to add?” Jerry asked as a wry smile played on his lips as the ten year old mulled over this question for a few seconds.
“Not really. Only that I hope you catch the murderer this time. It seems they are very tricky, poisoning two people without anyone knowing they did it,” Alfred said with a thoughtful expression upon his face.
“Thank you, Alfred. You may go now,” Jerry said and gave the boy the permission to leave.
Alfred Lattimer nodded in the affirmative and leapt off the chair with child-like exuberance before running out of the Study and closing the door behind himself.


( to be continued…)