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Chapter 15
From where Harriet and Agatha were seated in the gallery, they could see Inspector Cosgrove preparing his evidence.
“I have here a collection of letters received by the accused.” Cosgrove remarked, holding them aloft before proceeding to line them up one-by-one on a nearby table.
“May I remind you Inspector,” said the leading magistrate. “That Mrs Carter is not on trial and I will fine you for contempt of court if her privacy is compromised.”
Phoebe Carter appeared quite shaken at the sight of her letters... her 'dirty linen' publicly exposed like this. She realised the police must have taken them when they had disappeared from her house following their search. However, she had not expected the Inspector to use them in a public display in court. She stared at her lawyer through pleading eyes, but he remained unemotional.
“Your honour,” began Cosgrove. “On the night 3rd December 1895 my constables and I were summoned to the British Museum by the nightwatch man Mr Samuel Bailey after he had reported seeing a disturbance in one of the exhibit rooms. When we eventually arrived, we discovered two females.”
“Lucky you!” someone from the gallery shouted, sparking a burst of hilarity.
Both Harriet and Agatha felt their cheeks burn with embarrassment.
“Silence in court!” shouted the leading magistrate.
“And the body of Thomas Carter was found in one of those Egyptian tomb things, your honour.”
“The word you are looking for Inspector is ‘sarcophagus’.” Informed one of the other magistrates.
Agatha caught Harriet rolling her eyes.
“Thank you, your honour.”
The leading magistrate appeared puzzled. “Tell me Inspector, why did you not arrest these two women? Surely they would have been your prime suspects?”
“They both volunteered to come down to the station for questioning your honour and after a lengthy interrogation it was concluded that neither of them had the means, motive or opportunity to...
“I have here a collection of letters received by the accused.” Cosgrove remarked, holding them aloft before proceeding to line them up one-by-one on a nearby table.
“May I remind you Inspector,” said the leading magistrate. “That Mrs Carter is not on trial and I will fine you for contempt of court if her privacy is compromised.”
Phoebe Carter appeared quite shaken at the sight of her letters... her 'dirty linen' publicly exposed like this. She realised the police must have taken them when they had disappeared from her house following their search. However, she had not expected the Inspector to use them in a public display in court. She stared at her lawyer through pleading eyes, but he remained unemotional.
“Your honour,” began Cosgrove. “On the night 3rd December 1895 my constables and I were summoned to the British Museum by the nightwatch man Mr Samuel Bailey after he had reported seeing a disturbance in one of the exhibit rooms. When we eventually arrived, we discovered two females.”
“Lucky you!” someone from the gallery shouted, sparking a burst of hilarity.
Both Harriet and Agatha felt their cheeks burn with embarrassment.
“Silence in court!” shouted the leading magistrate.
“And the body of Thomas Carter was found in one of those Egyptian tomb things, your honour.”
“The word you are looking for Inspector is ‘sarcophagus’.” Informed one of the other magistrates.
Agatha caught Harriet rolling her eyes.
“Thank you, your honour.”
The leading magistrate appeared puzzled. “Tell me Inspector, why did you not arrest these two women? Surely they would have been your prime suspects?”
“They both volunteered to come down to the station for questioning your honour and after a lengthy interrogation it was concluded that neither of them had the means, motive or opportunity to...
