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“I had mixed emotions about taking on the job. It seemed that my name meant nothing to Henshaw. I imagined that if I were to confront the man with the facts about my claim, he might refute my story and have me removed from the house, effectively ending any chance I had to claim my inheritance. On the other hand, I was at least within the house, and close to all of the wealth that my family’s diamonds had helped to create. Until I could think of something better, I decided to accept the new role.
“Since being at Trimingham, I have been content to serve Gerald, acting as a mentor to the young Englishman. It is a relationship I have worked hard to foster, hoping that one day I might be able to confide in Gerald and explain all that had happened in the past. Unfortunately, subsequent events at the manor seem to have deprived me of any such opportunity.
“Yesterday, I had pla
“When I re-entered the dining room, Henshaw was nowhere to be seen, but as I picked up the map, I could see across the hallway that the door to David Harker’s former study was ajar. Apart from the day of my interview, I had never known the door to be opened. It had been made clear to me that Henshaw kept possession of the only key to the study and that we were all prohibited from entering the room.
“Curious to know what the man was up to, I crept across to the door and peered in. There appeared to be little light in the room, as the curtains to the study were permanently drawn, but I could see Henshaw behind a large writing bureau, illuminated only by a small green desk lamp. Unaware that I was watching him, the solicitor then stood and turned to face a small painting on the wall behind the bureau. Deftly, he removed the painting and placed it on the desk. Set into the wall, I could now see a small safe, which Henshaw then proceeded to open using a key he had taken from the top drawer of the bureau. I then watched incredulously as he began to remove bundles of white banknotes from the safe, bending to place them into his briefcase which sat open to one side of the bureau.
“There was little doubt in my mind as to his intentions and I knew instantly that this was the fortune that David Harker had sought to preserve. I was also in no mood to let Henshaw make off with the money. Entering the room quickly, I was halfway across the study before he turned to face me. I stopped instantly. The initial look of surprise on his face quickly turned to one of conceit, and he smiled condescendingly as he summed up the position he now found himself in: ‘Caught like a rat in a trap, you might say, Herr Descartes.’
“He stepped out from behind the bureau and came across the room towards me. I could feel the adrenaline pumping through my body, but tried to keep my emotions hidden. ‘Perhaps you could explain what you think you are doing, helping yourself to David Harker’s money?’ said I.
“My challenge produced an unexpected response. ‘I am surprised you did not refer to the money as the Descartes Inheritance given your desire to reclaim what I imagine you believe to be yours.’ He smiled again, looking less confident than he had.
“I was determined to extract some sort of confession from him. ‘So, Harker let you into his little secret did he? And having seen your client pass away with no one coming forward to claim the inheritance, you thought you could have the money all to yourself, did you?’ I could see that my directness had hit a nerve.
“He was quick to bite back. ‘Yes, Harker consulted with me in 1921 and asked about the legalities surrounding the potential transfer of £40,000 to a young German he had never met. Having helped him to track you down, I was amazed that you did not come forward to claim the money. I then did all I could to persuade him against further correspondence with you on the matter, but he insisted on me writing a second letter. And still you did not make contact! I was, of course, sworn to secrecy, but when the Harkers died earlier this year, I realised that I had easy access to all of the money, as long as you did not appear.’ He raised his chin in defiance.
“I continued to press him. ‘You knew who I was, when I first arrived at Trimingham, didn’t you?’
“He scoffed at me. ‘Of course I knew. A young German arrives in the village asking questions about the family and then has the audacity to arrive at the manor enquiring about a job. Didn’t you think it strange that I took you on with such feeble credentials? I thought it better to have you here, working for me, until I could work out how best to get access to the money.’
“I could not resist taunting him. ‘Well, it seems I have thwarted your plans somewhat, Mr Henshaw. What do you plan to do now?’
“Once more, his response was not what I expected. ‘Well, I am more than happy to capitulate and let you have your £40,000, of course.’ I saw that the relaxed smile had returned to his face.
“I think it must have been his patronising ma
“I panicked in that moment, realising what I had done. My only hope was to try and escape and make it back to the continent. In those final moments, I counted out exactly £40,000 and left everything else as it was. I found Henshaw’s key and locked the study behind me, hoping that it would be some time before anyone might find the body. I then set off and walked some miles to the nearest railway station, where I caught a train to Poole and booked into a small guesthouse. Had your men not detained me yesterday, I may well have succeeded in making the passage across to France.”
Holmes opened his eyes and looked across at Descartes. He had been listening intently to every word of the valet’s story, and with the conclusion of the narrative, he was quick to interject. “Chief Inspector Wattisfield and his officers have a clear duty to ensure that this matter is brought to a conclusion in the most satisfactory ma
I nodded in agreement, adding that justice had to be served, but could see little point in pressing for a charge against Descartes in the circumstances. Henshaw’s ma
Wattisfield, of course, would not allow us to brow beat him into any sort of decision there and then. He busied himself with practicalities for the rest of the morning. Descartes was told that he would be kept under house arrest for the foreseeable future, in the charge of one of his original captors. Mr and Mrs Dawson were told what had happened at the same time as Gerald Harker, although the full story of the Descartes Inheritance was kept from them. After some telephone calls back to Scotland Yard, Wattisfield a