Twisted Root - Anne Perry [150]
"What led you to look in a hollow tree?"
There was total silence in the court. Not a soul moved.
"A bird’s nest with a lot of human hair woven into it, caught in one of the lower branches of a tree near it," Hester answered. "We searched all around until we found the hollow one. Sergeant Robb climbed up and found the hole. Of course, the area will have grown over a great deal in twenty-two years. It could have been easier to see, to get to, then."
"And the body?" Rathbone pursued. "What can you tell us of it?"
She looked distressed; the memory was obviously painful. Her hands tightened on the railing, and she took a deep breath before she began.
"There was only skeleton. Her clothes had largely rotted away, only buttons were left of her dress, and the bones of her... undergarments. Her boots were badly damaged, but there was still more than enough to be recognizable. All the buttons to them were whole and attached to what was left of the leather. They were unusual, and rather good."
She stood motionless, steadying herself before she continued. "To judge by what hair we found, she would have been a woman in her forties or fifties. She had a terrible hole in her skull, as if she had been beaten with some heavy object so hard it killed her."
"Thank you," Rathbone said quietly. "You must be tired and extremely harrowed by the experience."
She nodded.
Rathbone turned to Tobias.
Tobias strode forward, shaking his head a little. When he spoke his voice was soft. He was far too wily to be less than courteous to her. She had the court’s sympathy and he knew it.
"Mrs. Monk, may I commend your courage and your single-minded dedication to seeking the truth. It is a very noble cause, and you appear to be tireless in it." There was not a shred of sarcasm in him.
"Thank you," she said guardedly.
"Tell me, Mrs. Monk, was there anything on the body of this unfortunate woman to indicate who she was?"
"Not so far as I know. Sergeant Robb is trying to learn that now."
"Using what? The remnants of cloth and leather that were still upon the bone?"
"You will have to ask him," she replied.
"If he feels that this tragedy has any relevance to this present case, and therefore gives us that opportunity, then I shall," Tobias agreed. "But you seem to feel it has, or you would not now be telling me of it. Why is that, Mrs. Monk, other than that you desire to protect one of your colleagues?"
Spots of color warmed Hester’s cheeks. If she had ever imagined he would be gentle with her, she now knew better.
"Because we found her where Miriam Gardiner said she was murdered," she replied a trifle tartly.
"Indeed?" Tobias raised his eyebrows. "I gathered from Mrs. Anderson that Mrs. Gardiner—Miss Speake, as she was then—was completely hysterical and incoherent. Indeed, Mrs. Anderson herself ceased to believe there was any woman, any murder, or any body to find."
"Is that a question?" Hester asked him.
"No—no, it is an observation," he said sharply. "You found this gruesome relic somewhere on Hampstead Heath in an unspecified tree. All we know is that it is within walking distance of Green Man Hill. Is there anything to indicate how long it had been there—except that it is obviously more than ten or eleven years? Could it have been twenty-five? Or, say, thirty? Or even fifty years, Mrs. Monk?"
She stared back at him without flinching. "I am not qualified to say, Mr. Tobias. You will have to ask Sergeant Robb, or even the police surgeon. However, my husband is examining the boots and has an idea that they may be able to prove something. Buttons have a design, you know."
"Your husband is an expert in buttons for ladies’ boots?" he asked.
"He is an expert in detection of facts from the evidence," she answered coolly. "He will know whom to ask."
"No doubt. And he may be willing to pursue ladies’ boot buttons with tireless endeavor," Tobias said sarcastically. "But we have to deal with