The Current Hypothesis

The boot prints outside the study window at Hethercombe Manor that were leaving were deliberately made on top of the prints that were left on arrival. Were there two intruders? Did a barefoot intruder break in through the intact window, transform into a werewolf once inside, kill Lord Cotterill, and flee through the broken window, followed some time later by the booted intruder, who snuck in concealing footprints, entered through broken window, robbed the safe and left?

At the Coroner’s Office

Jacobs drove the investigators to the medical practice of Doctor Locock in Moreton-Hampstead. The doctor was a retiree from London, but he was the only physician in the village, and called upon to treat the locals and, under the current circumstances, to conduct the post-mortem examination of Lord Cotterill. As it was raining, they instructed Jacobs to wait for them at the pub.

Doctor Locock was amiable and vowed to assist the investigators in any way he could. The doctor had been a social acquaintance of the deceased. Lord Cotterill had been in good health given his more sedentary lifestyle. He was more intellectual than active, and only really got exercise on their weekend hunts. He was a driven man, fiercely patriotic, and focused on his work.

The body was on the examination table. When the doctor removed the sheet, several noteworthy features were revealed. There were deep stab wounds in the stomach and abdomen, as well as numerous claw marks all over the body. Doctor Locock said that the stab wounds had resulted in the rapid loss of blood.

Examining the body himself, Sir Jonathan noted that the claw marks were large for an animal, and resembled more the span of a human hand. Warren suggested that the attacker may have had metal fragments attached to his fingers. Doctor Locock agreed that the scratch marks could potentially have been caused by shards of metal or glass.

Warren observed upon close inspection that the stab wounds were not the correct shape for a bladed weapon. Doctor Locock hypothesized that the implement had torn the wound when removed post-mortem. Stone considered the possibility of the wounds being caused by stab of four clawed fingers, a hypothesis that had some weight to it.

They asked the doctor for his professional opinion. Doctor Locock replied that he believed that the escaped asylum inmate had stabbed Lord Cotterill, causing him to fall to the ground, upon which he was attacked by the assailant, who used his fingernails to scratch him repeatedly.

When Doctor Locock left the room to tend to the kettle, the investigators conferred.  Sir Jonathan was convinced that a werewolf was the culprit.  He recommended stocking up on silver bullets and wolvesbane.  When he returned, they thanked Doctor Locock for his assistance, and asked him to send word to Heathercombe if he thought of anything, or if anyone turned up with similar wounds. The doctor pledged to assist the investigators in any way that he could.

They then went to the village jeweler and purchased some silver, which they commissioned the smith at the general store to cast into bullets for the weapons they purchased there.  They then went to the local chemist, who had a small quantity of wolvesbane, which Sir Jonathan used the chemist’s equipment to mash into a paste with which to coat his sword cane.  While waiting for the bullets, they decided to go to the pub to find Jacobs and have lunch.

At the Grey Stag Inn

The pub in sight of the doctor’s surgery was called the Grey Stag Inn. It sat just outside the gate of St. Ignatius Church.

Sir Jonathan, Stone, and Warren were warmly greeted by the innkeeper behind the bar when they entered.  There were several lunchtime patrons in the taproom.  The general atmosphere was warm and friendly for a gray, rainy day.  Jacobs was seated at a communal table.  He shared it with a couple of men in railroad uniforms. The investigators joined the Cotterill’s butler at the table.

As they moved behind one of the railway men, they overheard a comment regarding “foreigners.”  Inquiring further, they learned from the station master, Mr. Bartholomew Brown, that about a week earlier a German officer arrived in Moreton-Hampstead and asked for directions to Cotterill Manor.  A few days later, three other men with similar accents arrived, and they left the following evening.  They were directed to Abraham Reilly, the innkeeper, for any information about the vistors’ stay.  Warren gave Brown a shilling and asked him to send word to Heathercombe if any Germans should arrive in Moreton-Hampstead.

Mr. Reilly said that the three Germans stayed at the inn for the night, but he remembered a noise in the middle of the night and saw them sneaking out.  They returned before he rose the following morning and left that evening.  They kept to themselves and did not eat at the inn.  Warren gave him a shilling and asked him to send word to Hethercombe if he learned anything that might be useful.

As an afterthought, Sir Jonathan wanted to ask the station master about Cotterill’s partner, Burtle.  As it happened, Brown had just left the inn, and they caught up with him on the road to the station.  He remembered the three Germans because they bumped into Mr. Burtle coming out of the telegraph office at the station.  He suggested speaking with the telegraph operator, Henry Jordan.

At the Train Station

The Telegraph Office was situated next to the ticket booth at the train station.  Jordan was reluctant to break company policy, but Sir Jonathan convinced him that it was in the best interest of the community to assist them.  He provided the transcription sheet for the message from his files.

The telegram was to a Herr Oberst Ludwig von Steinhagen at the German Consulate in London informing him that Burtle had attempted to reason with Cotterill, but to no avail, and that he would try again in a few days after his partner’s timer had cooled.  Sir Jonathan knew, through his contacts in the diplomatic corps, that Herr Oberst von Steinhagen, a Prussian, was the German military attache to the United Kingdom, and therefore probably a spy.

They thanked the Mr. Jordan, and as they were leaving the Telegraph Office, an arriving businessman entered and was greeted by the telegraph operator as Mr. Burtle.  Warren flashed his credentials, and they pulled Burtle aside to ask some questions.   He said that he had met with Cotterill on the day of his death to try and convince him to sell the inventions rejected by the War Office to the Germans, but Cotterill refused outright.  He mentioned that Cotterill Armaments was in a dire financial predicament, and it had been no time for patriotic inflexibility.

Stone asked if Burtle intended to sell to the Germans now that Cotterill could no longer object.  Burtle replied that he would have to get Amelia’s permission since she inherited the company.  It was at that point that Birtle became indignant, berating the investigators for thinking of him as a suspect.

Warren informed Burtle that he had been that last person to see his partner alive, and was therefore the most likely suspect at that time. Burtle responded that the question was moot because when he went to see Herr Oberst von Steinhagen the next day, he was informed that the Germans were no longer interested.

Stone sought to break the mood by asking Burtle about the three Germans who had collided with him that day.  Burtle confirmed said that the three men were dressed in civilian clothes, but had a military bearing about them.  They were of average height, and very formal as Germans tended to be.  One of them bumped into him as he left the Telegraph office, and caused him drop his briefcase.  The man picked up the briefcase, returned it to him, and apologized with a curt nod of his head.  Then they moved on.

Warren informed him that those three were also suspects, as they were seen leaving the inn in the middle of the night on the night Cotterill was killed.  Burtle pieced together that the Germans might have stolen the plans from the safe, and became frightened.  He asked if the investigators thought the Germans might come after him.  Stone replied that they had probably gotten what he came for, so Burtle was probably safe, but he should be wary nevertheless.

Returning to Hethercombe

The already grey, overcast day was turning even more unpleasant.  Jacobs recommended departing for the manor in order to reach it before dark.  The investigators agreed and proceeded in the coach with Jacobs driving.

Slightly over an hour into their journey, they spied a stranger out on the moors. He was dressed like a rambler and carrying binoculars,  The stranger greeted the travelers with a cheery wave and bright smile before asking for directions back to Moreton-Hampstead.

Stone informed the man that he would not make it back to the village before dark.  He asked what the man was doing out on the moors alone.  The stranger introduced himself as Clancy Trombley, a solicitor from London down for a few days to spot birds.  Ornithology was a hobby of his and one which could get rather obsessive at times.  He had lost track of time as well as his bearings.  Sir Jonathan suggested that he return with them to Hethercombe for the night.  Trombley accepted their offer reluctantly, but Sir Jonathan insisted that it would be no trouble and that he was welcome.

The Heroes

  • Inspector Alabaster Warren, Scotland Yard
  • Gravner Stone, notorious playboy and consulting detective
  • Sir Jonathan Dennis Braun of Eatin-over-Heywoods, peer of the realm and wizard