How Holmes Rounded Up a Ring of Liars

Dear Detectives,

After several dramatic acts, a light has been shone on the Fazione dei Folli’s vengeful production, and the the curtain has closed on The Chichester Circle Mystery. Unfortunately, not all emerged unscathed, but thanks to your work, we can rest assured these ne’er-do-wells won’t be staging any deadly shows anytime soon.

Holmes has finally had a chance to look into this murder too, so if you’re still questioning any part of this case, here’s your shot at setting things straight!

Stay sleuthing,

The Dear Holmes Team

——

22 July, 1897

Dear Inspector Alwen,

Thank you for your recent letters and the fascinating conundrum contained therein. Based on the information you provided, I was able to form a theory that covers the known facts yesterday evening, promptly upon my return from Scotland.

There are a few suppositions which you will be able to validate in due course, but in the interim, I feel the best way to explain matters is to place them before you just as I believe them to have occurred. In summary, Inspector Alwen, I posit that this was a case of revenge.

Mr. Webb was a local businessman from Tangmere, just outside Chichester. This is something he had in common with Miss Seymour whom we know to be a local with family still in the vicinity. We have heard that Mr. Webb had an eye for the ladies but his interest was quickly lost. In short, he was a philanderer who used his money and influence to obtain what he wanted. From the statements you have collected, we know that this was common knowledge in the area.

We have learned that a former member of the troupe, Miss Harrington, died in childbirth less than a year after the troupe last performed in the Chichester area. She was much loved by the entire company, especially Miss Seymour, who gained her promotion to performer thanks to Miss Harrington’s influence. I firmly believe that, if you make enquiries, you will find that the father of the child was Mr. Webb. Given the elapsed time between the performance and her death, it is fairly certain that she was seduced following that event before being discarded by a man who had already lost all interest.

Now let us suppose that the entire troupe wanted revenge for Miss Harrington’s abandonment and death. They understood that Mr. Webb had committed no crime in the eyes of the law but they wanted him to share her fate.

They continued their travels around the country while trying to come up with a plan, all the while, as noted by Miss Walker, Miss Seymour wrote home to Tangmere regularly. I surmise that this was not the act of a dutiful daughter keeping in touch with family. Rather, it was Miss Seymour writing to seek news of the movements of Mr. Webb. Over time, she used this information to conceive a plan with her associates. Mr. Jameson approached the new M.P. Sir Neville and suggested a charity performance. To no surprise, Sir Neville liked the idea, as it would bring forth good publicity as well as benefit local charities. Of course, a dinner was also suggested and, to this, Sir Neville agreed. Take note, that in arranging all of this, the troupe is creating an ideal environment in which to execute their plot.

You will also recall that Mr. Jameson offered up some names for the guest list, which suggests that it was he who ensured Mr. Webb’s invitation. For by his own admission, Sir Neville had neither heard of, nor met, Mr. Webb prior to the dinner.

Let us now move forward to the evening in question. Miss Seymour took the opportunity to dance with many men but spent much of her time looking down and, to many of those interviewed, appearing unhappy. Was it the quality of their conversation? No. Her downward gaze was part of the plot; she was looking for something with each of her dance partners. Something that she did not find until dancing with Sir Neville. Once that “something” was identified, she danced no more, sat attentively with the M.P., and ensured he drank copious wine. Meanwhile, Mr. Webb had set his sights on the beguiling Miss Seymour, who, I suspect, intended to avoid him in hopes of denting his pride and increasing his desire.

The result was a drunken confrontation between the jealous Mr. Webb, and Sir Neville, in front of scores of witnesses. This confrontation was designed by Miss Seymour and company to create the illusion of a motive in the eyes of those present. However, I am getting ahead of myself.

Let us consider the background of these events. The rest of the company, save for new member Miss Walker, who had been unjustly sent away to review her lines, had been playing their own roles during the dancing. On the one hand, several of the troupe’s members lingered near the hotel, waiting to collect Mr. Webb, as well as transport Miss Seymour and her mark, Sir Neville, to their destination— Chichester Circle. At the circle, the remaining members of La Fazione prepared for their production’s grand finale.

Their plan proceeded somewhat smoothly, until Sir Neville announced his intention to leave, which we know caused some consternation. This was simply because the troupe’s plan was to coax Mr. Webb away first. Instead, they had to alter their course. After the confrontation between Webb and Neville, Mr. Jameson “helped” Sir Neville outside, where the troupe’s own driver was waiting. This driver was not an official cabby which is why he made the smart remark to Mr. and Mrs. Desmond about their chances of getting his licence revoked. It was this that made me suspect the carriages were prepared in advance, as a regular cabby would not likely have refused a fare unless pre-arranged for someone else. And we know that had not been the case, as Sir Neville did not make such an arrangement.

Further still, you will recall that the carriage left as soon as Sir Neville was within— additional evidence that the driver was confident of his destination in advance. Likewise, when Mr. Webb was finally escorted from the hotel, a similar sequence of events occurred with the driver heading off without a word spoken. Having dispatched their two protagonists to the circle, our performing trio, Miss Seymour, Mr. Jameson, and Mr. Stock, then needed to make their way there. They were briefly held up by the adoring Mr. Brown but got away in time to reach the circle by a different route. It is, again, Miss Seymour’s local knowledge that facilitated this.

Unfortunately, the appearance of unknown drivers did not raise any suspicions with the hotel doorman, or regular cabbies, as it was common for extra cabs from surrounding areas to be in attendance at such an event. This is where our perpetrators were clever. By using such a large event they ensured lots of comings and goings, plenty of unfamiliar faces, and a general state of commotion; perhaps even confusion.

The three arrived at the circle to perform their final act, which had been dutifully prepared by their colleagues. Much in the same way as you, Inspector, they laid down wooden planks, from the road to the circle, to avoid leaving any tracks at the scene. They rested many of these planks on bricks which accounts for the small rectangular impressions you found around the circle, and the worn grass alongside the older path from the road. Using these plans, they were able to move about their stage, decorating it without leaving much evidence of their presence. But what were these decorations, and why were they imperative? Simply put, they wanted Sir Neville to believe people had witnessed his supposed crimes. I will explain.

Commedia dell’arte troupes are notorious for their variety of masks, some of which are rather grotesque. It became clear to me, after hearing the young Miss Walker’s complaints of broken masks, that La Fazione’s masks had played a special role in this production. I have little doubt that the troupe nailed each of their masks to the trees encircling them and, likely, lit them by lamplight, such that they would easily be mistaken for people by someone heavily inebriated.

You may ask why they bothered with this at all. It was vital that Sir Neville believed there to be witnesses to the death of Mr. Webb, however, it was equally vital that he be unable to identify them. As we have seen, it encouraged him to report to the police and give his version of events, thus admitting he had been present. Had he believed himself to be alone, he could have walked away from the scene and said nothing at all. At the same time, it was important that no evidence of these witnesses was found, so as to cast an even more doubtful light upon Sir Neville.

You might wonder too why they bothered with Sir Neville at all. After all, if the intention was to kill Mr. Webb in a remote location, then why not just do it and leave? In short, this was yet another safeguard. By offering up Sir Neville as the most likely murderer, they prevented a wider investigation and ensured that they were not examined too closely.

Returning to the night’s events, I suspect that our three conspirators arrived at the path to the circle to find two other carriages awaiting— one containing Sir Neville, the other Mr. Webb. From there, the formidable Mr. Stock came into his own. He removed Sir Neville’s shoes and put them on his own feet. I need not tell you, but this was of course the reason Miss Seymour was so fixated on the floor during her dances. Confident in her ability to enchant those around her, she was trying to identify something that she would not be able to sway. That is, the size of each man’s shoes. It seems clear that, prior to Sir Neville, there had been nobody with a stature similar enough to that of Mr. Stock.

Wearing the man’s shoes, Mr. Stock carried the unconscious Sir Neville to his “stage”, being sure not to stand on any planks. Thus, he left deep impressions of Sir Neville’s shoes. He placed Sir Neville in the circle before returning, using the planks, for Mr. Webb. By doing this, he only left tracks on the way to the circle and not on his return. No doubt with a pistol for persuasion, he then escorted a tottering Mr. Webb to the circle. This time, taking care to use the planks while keeping Mr. Webb on the path. In their wake, Miss Seymour, Mr. Jameson, and others would have walked on the planks.

In the circle, Mr. Webb walked to the far side, encouraged by Mr. Stock who took up his position on the opposite side of the circle, nearest the road. Sir Neville was unconscious on the ground somewhere near the middle. Based on what he described witnessing, he will have been positioned on his side facing the trees. I surmise that the members of the troupe then explained to Mr. Webb that he was to be punished for the death of Miss Scarlet Harrington. (I should note that the fact that he did not attempt to run is what suggests, to me, the presence of a pistol.)

Sir Neville was then brought round, and saw Mr. Webb. As he said in his statement, he believed Mr. Webb was shouting at him. In fact, Mr. Webb was shouting at Mr. Stock or other members of the company who stood behind where Sir Neville lay. Sir Neville did not turn and see anyone else present because he was convinced that he was in danger from Mr. Webb and would, therefore, not take his eyes from him or the mysterious figures he believed to be standing nearby, and behind him. Sir Neville noted too that his feet were cold. He did not realise that this was because he was no longer wearing his shoes. Behind him stood Mr. Stock, along with other members of La Fazione. At that time, Mr. Webb drunkenly charged at Mr. Stock. Sir Neville fainted and so did not witness the scuffle that went on around his supine body. During this scuffle, Mr. Webb was fatally stabbed with a knife the troupe had brought along from the hotel. His blood was smeared onto Sir Neville’s hand, and the knife was abandoned between the two men’s bodies.

On reading this, I expect you may wonder “Why a knife if they had a gun?” This is an understandable question with a straightforward answer. In order to pin the blame on Sir Neville, the murder had to be committed with a weapon Sir Neville could have accessed, not to mention, it would have also connected the murder to the dinner.

Finally, when the assembled audience determined that Mr. Webb was dead, they dismantled the scene. Masks and nails were removed from the trees, leaving the holes, and, as people retreated from the site, they took up the planks and bricks, leaving the indentations that were later observed.

Mr. Stock carried Sir Neville outside the circle and replaced his shoes upon his feet. He did not do this too well, which is why Sir Neville recalls having to fasten them properly in the morning. Mr. Stock then retreated, taking up the remaining planks and bricks, as he went, before the entire company abandoned their improvised theatre. The rest you know thanks to Sir Neville’s statement which, I believe we can take as accurate.

So, in summary, Mr. Webb was marked for death and Sir Neville was chosen, at random, by the acting troupe, to take the blame for it. The man is innocent in this affair— his only crimes being somewhat large feet, and like Watson, a fondness for wine and a pretty face.

Regarding the next steps of this investigation, I trust that you will be able to swiftly bring it to a close. For my part, I have sent word to a colleague of mine, Lestrade, at the Sussex Constabulary. You may be familiar with the man.

He has already despatched some of his own men and assures me the troupe will be apprehended before they can manage to travel much further. You will surely be made aware of this once it occurs, if it has not already. Thereafter, Lestrade will be expecting your assistance in interviewing each member of La Fazione dei Folli in isolation, so as to better understand who might have been ignorant to this plan besides Miss Walker. I suspect that she has been bewildered by her associates as of late, and will be eager to share more of her observations, especially when faced with the possibility of conviction.

I wish you success with bringing this all to a conclusion.

Yours truly,