Another week, another mini-mystery from the pen of one of the genre’s great lost names.

This week, John Sladek challenges you to solve…

‘The Case of the Curious Codicil’

Three weeks after the death of the shipping millionaire Curzon Cotsworth, his solicitor summoned the heirs to a reading of the will. The reading took place at Cotsworth Castle, and four of the six heirs attended.

The six heirs included two ex-wives. three children and Cotsworth’s lifelong companion. Maisie Kellerman. Maisie was now in Brazil and stayed there; Cotworth’s daughter Melanie had entered a convent in Switzerland. The other four showed up on the appointed day. They lounged about the house and grounds during the morning, having little to say to one another and only one purpose in meeting. At noon, the old solicitor, Matthew Burger, arrived with the will.

“I am going into the library,” he announced. shall read the entire will over to myself, first of all, to make certain that I understand all of its provisions. Then I shall call all of you in for the official reading”

“But Matthew, we all know what’s in it,” said Rosalind, the second Mrs Cotsworth. “It’s pretty much an equal six-way division of everything.”

“Not exactly. There is a codicil, made quite recently, which changes — er — one aspect of the will. Now if you’ll all excuse me—”

On the stroke of noon, Matthew Singer went into the library. The heirs remained in the drawing room. From time to time, one of them would lose patience and go in to ask when the reading was going to start. But 72-year-old Matthew Singer, a man who still wore wing collars and a cravat, was not to be hurried.

At a few minutes past one, a servant found the old solicitor lying on the library floor, strangled to death. The codicil was missing.

Detective-inspector Hughes took charge of the case. First he had the house searched for the codicil. The half-burned remains of it were found in the drawing-room fireplace, behind the grate. The remaining fragment read:

‘I make only this change to my will. My…………………………….. d, having proved unworthy of any inheritance, is herebye [sic]  ……………………………………. be divided into five portions to go to the remaining heirs. All other provisions are unchanged. Signed, Curzon Cotsworth.’

It was clear that one of the heirs had been cut out of the will, and that hiding this was the motive for the destruction of the codicil and the murder of Singer. Hughes took statements from the four heirs.

Erica, the first Mrs Cotsworth and known to all the family as ‘Fred’, said: “I suppose it must look as though the codicil cut me out of the will, if only because Curzon and I quarrelled so bitterly for many years. But, in fact, during the past year we’d been the best of friends. I think Curzon knew he’d treated me badly before, and wanted to make amends. So I’m sure he wanted me to inherit a share. In any case, the idea of killing poor old Matthew Singer, an old and dear friend — out of the question. It must have been one of the others, or perhaps a servant?

“I know we were all together in the drawing room when Matthew went into the library. The hail clock was just striking twelve noon, we could hear it. I waited, oh, perhaps five minutes, then I popped in to see if I could help. Matthew said no, he’d need about an hour alone with the will. I didn’t see the codicil, only the original will — we’ve all seen that, it’s a thick sheaf bound in blue paper. Unless perhaps the codicil was bound in with it. That’s all I know.”

Next, Bertrand, the second son: “I suppose everyone thinks I’m the one in the codicil. I admit Father often talked of cutting me out of the will. You see, I’m a Communist. I told him plainly, every penny I come into is going to the Party. Frankly I’m ashamed to be the son of a capitalist. It’s up to me to make amends to all the workers Father exploited to make this money.

“We were all waiting in the drawing room. I was reading an interesting book on workers’ struggles in Latin America, so I hardly noticed what was going on around me. After Freddy came back from the library I waited fifteen minutes — I have this Russian watch that keeps perfect time — and then I went in myself. I wanted to ask old Singer if he could hurry things up.

“He was reading a piece of paper. It must have been the codicil because he seemed anxious not to let me see it. He put it face down on the desk and ordered me out of the room. I told him I don’t take orders from imperialist lackeys. I probably shouted at him. I can’t remember. But I did come out. A moment or two later. Rosalind — Father’s second wife — went in.”

Edward, the eldest son, said: ‘I’m willing to admit my faults, always was, but at least I’m not a creepy little Red like Bertie. My only fault is that I tend to spend money, booze a bit, gamble — all right, yes, I smashed up a couple of rather expensive cars and I ran up a debt here and there — but what’s ten or twenty thousand, when Dad has his millions? No doubt you’ve heard all about the argument Dad and I had a few months back. Nothing, really, but I needed a bit of cash for a little emergency — all right, a paternity suit — and he blew his top, threatened to disinherit me. Naturally it was only a threat. Eventually Dad came up trumps and bought the girl off.

“I suppose we all had a go at old Singer, dithering about in there while we cooled our heels in the drawing room. The chiming clock in the hall had just banged off the half-hour when I went in. The old chap might have dozed off in there for all I knew.

“In fact I found him dead on the floor. I didn’t know what to do. It occurred to me the murderer must have been after the codicil, yet there it was, lying on the floor by his hand. It was a single sheet of paper with the word CODICIL at the top. I was so rattled I didn’t even read it. I was more than half afraid the killer might come back and destroy it, or even tackle me. I know now I ought to have raised the alarm and showed everyone the codicil then and there, but I didn’t. I’m no coward, but I thought it best to say nothing. I folded up the paper and tucked it into a book that was lying on the desk. The book was a novel called Invisible Green. I was careful to remember where I hid the paper, between pages 49 and 50. I decided not to give the alarm at once, but to allow the killer a little more rope — to see if he or she went back for the codicil.

“Not that I want to accuse anyone, but I did notice that Rosalind went in for a second visit, and came out with the book.”

Rosalind, the second Mrs Cotsworth, said: “I did pay two visits to the library. The first time was just after Bertie came out. I asked Mr Singer when he’d be ready for us. He said something like, ‘Never, if you don’t all leave me in peace!’ I didn’t notice whether he had the codicil or not, I just trotted back to the drawing room. But there was nothing to do, with everyone just sitting around worrying. So I remembered that, in the morning, I’d left a detective novel in the library, Invisible Green. So, after Edward came out, I decided to go fetch it. I thought, if old Singer yells at me again, I’m going to yell back. This is my home, after all, or will be.

“I didn’t see anyone in the library. Now that I’ve seen the body I suppose it might have been there all the time, down behind the desk. I thought he’d just stepped out for a moment. I didn’t stand around — I just took the book and hurried out.

“Yes, I suppose the codicil could have cut me out of the will. After all, Curzon left his first wife and three children to marry me, and then when I left him for someone else, I suppose it must have hurt his pride. But I know he forgave me, before he died. Curzon was a very generous, forgiving man.”

D.I. Hughes established that no one left the drawing room, except to go into the library, during the crucial hour. Since the old solicitor was small and frail, it would have been easy for any of the four suspects to have stepped behind him, seize his cravat and strangle him. The murder had been performed quickly and noiselessly.

There were no other suspects. No one else was in the house besides the servants, none of whom was named in the will at all.

1. Who killed Matthew Singer?
2. What is the killer’s mistake?

Mull over the above, then click here for the answer.

~

Next week, more of the same…