House by the River Page #4

And I don't have to take this

sort of treatment from anyone.

If you want to be left alone

perhaps I can leave you alone.

Permanently!

Just as you wish, Ms Bantam.

You mean...

You want me to go?

That's entirely up to you.

Well, I can certainly take a hint!

Now look what you made me do!

Well, I'm leaving you, Mr Byrne!

I'm leaving tonight.

And you can get somebody

else to take your insults.

And I hope you get a seething

hussy like that Emily Gaunt.

That's what you deserved!

Not a decent girl like myself!

It's come up, John! It's come up!

What are you talking about?

- Emily's come back!

What? -The woodsack, it's

come up out of the river!

I've been up all night.

I chased it for six miles.

But the tide was too fast

and I couldn't find it.

I almost had her once but she got away.

It's your fault. Why didn't you tie it

securely? I was a fool to trust you.

Be quiet.

So it'll be passing up and down the river

until they find it. Up and down the river!

It'll go on for weeks!

The police will find it soon enough.

Yes, but they won't know

we did it. I mean...

There are hundreds of sacks like it.

They won't trace it to us, will they?

No...

Not to us.

They'll trace it to me.

To you?

My name is on it.

There's a gentleman to see you, Mr Byrne.

You know I don't wish to be disturbed.

He's from the police, sir.

Police...

Send him in.

Yes, sir.

I'm...

- Just a moment please.

Sorry. I wanted to get my thoughts

down before they went away.

I'm Lt. Sarten, sir.

- How do you do? What can I do for you?

Well...

It's um...

It's about um...

This sack.

You ever seen it before?

I don't know.

Sacks look pretty much alike.

It looks like the woodsack that

was stolen from here. -Stolen?

Yes, it belonged to my brother.

Oh yes, his name is stencilled in there.

Is it? I didn't know that.

You say that it was stolen from here?

Yes, we borrowed it from him and when

I went to return it, it was gone.

About how long ago was that?

- About three or four weeks ago.

But if you know it belongs to him,

why do you return it to me?

Well, we tried to contact him

all day but had no success.

You he...

This sack...

contained the body of Emily Gaunt.

...clad only in this inexpensive

dressing gown.

And according to the medical expert

who testified at this inquest...

strangled...

and afterwords thrown into the river.

Now, when did you first discover

that this dressing gown was missing?

It was uh...

when we were getting her things

together to send back to her parents.

And...

when and how did you discover that your

own things were missing, Mrs Byrne?

The morning after Emily failed to return.

It was my husband who suggested

that I go through my wardrobe.

He insisted that inasmuch as none

of Emily's dresses were missing

she might have gone out with

some of my own things.

And, then we discovered that not

only was my lace dress gone,

but some of my best lingerie,

an evening wrap, and a

pair of silver slippers.

Was there any other thing of value gone?

Yes.

Several days later I found that...

that a pair of opal earrings

that my husband had given me for

my birthday were missing too.

Then you're under the impression that it

was Emily Gaunt who took these things?

It was hard for me to believe.

For in the short time that Emily worked

for us, I found her most dependable.

But I... I was forced to this conclusion.

What is your occupation, Ms Bantam?

I was a housekeeper.

In the home of Mr John Byrne, sir.

But, I'm unemployed at present.

How long were you employed there?

It woulda been five years

this coming Christmas.

Why are you no longer

employed by Mr Byrne?

Because he became too

impossible to get along with

from the time that

Emily Gaunt disappeared.

Please explain yourself, Ms Bantam.

Well, Mr Byrne became so irritable

I could scarcely speak to

him and get a civil answer.

In what manner would you

say that he had changed?

Well, Mr Coroner...

He was in the habit of eating

a very hearty breakfast

through all the years I worked for him.

But after that Emily Gaunt disappeared...

In fact, the very morning the story

appeared in the newspaper

he scarcely touched a thing.

And several times

when I even indicated that the hussy

might have got what she deserved

he practically snapped my head off.

Ms Bantam.

Tell us what you know about this sack.

It's Mr John Byrne's all right.

I stencilled his name in it.

The one that was borrowed

by Mr Stephen Byrne?

Yes. Mr Stephen was doing some

gardening and needed an extra sack.

Emily came for it.

And to your knowledge the

sack was never returned?

No sir.

But of course, it might have been

returned without my knowledge.

What do you mean by that, Ms Bantam?

I mean simply that it's peculiar to me

that Mr John Byrne would have allowed

the sack to remain at his brother's

for any length of time at all.

Please clarify that statement.

Well, it was his habit to go out and

collect firewood off the river

I should say it's what

might be called a hobby.

The only sort of hobby possible

for a man with his affliction.

Oh, I'm so sorry.

I shouldn't have said that.

Please continue, Ms Bantam.

Well, recently

I called in some of the neighborhood

boys to gather firewood.

But when I went for the sack I found

that Mr Stephen hadn;t returned it yet.

So I phoned Mr John and

he agreed to pick it up.

But when he got home and I reminded him

that he hadn't he was quite rude to me.

Said he was perfectly capable

of running his own household.

He raised his voice to such an extent

that I was quite nervous and upset.

Then he dismissed me.

And when did this seen occur

between you. Ms Bantam?

It was the night before Emily's

body was found in the river.

You've heard testimony that you borrowed

the sack some time ago from your brother.

Is that correct?

- It is.

And to your knowledge it was

never returned to your brother?

That is correct. Before I could return

it I found that someone had stolen it.

And has your brother

access to your home?

Yes.

You mean, he ahs a key to your home?

No, Mr Coroner.

The back door's always open.

Then there was nothing to prevent

his coming to your home at a

time when you were not there

and taking what was rightfully his.

No, nothing to prevent him but in this case I don't think it probable.

By the way, Mr Byrne, it may have helped this case

if you had reported that the sack had

been stolen from your home.

I didn't think the loss of an old sack

worth troubling the police about.

But why didn't you report the theft of

the more valuable things either?

The opal earrings, for example?

Because I didn't wish to

cause Emily's parents...

further concern.

Besides my wife and I thought that

eventually, poor Emily would return

and the articles would be recovered.

Now, tell me Mr Byrne...

When was the last time you used

this sack for gathering wood?

Some weeks ago. It's hard to say.

Could it have been about...

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