The Butler Didn't Do It

A Devil in Pajamas

Gregory was lying motionless on the floor. Before Brett could kneel beside him, Lucy was there, shaking the unconscious man.

“Gregory! Gregory!? Wake up! Please wake up.” Her eyes were glassy and her voice hoarse. “I need you to wake up.”

Brett leaned down and grabbed one of Gregory’s wrists. He pressed his fingers against Gregory’s skin. And there it was! Faint and extremely weak, but still pulsing, was Gregory’s pulse.

“He’s alive!” Brett began to work frantically to untie the ropes. “But he’s not going to be for long if we don’t get him out of here. Help me get these things off of him.”

Together they untangled the knots that help Gregory to the floor. No one said what the other was thinking. If they didn’t hurry Gregory might not be the only one to die.

Max put one of the unconscious Butler’s arms around his shoulder. “How are we going to get him downstairs without anyone noticing?”

Lucy looked worried. “It’s almost dinner. Everyone’s going to be downstairs, there no way…” Her look turned almost vicious, “But there’s no way we are leaving him here.”

Brett was stumped. He hadn’t planned on what to do if they found Gregory. Had he been able to walk they might be able to disguise him….but even that would be a long-shot. But to carry the body of a wanted fugitive down the hall would be instant arrests for all of them. And by the time they convinced Quincy to check the secret room, it would be scrubbed clean. Brett scratched his head. As he did so he happened to glance out the window. He saw John and the others, sitting in the garden area outside the dining room, waiting for service to start.

“Wait…”Brett had a crazy idea.

“What?”

Brett looked at Max. “Remember how you helped me sneak out that night?

“Yeah.”

“I’m gonna return the favor.”

John kicked a small rock over to Veronica. She tossed her hair prettily, showing that she was above such simple games.

John was bored. “Come on Veronica! Don’t be such a---“

No one ever knew what John wished Veronica could be more of because at that moment Brett’s first hit John’s Jaw with a satisfying smack.

“OOOF!” John fell to the ground. He Rubbed his jaw. Brett towered above him. “What the heck is your problem?”

Brett grabbed John by his bleached shirt collar and lifted him up before throwing him slightly. “I think you have to be pretty full of it to get angry at me for a punch when you are busy killing.”

There were whispers all around. All the guests had come through the dining room doors to watch. Staff began to stream up from the kitchens.

Got them hooked Brett thought with satisfaction. Then he continued the performance. “I know you’ve always hated Gregory. You couldn’t stand that he had more respect than you out in the real world. He’s rising through the ranks and you are stuck at home spending daddy’s money. So you get into a fight and kill him. Isn’t that right?”

Out of the corner of his eye, Brett saw Quincy. John spotted him too. “Officer! Don’t just stand there! This man is assaulting me!”

Quincy stared at Brett and John. Rodgers arrived to stand next to him. “What is the meaning of all of this?”

Brett figured by now he just had to hold their attention for 5 minutes. At a run that’s how long it would take to get Gregory downstairs into Lucy’s room. “None of you have noticed? You haven’t seen how shifty the young Lord John has been of recent?”

“Is this more roleplaying? I thought the murders were real.” This was beyond poor Didi’s comprehension.

“Lord John has been seen wandering the gardens. He’s been dallying with the maids.” Brett was peak hamming it. He wanted it to appear as if he were indeed roleplaying. The staff looked between one another, as did the guests. Was this one of the scheduled activities. Rodgers and Quincy look less amused.

“Boy,” Said the detective, “What is the game here?”

“The game, THE GAME,” continued Brett, on a roll. “The game is to trap a killer. Who had more motive than the rich man’s son? Who else betrays his friends? Who would kill someone who might know the truth? One who knew all of his secrets?

“What do you mean you psycho?” John was spitting with anger now.

“I mean that you were not only jealous of Gregory’s good looks, and professional outlook, you envied him his real friendships. It bugged you didn’t it? That I kept going back to him for video games and movie trips and not you.”

“You’re ridiculous!”

“YOU’RE RIDICULOUS! And a liar by nature. You knew it was not I who destroyed that school property and still you let me take the blame.” Brett figured he might as well add some truth to this act. “And you feared that I would tell my best friend who, in his honorable nature, would tell the authorities. And so you killed him.”

John leaped at Brett. But a tall figure blocked his path toward destruction.

“I think everyone’s had enough here. Butler, I told you to entertain our guests while dinner was prepared. You’ve managed to distract our kitchen staff even.” Brett looked quickly up to the manservant’s eyes. Davidson winked. “Now please go off to your chamber while everyone else is actually doing something of use.”

“Yes, sir.” And, to the confusion of everyone, Brett sped off toward the servant’s quarters.

“So Davidson knows….?”

“Almost everything.” Lucy held the water bottle to Gregory’s mouth, forcing him to drink more water. “He, of course, didn’t leave the kitchen with everyone else. He saw us. Tanya managed to fill him in while Max and I got Gregory here.”

“Why is he helping us?”

“I told him that if he turned Gregory in then no servants would ever be safe here,” Tanya explained. “He’s giving us until the final night to find out who has done all of it, but then he goes to Quincy. He also get’s to check in to make sure Gregory doesn’t disappear. But I don’t think he really believes Gregory is responsible anymore. Not after seeing him like this.” She indicated the weak man attempting to drink broth now from a spoon Max held. “At least he gave us all this food.”

Gregory nodded. He’d come to after an hour. From that point on he’d been plied with food and drink. All of a liquid nature. Lucy was quite strict about that. Brett felt he might try to sneak Gregory the chips he desired later.

“Gregory, can you talk now?” Brett didn’t want to pressure his friend. But time was short. There was one more night.

Gregory gave a slight nod. He tried to sit up in bed. Max adjusted his pillow and Lucy put her hands out to help in case he fell. Finally settled, Gregory answered their questions.

“You remember how the professor and I went to Rodger’s offices?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, up there things got even more heated than downstairs. That’s when I learned that the professor was Lynn’s father and he said he had all this evidence that I was the reason for her disappearance. He accused me of getting her pregnant and then tossing her aside.”

“That’s awful!”

“It was. Eventually, Rodger’s got the professor to show the evidence he had. They spent time going through it. Over at Rodger’s desk, I wasn’t allowed near in case I “destroyed” anything. Rodger’s kept looking over at me with pity. The professor showed him messages between us that talked about….well lots of things. But they were obviously amorous. And obviously not mine.”

“You didn’t write them?”

“I wrote one. It was just one to make sure she was ok after she got into a tiff with one of the other butler’s and his girlfriend. But the other’s were forged. I told them so. The professor said the police would decide and her other letters would help find her.”

Lucy nodded. “He must have meant the ones hidden in his bed frame.”

“I guess. Rodger’s asked what he meant. But the professor just smiled and shook his head. He said some things were better left to the police. And then Rodger’s agreed but he asked to spend some time going over the evidence if that pleased the professor. He promised he’d have extra security on me so I didn’t try to make my getaway.”

“What a---“

“It was truly a blow to think that the boss who cared so much about me thought I committed murder. Everything was a bit of a blur after that. I wasn’t thinking clearly. I remember going downstairs with Lucy and I couldn’t even talk about most of it.”

“But you gave me the key.”

“I did. I think I sensed then that something was wrong. At the very least I wouldn’t be around to find answers.” Gregory smiled. “Though I thought I’d be in a jail cell, not a tower prison. And then you left and I just had a head full of anger and confusion to deal with.”

“Is that why you snapped at me when I came to talk to you?”

“No, I snapped at you because you deserved it.” Brett opened his mouth to say something but Gregory added, “And you would deserve it again if you interrupt my story of being captured and chained in an attic to bring up how sad you felt when I let you have the truth.”

Brett, realizing he was right, shut up.

“So, after my fight with Brett, I was sitting on my bed, thinking how I would handle telling my parents I was in jail. Again. I couldn’t sleep. It was really late when I heard a quiet knock on my door. Opening it I was surprised to see Rodgers, in his nightwear, including his cap and slippers standing there. He looked almost comical. He held a finger to his lips and motioned me to come along. I followed him to his study. He told me to sit down. I did. He started to explain that he’d placated the professor earlier so the police wouldn’t get involved before he had time to find a flaw in the professor’s evidence. And he had! Or so he claimed. He walked over the liquor cabinet as he spoke. I heard him open a bottle of something and pour two glasses. A moment later he handed me some scotch. ‘Drink up’ he said. And I did. After that…” Gregory put his head in his hands.

“It’s ok. Take your time.”

“No, we need to act quickly. The room got blurry and Rodger’s had this smile on his face. Then everything went black. I woke up in that attic. Tied closely to the floor so I couldn’t kick. My mouth was gagged. It didn’t matter I found out. I couldn’t be heard unless I were sticking my head out the window, which was locked. I was also tied in a way that made it impossible to reach it.”

“Oh, Greg…” Tears formed in Lucy’s eyes.

“While I was there he’d come up to bring me food. He wasn’t sure how he wanted the police to find me. Dead from exposer outside, or shot dead while trying to attack Rodgers. Or just never found. I’d be a cold case. But if they assumed I was the killer Rodgers would be off the hook.”

“So he talked about Lynn?”

“He did. He explained how he was sympathetic and earned her trust after Sylvie’s husband tried to----anyway Lynn fell for him. He got her pregnant. And when she said she wanted to keep it and get married he decided the best thing to do was get rid of her. After all, if she talked the other stories of abuse in the house might come out. He’d bribed and talked down quite a few girls here who were conveniently placed for patron’s needs. But he made a mistake. He usually chose girls who were more pliable. But Lynn wasn’t. “

“Luckily she was clever enough to get messages out.”

“I feel really stupid about it all now,” Gregory admitted. “I didn’t even think for a moment that it could be Rodgers. He always seemed to like me.”

Lucy patted him gently on the head. “He likes loyalty. You were perfect while you obeyed every order. But once you started digging too deeply you became a threat.

Gregory looked at her and then nodded with a sigh. “I should’ve listened to you. You always told me that it was rough being a girl here…and that Rodgers might know more than he let on.”

Lucy sighed. “It’s ok. Right now we have to trap that monster. And expose this place and it’s owner’s for what it is.”

Max gave her an incredulous look. “How?”

Brett smiled. “The play’s the thing.”