Murder in the Old House

Written by Tom Fowler

Todd Jensen recently inherited the old Jensen family home. He and his wife, Anne, were busy with repairs and remodeling. It was a wonderful inheritance, as the home, built in 1910, was surprisingly modern in design.

So, it was on a bitterly cold and dark winter day that Todd sat across from his beloved cousin, Charlene, who had come for a visit. Todd took his seat after pouring steaming mugs of hot chocolate. He began to relate the story he had promised her. He did not tell her there would be a challenge as well …

Todd took his first sip of hot chocolate and said, “Thanks for coming. There are some things you need to know.”

Todd and Charlene were more than cousins. They had been best friends and confidants for over 30 years – since they were both toddlers in diapers. Charlene replied, “No problem, Todd. What’s on your mind?”

Todd took a deep breath. “Well, Anne and I found an old letter. It was pasted on the wall behind the wallpaper in the formal dining room. It was signed my Mildrid Jensen and dated May 25, 1925. She claims her husband Earl was murdered by their son, Edward Jensen.

Charlene exclaimed, almost choking on a sip of hot chocolate, “That’s our great-uncle!”

“Yeah, I know, replied Todd, dryly, “and she said Edward was murdered in one of the upstairs rooms.

Thoughtfully, Charlene answered, “There are four bedrooms, plus a bath upstairs. Which room was it?” Pausing for a moment, she asked, “Are you going to tell the police? What about the rest of the family?”

Slowly, Todd answered, “This happened almost 84 years ago. Everyone in that generation is long passed. I believe it would be best to let sleeping dogs lie.”

Charlene understood perfectly. She nodded her head and asked, “Why tell me?”

“You know that I share everything with you. Besides,” he grinned, “I have a challenge for you.”

“What would that be? asked his cousin.

“I will tell you the rest of the story, and you tell me what room great-grandfather was murdered in.” He and Charlene played mystery games as children, and now they had an opportunity to analyze a real Jensen family murder mystery.

Charlene nodded and told him to continue.

Todd began relating his tale. “According to great-grandmother’s letter, Edward killed Earl in a fit of rage. It was about 10:00 p.m. on a spring evening. He was found slumped over in a chair with a knife mark in his neck.”

“Why did he kill his own father?”

“Mildrid indicated that Edward was what they called in those days, a ‘no-account.’ He was a cocksure 20-year-old who spent too much money and had a violent temper. The letter also says he had gotten a young woman pregnant out of wedlock. That was a serious taboo back then – so serious that it could, and often did, ruin an entire family’s reputation. Anyway, Earl and Edward argued about it. The disagreement was so severe that Earl lost his life because of it.”

“May I see the letter?”

“After you solve the mystery,” Todd grinned. Both sipped hot chocolate, which was now cool enough to drink.

Charlene returned her cousin’s smile and said, “OK. Great-grandfather was murdered. It was covered up and nobody except Mildrid knew of it until you and Anne found the letter while remodeling the dining room?”

“As far as we know, that is correct.”

“Was he murdered in the same room where he was found?”

“Yes.”

“All right, what about the other family members?

“Mildrid wrote that Anita was terrified and locked herself into her room when the argument began.”

“Where was Mildrid?” Todd was pleased that his cousin was warming to her task.

“She was downstairs and very frightened, but close to the stairs.”

Charlene said, “Tell me about the upstairs bath.”

“One of the nicest of its day,” said Todd. “As you know, it was large and even contained a small chair and reading table. It had state of the art plumbing and was one of the first to have a showerhead. The mint colored tile and enamel was very rare then as well.”

“Harry … Edward … where were they?”

“Harry was not in the house that night. He was estranged from the family in the 1920s. I know this because Dad and Mom used to speak of it. One night, he had a moving truck come and take everything from his room. Harry’s room was empty for a number of years. As far as Edward goes, he was home that night. Mildred did not say where he was when the murder took place.” Todd refilled both cups with fresh chocolate.

Charlene considered what she had heard for several minutes while Todd awaited her next question. Finally, she said, “A violent stabbing would have generated a lot of blood. Did any of the upstairs rooms have carpeting?”

“Yes,” answered Todd. Edward and Anita’s rooms had carpet. In fact, new carpet had been installed in those rooms shortly before the killing. Mildred and Earl, as Ann and I are now, were doing some remodeling. The house was 15 years old in 1925 and was due for a bit of a facelift. Remember when we were kids? As late as 1983, the original carpets were still in both Edward and Anita’s rooms. They were over 55 years old.”

“What about the master bedroom?”

“The master bedroom was, for a prominent family such as ours was back then, fairly Spartan. Within the master bedroom there were twin beds, an armoire, a chest of drawers and a small vanity and stool for great-grandmother. No carpeting and, if I recall, they never even had throw rugs to keep their feet warm in the wintertime.”

Charlene and Todd sat silent for what seemed a long time. Both finished a second cup of hot chocolate. Finally, Todd asked, “In which room was great-grandfather murdered.”