This will be one of the most fascinating chapters.
It begins:
Very close to the final copy deadline for our article, almost too late to be of any use, along telex arrived from Humphrey Tyler in Durban reporting an interview with Dorothy Wilks. He had found her, living with her widowed sister on the sixth floor of another block of flats along the Durban sea-front, and he had talked to her for an hour.
It was a fascinating document.
But there were gaps; questions that needed to be asked. Fox did not have time to question Wilks before their article went for publication.
Ten years later, Fox resumed the search.
He begins with an edited version of Tyler's account in that telex.
The night of the murder, Miss Wilks was alone which was often the case. The dogs were locked in their kennels.
1:00 a.m.: Miss Wilks was surprised by a knock -- June Carberry's driver. June was returning to the Broughton house after the party. The driver brought in a suitcase of clothes and Miss Wilks led the driver to the bedroom where June would stay.
2:00 a.m.: Sir Delves (this would be Broughton) returned with June, Mrs Carberry. They both went upstairs, followed by Miss Wilks. A long corridor at the top of the steps. June went one way; Broughton went the other way.
Wilks says that "was the last anybody saw of Broughton that night." [Earlier we were told Broughton stopped by June's room twice, between the hour of 2:00 a.m. and 3:00 a.m. or thereabouts.]
June complained of a fever; Miss Wilks fetched her some quinine tablets and some whisky, then sat and talked to Mrs Canberry "for a while."
Sometime later, perhaps an hour, another car arrived and there was a knock at the door. Diana and Erroll.
There was an opportunity at that moment to fetch biscuits in Broughton's room for Diana who was dreadfully hungry, but Diana said no. Had Miss Wilks gone to Broughton's room we would have known if Broughton was in his room or not.
Diana and Miss Wilks to up to June's room. Diana spent a few minutes with June; then went back downstairs. Miss Wilks stayed with June. She did not hear Erroll's car driving away.
About a half-hour later, Dianna came back up to June Carberry's room. Miss Wilks had already retired. Miss Wilks said she heard June and Diana "talking excitedly." Then nothing. She assumed Diana went to her room. She heard nothing else.
Miss Wilks still swears she doesn't know for certain who committed the murder, although at the end of the interview, she sighed that it certainly looked like Broughton had done it. By now Broughton was dead; had committed suicide three years after the murder.
Miss Wilks said she did not lie and would never lie. but she said that June did lie to protect Broughton and that she perjured herself in court, "and I don't blame her."
That was Humphrey Tyler's account.
Now, back to James Fox and his account.
"There is no question of Wilks lying to protect her former employee [Broughton] so many years later, at least it may be accepted that Erroll and Diana did appear at the door, and that Erroll was not killed on his way to the house at Karen.
Wilks makes some interesting points:
Broughton was not sleeping well;
she disagrees with June's timeline;
Wilks' information backs up the possibility of June inventing all the times that night, in the knowledge, perhaps, that Wilks would never be able to refute her story
Wilks ultimately gives June an alibi; Broughton no alibi, and Diana a loose alibi, by introuing the "half hour" she spent downstairs.
Next paragraph important, p. 185.
Wilks clearly states that Broughton did not visit June's room twice that morning between 2:00 and 3:00 a.m. Wilks clearly states that June perjured herself, though Fox leaves some ambiguity in his writing.
But this was key for me: apparently only June said that Broughton visited her twice that morning to prove he was still in the house; if that was not true, then it's very likely there was a conspiracy -- but that's interesting because June was Diana's closest friend and supported her decision to leave Broughton.
Author James Fox brings up so many what ifs, he certainly raises more questions.
I am truly conflicted.
It still seems Broughton was the murderer; whether he confided to anyone beforehand is hard ot say.
After the fact, it certainly seems people were protecting Broughton and maybe others.
I really don't know.
No comments:
Post a Comment