Phryne and Jack are in the library of Robert Sanderson MP inspection
a dead body of a young woman. The notice the girl is not wearing
shoes but her feet are clean so wonder how she got there and where
her shoes have got to. Phryne asks for the doctors report and Jack
tells her the cause of death is indeterminate and there has been
recent sexual activity.
Jack tells Phryne that Robert Sanderson was trying to pass a bill to
legalise prostitution as he feel prostitutes are exploited by there
pimps so he had made a lot of enemies. The worst one being Reverend
Joshua Blackroot who called Robert Sanderson a whoremonger.
Phryne notices that the young woman's clothes do not match as some
items are expensive and others cheap. They notice a card stuck to the
young girls back that says for a good time call Alice. Phryne
notices the girls hair is girtty so Phryne combs it onto a magazine
and discovers coal dust in her hair. Phryne surmises that the chimney
sweep must have brought the girl in his sack.
Jack goes to arrest the sweep and Phryne starts to read the magazine.
She notices an article about Reverend Blackroot she reads it and
notices a picture of the murdered girl who turns out to be Jane
Trellis-Smythe a woman active in church work who helps the Reverend
in his home for fallen women. Phryne surmises that she could be the
Reverend lover doing church work while her husband is away. She
wonders if the Reverends home for fallen women is a front for an
illegal brothel and says perhaps Mrs Trellis-Smythe wondered what it
would be like to be a fallen women so dressed up and perhaps was
smothered when she threatened to uncover the brothel and then was
dumped at Robert Sandersons house to cause a scandal and stop him
putting through his bill that would put the Reverend's brothel out of
business.
Phryne shows a card that she found on the hall stand to Jack it says
chimneys swept and the second card stuck to the girls back says the
Reverend Blackroot's home for fallen women for a good time call
Alice.
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