Then you dont know howwhatif His voice trailed off. Theyre not going to make an arrest, are they?
Not so far as I know. But then, as I say, I mightnt know.
Get em on the run, Inspector Taverner had said. Get em rattled. Well, Laurence Brown was rattled all right.
He began talking quickly and nervously.
You dont know what its like The strain Not knowing whatI mean, they just come and goAsking questions Questions that dont seem to have anything to do with the case
He broke off. I waited. He wanted to talkwell, then, let him talk.
You were there when the Chief Inspector made that monstrous suggestion the other day? About Mrs Leonides and myself It was monstrous. It makes one feel so helpless. One is powerless to prevent people thinking things! And it is all so wickedly untrue. Just because she iswasso many years younger than her husband. People have dreadful mindsdreadful minds. I feelI cant help feeling, that it is all a plot.
A plot? Thats interesting.
It was interesting, though not quite in the way he took it.
The family, you know; Mr Leonides family, have never been sympathetic to me. They were always aloof. I always felt that they despised me.
His hands had begun to shake.
Just because they have always been rich andpowerful. They looked down on me. What was I to them? Only the tutor. Only a wretched conscientious objector. And my objections were conscientious. They were indeed!
I said nothing.
All right then, he burst out. What if I wasafraid? Afraid Id make a mess of it. Afraid that when I had to pull a triggerI mightnt be able to bring myself to do it. How can you be sure its a NazI youre going to kill? It might be some decent ladsome village boywith no political leanings, just called up for his countrys service. I believe war is wrong, do you understand? I believe it is wrong!
I was still silent. I believed that my silence was achieving more than any arguments or agreements could do. Laurence Brown was arguing with himself, and in so doing was revealing a good deal of himself.
Everyones always laughed at me. His voice shook. I seem to have a knack of making myself ridiculous. It isnt that I really lack courage[118]but I always do the thing wrong. I went into a burning house to rescue a woman they said was trapped there. But I lost the way at once, and the smoke made me unconscious, and it gave a lot of trouble to the firemen finding me. I heard them say, Why couldnt the silly chump leave it to us? Its no good my trying, everyones against me. Whoever killed Mr Leonides arranged it so that I would be suspected. Someone killed him so as to ruin me!
What about Mrs Leonides? I asked.
He flushed. He became less of a mouse and more like a man.
Mrs Leonides is an angel, he said, an angel. Her sweetness, her kindness to her elderly husband were wonderful. To think of her in connection with poison is laughablelaughable! And that thick-headed Inspector cant see it!
Hes prejudiced, I said, by the number of cases on his files where elderly husbands have been poisoned by sweet young wives.
The insufferable dolt, said Laurence Brown angrily.
He went over to a bookcase in the corner and began rummaging the books in it. I didnt think I should get anything more out of him. I went slowly out of the room.
As I was going along the passage, a door on my left opened and Josephine almost fell on top of me. Her appearance had the suddenness of a demon in an old-fashioned pantomime.
Her face and hands were filthy and a large cobweb floated from one ear.
Where have you been, Josephine?
I peered through the half-open door. A couple of steps led up into an attic-like rectangular space in the gloom of which several large tanks could be seen.
In the cistern room.
Why in the cistern room?
Josephine replied in a brief businesslike way:
Detecting.
What on earth is there to detect among the cisterns?
To this, Josephine merely replied:
I must wash.
I should say most decidedly.
Josephine disappeared through the nearest bathroom door. She looked back to say:
I should say its about time for the next murder, wouldnt you?
I must wash.
I should say most decidedly.
Josephine disappeared through the nearest bathroom door. She looked back to say:
I should say its about time for the next murder, wouldnt you?
What do you meanthe next murder?
Well, in books theres always a second murder about now. Someone who knows something is bumped off[119] before they can tell what they know.
You read too many detective stories, Josephine. Real life isnt like that. And if anybody in this house knows something the last thing they seem to want to do is to talk about it.
Josephines reply came to me rather obscurely by the gushing of water from a tap.
Sometimes its something that they dont know that they do know.
I blinked as I tried to think this out. Then, leaving Josephine to her ablutions, I went down to the floor below.
Just as I was going out through the front door to the staircase, Brenda came with a soft rush through the drawingroom door.
She came close to me and laid her hand on my arm, looking up in my face.
Well? she asked.
It was the same demand for information that Laurence had made, only it was phrased differently. And her one word was far more effective.
I shook my head.
Nothing, I said.
She gave a long sigh.
Im so frightened, she said. Charles, Im so frigh tened
Her fear was very real. It communicated itself to me there in that narrow space. I wanted to reassure her, to help her. I had once more that poignant sense of her as terribly alone in hostile surroundings.
She might well have cried out: Who is on my side?
And what would the answer have been? Laurence Brown? And what, after all, was Laurence Brown? No tower of strength in a time of trouble. One of the weaker vessels. I remembered the two of them drifting in from the garden the night before.
I wanted to help her. I badly wanted to help her. But there was nothing much I could say or do. And I had at the bottom of my mind an embarrassed guilty feeling, as though Sophias scornful eyes were watching me. I remembered Sophias voice saying: So she got you.
And Sophia did not see, did not want to see, Brendas side of it. Alone, suspected of murder, with no one to stand by her.
The inquest is tomorrow, Brenda said. Whatwhat will happen?
There I could reassure her.
Nothing, I said. You neednt worry about that. It will be adjourned for the police to make inquiries. It will probably set the Press loose, though. So far, theres been no indication in the papers that it wasnt a natural death. The Leonides have got a good deal of influence. But with an adjourned inquestwell, the fun will start.
(What extraordinary things one said! The fun! Why must I choose that particular word?)
Willwill they be very dreadful?
I shouldnt give any interviews if I were you. You know, Brenda, you ought to have a lawyer She recoiled with a terrific gasp of dismay. Nononot the way you mean. But someone to look after your interests and advise you as to procedure, and what to say and do, and what not to say and do.
You see, I added, youre very much alone.
Her hand pressed my arm more closely.
Yes, she said. You do understand that. Youve helped, Charles, you have helped
I went down the stairs with a feeling of warmth, of satisfaction Then I saw Sophia standing by the front door. Her voice was cold and rather dry.
What a long time youve been, she said. They rang up for you from London. Your father wants you.
At the Yard?
Yes.
I wonder what they want me for. They didnt say?
Sophia shook her head. Her eyes were anxious. I drew her to me.
Dont worry, darling, I said, Ill soon be back.
Chapter 17
There was something strained in the atmosphere of my fathers room. The Old Man sat behind his table, Chief Inspector Taverner leaned against the window frame. In the visitors chair sat Mr Gaitskill, looking ruffled.
extraordinary want of confidence, he was saying acidly.
Of course, of course. My father spoke soothingly. Ah, hallo, Charles, youve made good time. Rather a surprising development has occurred.
Unprecedented, Mr Gaitskill said.
Something had clearly ruffled the little lawyer to the core. Behind him, Chief Inspector Taverner grinned at me.
If I may recapitulate? my father said. Mr Gaitskill received a somewhat surprising communication this morning, Charles. It was from a Mr Agrodopolous, proprietor of the Delphos Restaurant. He is a very old man, a Greek by birth, and when he was a young man he was helped and befriended by Aristide Leonides. He has always remained deeply grateful to his friend and benefactor and it seems that Aristide Leonides placed great reliance and trust in[120] him.
I would never have believed Leonides was of such a suspicious and secretive nature, said Mr Gaitskill. Of course, he was of advanced yearspractically in his dotage, one might say.
Nationality tells, said my father gently. You see, Gaitskill, when you are very old your mind dwells a good deal on the days of your youth and the friends of your youth.
But Leonides affairs had been in my hands for well over forty years, said Mr Gaitskill. Forty-three years and six months to be precise.
Taverner grinned again.
What happened? I asked.
Mr Gaitskill opened his mouth, but my father forestalled him.
Mr Agrodopolous stated in his communication that he was obeying certain instructions given him by his friend Aristide Leonides. Briefly, about a year ago he had been entrusted by Mr Leonides with a sealed envelope which Mr Agrodopolous was to forward to Mr Gaitskill immediately after Mr Leonides death. In the event of Mr Agrodopolous dying first, his son, a godson of Mr Leonides, was to carry out the same instructions. Mr Agrodopolous apologizes for the delay, but explains that he has been ill with pneumonia and only learned of his old friends death yesterday afternoon.
The whole business is most unprofessional, said Mr Gaitskill.
When Mr Gaitskill had opened the sealed envelope and made himself acquainted with its contents, he decided that it was his duty
Under the circumstances[121], said Mr Gaitskill.
To let us see the enclosures. They consist of a will, duly signed and attested, and a covering letter.