Read Online An Invisible Murder by Joyce Cato - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Joyce Cato
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don’t suppose I looked.’
‘But you
did
on the way out,’ Bishop pressed suspiciously. ‘When the others were with you?’
Meecham nodded miserably. ‘Yes, sir. I did. I don’t know what made me look up at it. Probably because I knew the colonel was behind me, and I remembered how he admired it so.’
‘Hmm,’ Bishop made no comment. In truth, he was not
all
that suspicious of Meecham. (God forbid, the butler did it: he’d never live it down back at the police station.) But he would have to go and see this dagger before the forensic boys took samples.
He was very curious to see it for himself
in situ
. ‘What next?’
‘His lordship asked me to check on the staff, sir. To see if anyone was missing. I knew that Janice was out, sir, as it was her afternoon off. And I could hear Lady Roberta in the music-room. She was playing the piano, so I went there first. I expected Miss Simmons to be there too, but it was Mr Powell-Brooks, the art tutor, who was taking her for the piano lesson.’
‘Was that unusual?’
‘No, sir. Mr Powell-Brooks is quite an accomplished pianist. He sometimes took a lesson, if Miss Simmons was ill, or a little late in turning up.’
Jenny frowned, and glanced across her cup. Surely Ava Simmons was not the kind to be late? And since she’d only been here a month, she’d still be anxious about her time keeping. Why wouldn’t Meecham or Powell-Brooks have realized the same thing? Or perhaps they had.
‘I see. Then where did you go?’
‘Here, sir.’
‘That’s right, Inspector, I remember.’ Jenny spoke to him directly for the first time. ‘Mr. Meecham opened the door and glanced in. I remember that he looked rather pale and distracted. I can’t say what time that was, exactly, though.’
‘And you were here alone?’ Bishop asked her harshly, and with an abruptness that was most definitely rude.
‘With Elsie,’ Jenny corrected him gently, getting in her alibi first, before he had a chance to ask her for it.
Bishop glanced at the kitchen maid, who raised her chin and stared at him like a dog that was getting ready to bite.
‘I see,’ Bishop said, backing off. Very wisely, Jenny thought. ‘And then?’ He turned back to Meecham.
‘I knew my daughter was in her ladyship’s bedroom, sir, getting her bath ready.’
So soon in the afternoon, Jenny thought in some surprise, then gave a mental shrug. Since she wasn’t familiar with Lady Vee’s ablutions, she supposed it could be a fair statement . And if Meecham wanted to leave his daughter out of it as much as possible, it was probably only natural.
‘So only the governess was unaccounted for,’ Bishop said. ‘What made you go straight to the conservatory?’ he asked quickly.
Meecham jumped. ‘I didn’t, sir. I went to her room first, but no one answered my knocking. I searched several rooms before noticing that the conservatory door was standing open. Since the gardener was most insistent it should always be kept shut, I naturally went to see, and there she was.’
‘How was she lying?’
‘On her back, sir.’
‘What was she wearing?’
Meecham blinked. ‘Er, I don’t think I noticed, sir.’
Bishop nodded. Probably hadn’t, poor beggar. Shouldn’t wonder if he didn’t pass out for a few moments. He looked the type. ‘I see. Thank you, Meecham. If you could just show me where the dagger is hanging, that will be all for the moment.’
In spite of Lady Vee’s obvious wishes that she dog the inspector’s footsteps, and thus keep her informed, the cook made no move to rise and follow them.
Bishop noticed and audibly sighed with relief, and quickly followed the trembling butler out of the kitchen before she could change her mind.
‘So she’s dead then.’
The flat, abrupt voice belonged to Elsie, and Jenny glanced at her. ‘Seems so,’ she agreed quietly. The kitchen maid nodded and reached for her cup. Her gnarled hands, Jenny noticed without surprise, were shaking.
Looking up
‘But you
did
on the way out,’ Bishop pressed suspiciously. ‘When the others were with you?’
Meecham nodded miserably. ‘Yes, sir. I did. I don’t know what made me look up at it. Probably because I knew the colonel was behind me, and I remembered how he admired it so.’
‘Hmm,’ Bishop made no comment. In truth, he was not
all
that suspicious of Meecham. (God forbid, the butler did it: he’d never live it down back at the police station.) But he would have to go and see this dagger before the forensic boys took samples.
He was very curious to see it for himself
in situ
. ‘What next?’
‘His lordship asked me to check on the staff, sir. To see if anyone was missing. I knew that Janice was out, sir, as it was her afternoon off. And I could hear Lady Roberta in the music-room. She was playing the piano, so I went there first. I expected Miss Simmons to be there too, but it was Mr Powell-Brooks, the art tutor, who was taking her for the piano lesson.’
‘Was that unusual?’
‘No, sir. Mr Powell-Brooks is quite an accomplished pianist. He sometimes took a lesson, if Miss Simmons was ill, or a little late in turning up.’
Jenny frowned, and glanced across her cup. Surely Ava Simmons was not the kind to be late? And since she’d only been here a month, she’d still be anxious about her time keeping. Why wouldn’t Meecham or Powell-Brooks have realized the same thing? Or perhaps they had.
‘I see. Then where did you go?’
‘Here, sir.’
‘That’s right, Inspector, I remember.’ Jenny spoke to him directly for the first time. ‘Mr. Meecham opened the door and glanced in. I remember that he looked rather pale and distracted. I can’t say what time that was, exactly, though.’
‘And you were here alone?’ Bishop asked her harshly, and with an abruptness that was most definitely rude.
‘With Elsie,’ Jenny corrected him gently, getting in her alibi first, before he had a chance to ask her for it.
Bishop glanced at the kitchen maid, who raised her chin and stared at him like a dog that was getting ready to bite.
‘I see,’ Bishop said, backing off. Very wisely, Jenny thought. ‘And then?’ He turned back to Meecham.
‘I knew my daughter was in her ladyship’s bedroom, sir, getting her bath ready.’
So soon in the afternoon, Jenny thought in some surprise, then gave a mental shrug. Since she wasn’t familiar with Lady Vee’s ablutions, she supposed it could be a fair statement . And if Meecham wanted to leave his daughter out of it as much as possible, it was probably only natural.
‘So only the governess was unaccounted for,’ Bishop said. ‘What made you go straight to the conservatory?’ he asked quickly.
Meecham jumped. ‘I didn’t, sir. I went to her room first, but no one answered my knocking. I searched several rooms before noticing that the conservatory door was standing open. Since the gardener was most insistent it should always be kept shut, I naturally went to see, and there she was.’
‘How was she lying?’
‘On her back, sir.’
‘What was she wearing?’
Meecham blinked. ‘Er, I don’t think I noticed, sir.’
Bishop nodded. Probably hadn’t, poor beggar. Shouldn’t wonder if he didn’t pass out for a few moments. He looked the type. ‘I see. Thank you, Meecham. If you could just show me where the dagger is hanging, that will be all for the moment.’
In spite of Lady Vee’s obvious wishes that she dog the inspector’s footsteps, and thus keep her informed, the cook made no move to rise and follow them.
Bishop noticed and audibly sighed with relief, and quickly followed the trembling butler out of the kitchen before she could change her mind.
‘So she’s dead then.’
The flat, abrupt voice belonged to Elsie, and Jenny glanced at her. ‘Seems so,’ she agreed quietly. The kitchen maid nodded and reached for her cup. Her gnarled hands, Jenny noticed without surprise, were shaking.
Looking up
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