Read Online Death in Autumn by Magdalen Nabb - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Magdalen Nabb
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the sight of the bulky uniformed figure behind him.
'I'll talk to the chambermaid first,' the Marshal said with an almost audible sigh. He waited until the door closed behind the others before sitting down heavily in the manager's revolving chair and fixing the girl with a stare that dared her to start giving him any cheek. As it turned out, he needn't have bothered. She was a puny creature with a thin colourless face and she kept nervously twisting up strands of limp black hair that had escaped from an elastic band.
'Gave you a fright, did it?' the Marshal asked after observing her for a few seconds.
'I should think it did, Gino said I could easily have been attacked, even killed.'
'Gino said that, did he? But you didn't see whoever it was?'
'No.'
'Then I don't think you need worry. Tell me what happened from the beginning and don't leave anything out, even unimportant things.'
'Well, somebody came this morning—just before lunch, it was—to tell the manager he could use the Vogel woman's room again. There were two men and they took the seals off the room.'
'Do you know what time exactly?'
'Not exactly but it was going on for twelve o'clock because they were still up there when I went to the kitchen for some lunch.'
'Did you eat with your friend Gino?'
'No, he has to eat at eleven because he waits at table. Afterwards I went out and had a coffee.'
'Who with?'
'With my mum. She's a school attendant just near here and we always go for a coffee together when she comes out.'
'Always in the same place?'
'Nearly always. It's the only place round here where tourists don't go and where you don't have to pay extra if you sit down.'
'And did you tell your mother about the seals being taken off the room?'
'Of course I did. Nobody said I shouldn't!'
'All right, all right. Did you tell anyone else?'
'I didn't see anybody else. Everybody in this place knew. They were cracking jokes about there being a curse on the room. The manager got annoyed. I suppose he was scared of the guests hearing something.'
'What happened when you got back to work?'
'The manager told me to get the room ready and I went to the linen store to get sheets and towels.'
'Was there anybody in the bedroom when you arrived?'
'No—I mean yes. I didn't see anybody, but even so . . .'
'Describe what happened when you went in.'
'I went straight through the sitting-room to the bedroom and laid the sheets and stuff on the bed. That's when I noticed that one of the dressing-table drawers was slightly open. I called out to Dina who was in the bathroom—I mean I thought that's who it was. Just imagine if I'd gone in there and—'
'Why did you think the cleaner was there?'
'I heard her. At least, I heard a noise of somebody moving in there and her bucket was propping the bathroom door open.'
'What did you call out?'
'I can't remember . . . something about her playing at carabinieri . . .' The girl reddened. 'I thought she'd been looking through the Vogel woman's room because of the drawer . . .'
'I see. And nobody answered, I take it?'
'I didn't wait for an answer. I'd started to put a pillow case on and I noticed one of the seams was split. I went off to get another one. That's when I met Dina. She was coming out of the store where they keep soap and stuff, with a bottle of alcohol in her hand.'
'Where is this store room?'
'On the fifth floor, next to the linen store.'
'And Signora Vogel's room is on the third, is that right?'
'Yes, so it couldn't have been Dina who was in there, could it? I told her I'd heard somebody and she said we should call the manager.'
'You didn't go straight back to the room to check if there was anybody still there?'
'Not likely! We sent for the manager and he went. Gino says I did right. He says—'
'Never mind Gino for the moment.' They had certainly given the intruder plenty of time to get away, but he could hardly blame them. 'Are you sure nothing else had been touched in the room except the dressing-table
'I'll talk to the chambermaid first,' the Marshal said with an almost audible sigh. He waited until the door closed behind the others before sitting down heavily in the manager's revolving chair and fixing the girl with a stare that dared her to start giving him any cheek. As it turned out, he needn't have bothered. She was a puny creature with a thin colourless face and she kept nervously twisting up strands of limp black hair that had escaped from an elastic band.
'Gave you a fright, did it?' the Marshal asked after observing her for a few seconds.
'I should think it did, Gino said I could easily have been attacked, even killed.'
'Gino said that, did he? But you didn't see whoever it was?'
'No.'
'Then I don't think you need worry. Tell me what happened from the beginning and don't leave anything out, even unimportant things.'
'Well, somebody came this morning—just before lunch, it was—to tell the manager he could use the Vogel woman's room again. There were two men and they took the seals off the room.'
'Do you know what time exactly?'
'Not exactly but it was going on for twelve o'clock because they were still up there when I went to the kitchen for some lunch.'
'Did you eat with your friend Gino?'
'No, he has to eat at eleven because he waits at table. Afterwards I went out and had a coffee.'
'Who with?'
'With my mum. She's a school attendant just near here and we always go for a coffee together when she comes out.'
'Always in the same place?'
'Nearly always. It's the only place round here where tourists don't go and where you don't have to pay extra if you sit down.'
'And did you tell your mother about the seals being taken off the room?'
'Of course I did. Nobody said I shouldn't!'
'All right, all right. Did you tell anyone else?'
'I didn't see anybody else. Everybody in this place knew. They were cracking jokes about there being a curse on the room. The manager got annoyed. I suppose he was scared of the guests hearing something.'
'What happened when you got back to work?'
'The manager told me to get the room ready and I went to the linen store to get sheets and towels.'
'Was there anybody in the bedroom when you arrived?'
'No—I mean yes. I didn't see anybody, but even so . . .'
'Describe what happened when you went in.'
'I went straight through the sitting-room to the bedroom and laid the sheets and stuff on the bed. That's when I noticed that one of the dressing-table drawers was slightly open. I called out to Dina who was in the bathroom—I mean I thought that's who it was. Just imagine if I'd gone in there and—'
'Why did you think the cleaner was there?'
'I heard her. At least, I heard a noise of somebody moving in there and her bucket was propping the bathroom door open.'
'What did you call out?'
'I can't remember . . . something about her playing at carabinieri . . .' The girl reddened. 'I thought she'd been looking through the Vogel woman's room because of the drawer . . .'
'I see. And nobody answered, I take it?'
'I didn't wait for an answer. I'd started to put a pillow case on and I noticed one of the seams was split. I went off to get another one. That's when I met Dina. She was coming out of the store where they keep soap and stuff, with a bottle of alcohol in her hand.'
'Where is this store room?'
'On the fifth floor, next to the linen store.'
'And Signora Vogel's room is on the third, is that right?'
'Yes, so it couldn't have been Dina who was in there, could it? I told her I'd heard somebody and she said we should call the manager.'
'You didn't go straight back to the room to check if there was anybody still there?'
'Not likely! We sent for the manager and he went. Gino says I did right. He says—'
'Never mind Gino for the moment.' They had certainly given the intruder plenty of time to get away, but he could hardly blame them. 'Are you sure nothing else had been touched in the room except the dressing-table
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