Read Online Jumping Jenny by Anthony Berkeley - Free Book Online Page A

appropriate, isn’t it,” said Mrs. Stratton, with a hollow laugh, “to be standing under a gallows, while we talk about life and death?”
    “A gallows from which, I perceive, one of the felons has fallen, if you can draw a moral from that,” said Dr. Chalmers, and aimed a vicious kick at the felon’s severed head. It soared up in the air and out of sight. Somewhat relieved, Dr. Chalmers dealt in a similar manner with the trunk.
    “Yes, there ought to be a moral in that, oughtn’t there?” said Mrs. Stratton, with mournful relish. “Do you think it’s an invitation, Phil? An invitation from fate for me to take its place?”
    “I shouldn’t think so,” returned Dr. Chalmers. “Well, are you ready to go downstairs, Ena? It’s a bit too cold out here. Besides, David will be wondering what’s happened to you.”
    “Let him wonder. He doesn’t care. Phil, don’t you really think it’s an invitation from fate? I think that’s such a nice idea. Look—it would be so easy.”
    Mrs. Stratton pulled a chair up underneath the swinging rope, mounted on it, and put the stiff noose round her neck,
    “Where do they have the knot, Phil? Let’s get the details right, at any rate. I know they have a special place for the knot.”
    “Under the left ear, I believe,” said Dr. Chalmers, bored with this play-acting, and kicked moodily at one of the uprights of the gallows.
    Mrs. Stratton adjusted the knot under her left ear, and tightened the noose a little round her throat.
    “Look, Phil. It would be terribly easy, wouldn’t it? I’ve only got to jump off the seat of this chair. Shall I? Nobody would mind. David and Ronald wouldn’t. I don’t believe even you’d mind much. Shall I?”
    Dr. Chalmers leant with his sound hand on the back of the chair. “Come on, Ena. I’m cold.”
    “No, but shall I jump off this chair, Phil? Shall I? Tell me. I will if you say so. Shall I?”
    “Yes!” said Dr. Chalmers suddenly, and walked away: with the chair. For the only time in his life Dr. Chalmers had acted on impulse.
II
    Dr. Chalmers did not hear the faint thud and the gurgle behind him. He did not even look round, and so was able to pretend to himself, in some curious way, that nothing had happened. Without pausing, he dumped the chair down on the roof somewhere near the door, where it promptly fell over, and with his hands in his pockets continued on his way, whistling under his breath a little out of tune.
    He could hardly believe that, technically, he had committed a murder; yet presumably he had.
    Inside the door to the house he remembered that he must take precautions. He was perfectly safe, of course, so long as no one saw him coming in from the roof. Suicide would be taken for granted, and there was nothing to disprove it. Everyone knew that one of Ena’s favourite topics of conversation was suicide.
    Still whistling softly under his breath, Dr. Chalmers closed the door very quietly behind him and stood stock-still, listening. There was no sound of voices. He ventured a peep round the concealing angle of the ceiling into the bar-room. It was empty. The sound of music still came from the ballroom.
    On quiet feet Dr. Chalmers ran down two flights of stairs. There he turned and, whistling loudly now, mounted once more, slowly and trampingly. He glanced at the watch on his wrist. To his surprise it was only a quarter of an hour since he had come in. All that had happened in fifteen minutes. And that made exactly Lucy’s hour.
    Dr. Chalmers’s luck held. Just as he arrived at the top landing the door of the ballroom opened and Margot Stratton came out, passing him on the landing on her way upstairs.
    “Hullo, Phil,” she called out. “I’m looking for Mike. Have you seen him anywhere?”
    “No,” said Dr. Chalmers, “I’ve only just got back.”
     

CHAPTER V
     
    SEARCH PARTY
I
    It was a minute or so before half-past two when Dr. Chalmers presented himself again in the ballroom.
    “Oh, hang!”