Read Online Mrs. Jeffries Forges Ahead by Emily Brightwell - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Emily Brightwell
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time of night without Smythe. But they’d come up with something that sounded reasonable—they always did.
At the window, Betsy stood on tiptoe, reached up, and shoved the curtain to one side. She peered out into the darkness. “It’s hard to see,” she mutttered. “But it’s Smythe and Wiggins. Wiggins is talking a mile a minute. I’ll bet they’ve found out something!”
“We searched the house as best we could, sir,” the young constable said to Barnes, “but it was difficult. There were servants everywhere and some of the guests took their time leaving the premises even after we told them they could go. Besides, sir, we weren’t sure what we ought to be looking for.” Constable Long was a strapping, red-haired lad with a baby face that made him look about twelve.
Barnes wasn’t sure what they ought to be looking for, either, but when it came to murder, it always paid to follow procedure. He and Constable Long stood in the middle of the dance floor and surveyed the ballroom. “Don’t fret, lad, I’ve had a hunt around the room myself and I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary.” He stifled a yawn and looked at the spot where the body had been. “Was everything from that table taken into evidence?”
“Yes, sir. There wasn’t much, just their glasses and two decanters of wine.” Long cleared his throat. “Uh, Constable Barnes, can I speak freely? The other lads asked me to have a word with you.”
Barnes turned and met his gaze. “You may. What’s the matter?”
Long took a deep breath. “A few moments ago, the inspector was in the pantry with Mr. Banfield. He seemed a bit upset, sir. He actually raised his voice, but none of us could hear what he said. Inspector Witherspoon is known for having an even temperament so when we heard him, we were a bit alarmed. The other constables wanted me to find out if he was agitated because of any perceived dereliction of duty on our part.” He took another breath, but before Barnes could say a word, he started talking again. “We did everything as instructed, Constable Barnes. The grounds were searched, we got everyone’s name and address, and as I told you, we even looked about the house as best we could. Mind you, there is a nasty old lady upstairs who chased Constable Perry out of her room with an umbrella. That was uncalled for, sir; Perry had no idea the lady was even in there. He knocked but she didn’t answer, so he went in the room.”
Barnes was amused but did his best not to let it show. Metropolitan Police constables generally didn’t worry overly much about what their superiors thought of them, but then again, most superior officers weren’t as highly regarded as Gerald Witherspoon. “Inspector Witherspoon rarely gets annoyed, but it is late and we’re all tired, so he did raise his voice.” He shifted his weight off his sore knee. “The doctor who attended Mrs. Banfield happens to be a police surgeon. Against his express instructions, someone removed what might be an important piece of evidence from the butler’s pantry. The bottle of champagne that was served to Mrs. Banfield is gone. We’ve some men looking for it now, but I don’t think it’s likely to turn up.”
Long sighed in relief. “Oh, thank goodness. We were all worried it was something one of us had done.”
CHAPTER 3
Barnes stifled a yawn as he trudged down the hallway. The Banfield household was now eerily quiet and he hoped they could call it a night. He tucked the sheaf of statements and reports under his arm and stepped into the foyer. Witherspoon was sitting on the bottom of the staircase; his eyes were closed, his tie loosened, tufts of his hair stood straight up, and his spectacles had slid to the end of his nose.
The constable cleared his throat and the inspector’s eyes flew open. When he spotted the constable, he grabbed the banister spindle and hoisted himself up. “Oh dear, you’ve caught me. I know one oughtn’t sit down on the job, so
At the window, Betsy stood on tiptoe, reached up, and shoved the curtain to one side. She peered out into the darkness. “It’s hard to see,” she mutttered. “But it’s Smythe and Wiggins. Wiggins is talking a mile a minute. I’ll bet they’ve found out something!”
“We searched the house as best we could, sir,” the young constable said to Barnes, “but it was difficult. There were servants everywhere and some of the guests took their time leaving the premises even after we told them they could go. Besides, sir, we weren’t sure what we ought to be looking for.” Constable Long was a strapping, red-haired lad with a baby face that made him look about twelve.
Barnes wasn’t sure what they ought to be looking for, either, but when it came to murder, it always paid to follow procedure. He and Constable Long stood in the middle of the dance floor and surveyed the ballroom. “Don’t fret, lad, I’ve had a hunt around the room myself and I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary.” He stifled a yawn and looked at the spot where the body had been. “Was everything from that table taken into evidence?”
“Yes, sir. There wasn’t much, just their glasses and two decanters of wine.” Long cleared his throat. “Uh, Constable Barnes, can I speak freely? The other lads asked me to have a word with you.”
Barnes turned and met his gaze. “You may. What’s the matter?”
Long took a deep breath. “A few moments ago, the inspector was in the pantry with Mr. Banfield. He seemed a bit upset, sir. He actually raised his voice, but none of us could hear what he said. Inspector Witherspoon is known for having an even temperament so when we heard him, we were a bit alarmed. The other constables wanted me to find out if he was agitated because of any perceived dereliction of duty on our part.” He took another breath, but before Barnes could say a word, he started talking again. “We did everything as instructed, Constable Barnes. The grounds were searched, we got everyone’s name and address, and as I told you, we even looked about the house as best we could. Mind you, there is a nasty old lady upstairs who chased Constable Perry out of her room with an umbrella. That was uncalled for, sir; Perry had no idea the lady was even in there. He knocked but she didn’t answer, so he went in the room.”
Barnes was amused but did his best not to let it show. Metropolitan Police constables generally didn’t worry overly much about what their superiors thought of them, but then again, most superior officers weren’t as highly regarded as Gerald Witherspoon. “Inspector Witherspoon rarely gets annoyed, but it is late and we’re all tired, so he did raise his voice.” He shifted his weight off his sore knee. “The doctor who attended Mrs. Banfield happens to be a police surgeon. Against his express instructions, someone removed what might be an important piece of evidence from the butler’s pantry. The bottle of champagne that was served to Mrs. Banfield is gone. We’ve some men looking for it now, but I don’t think it’s likely to turn up.”
Long sighed in relief. “Oh, thank goodness. We were all worried it was something one of us had done.”
CHAPTER 3
Barnes stifled a yawn as he trudged down the hallway. The Banfield household was now eerily quiet and he hoped they could call it a night. He tucked the sheaf of statements and reports under his arm and stepped into the foyer. Witherspoon was sitting on the bottom of the staircase; his eyes were closed, his tie loosened, tufts of his hair stood straight up, and his spectacles had slid to the end of his nose.
The constable cleared his throat and the inspector’s eyes flew open. When he spotted the constable, he grabbed the banister spindle and hoisted himself up. “Oh dear, you’ve caught me. I know one oughtn’t sit down on the job, so
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