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Authors: Julianna Deering
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Ruth practically dragged her around the corner to where Denton was waiting with the Bentley.
“Aunt Ruth!” Madeline protested with a breathless laugh. “That really wasn’t very polite.”
“The old flatterer,” Aunt Ruth muttered while scurrying into the backseat. “He must be seventy if he’s a day!”
“That doesn’t mean he doesn’t know a fine woman whenhe sees one,” Madeline said, getting in beside her. “And Drew was just saying we ought to fix you up with someone here.”
“To get me out of the house, I suppose.”
“Not at all, Aunt Ruth,” Madeline said, squeezing her arm as Denton drove away. “To keep you here.”
The color came up in her aunt’s face, yet there was a touch of a pleased little smile on her lips. “I hardly think so.”
“It’s true. He’s really quite fond of you. I think, not having much family of his own, he likes borrowing mine. He hasn’t actually come out and said it, but I think he’ll miss you when you have to go.”
“Pish tosh,” was all Aunt Ruth said, though she still looked rather pleased.
Drew peered around the half-open door and saw Chief Inspector Birdsong at his overburdened desk. His chin was propped up on his hand as he pored over a typewritten report, one from a rather formidable stack of the same.
With a glance at Nick, Drew tapped on the door. “Inspector?”
Birdsong looked up, heaved a martyr’s sigh, then looked back at his report. “I thought you’d be here two or three hours ago.”
“You did?”
Exchanging puzzled glances, Drew and Nick stepped into the room.
“And there’s young Dennison of course,” Birdsong added. “What? No Miss Parker?”
“No,” Drew said. “She and her aunt are seeing to something for the wedding.”
“That’s still on, is it?” Still not looking up, Birdsong putthe report back on the stack and took a file folder from his desk drawer instead.
“It is,” Drew said cheerfully. “Why did you expect I would be here two or three hours ago?”
“That was when Mrs. Landis came to see you, wasn’t it?”
“Yes . . . it was.” Again Drew looked at Nick, who gave a shrug. “How did you know?”
“Her husband works for you. Seems rather obvious that she would come to you, what with you being the faddish choice these days for upper-crust crime solving. And there was the simple matter of my constable making enquiries of the cabbie who drove her to Farthering Place. Brilliant bit of police work, that.”
Birdsong smirked at Drew and then opened the file and began shuffling through its contents.
“May as well sit down, the both of you,” he added, pointing with the stub of a pencil at the pair of chairs in front of his desk. “Make it brief.”
“I’ll go straight to the point then.” Drew sat down and pulled his chair just a bit closer to the desk. “Why haven’t you arrested Mrs. Landis?”
Birdsong stopped messing with the papers and gave him a keen look. “Mrs. Landis is a person of interest in our investigation. We have not arrested her because we have not yet found enough evidence to do so.”
Nick leaned on the back of the empty chair. “Not yet?”
“Not yet,” Birdsong repeated. “Sit down.”
With a chuckle, Nick complied. “But you have some concerns about her?”
“One of the witnesses claims to have seen her.”
“Conor Benton.” Drew nodded. “She told me about that,but she says he’s doing it out of spite, that she was home all night.”
“And that is why she is not currently in custody. Her husband corroborates her story.”
“How certain did you say Benton was that he saw her and not someone else?”
“All right, he told me he didn’t actually see her face,” Birdsong admitted. “But he saw someone, a woman, he’s certain, and he thinks it was Mrs. Landis. Rather, he insists it was Mrs. Landis. He says he knows by the way the woman moved that she was the one. And she was heard to make a threat against Ravenswood down the local pub the
“Aunt Ruth!” Madeline protested with a breathless laugh. “That really wasn’t very polite.”
“The old flatterer,” Aunt Ruth muttered while scurrying into the backseat. “He must be seventy if he’s a day!”
“That doesn’t mean he doesn’t know a fine woman whenhe sees one,” Madeline said, getting in beside her. “And Drew was just saying we ought to fix you up with someone here.”
“To get me out of the house, I suppose.”
“Not at all, Aunt Ruth,” Madeline said, squeezing her arm as Denton drove away. “To keep you here.”
The color came up in her aunt’s face, yet there was a touch of a pleased little smile on her lips. “I hardly think so.”
“It’s true. He’s really quite fond of you. I think, not having much family of his own, he likes borrowing mine. He hasn’t actually come out and said it, but I think he’ll miss you when you have to go.”
“Pish tosh,” was all Aunt Ruth said, though she still looked rather pleased.
Drew peered around the half-open door and saw Chief Inspector Birdsong at his overburdened desk. His chin was propped up on his hand as he pored over a typewritten report, one from a rather formidable stack of the same.
With a glance at Nick, Drew tapped on the door. “Inspector?”
Birdsong looked up, heaved a martyr’s sigh, then looked back at his report. “I thought you’d be here two or three hours ago.”
“You did?”
Exchanging puzzled glances, Drew and Nick stepped into the room.
“And there’s young Dennison of course,” Birdsong added. “What? No Miss Parker?”
“No,” Drew said. “She and her aunt are seeing to something for the wedding.”
“That’s still on, is it?” Still not looking up, Birdsong putthe report back on the stack and took a file folder from his desk drawer instead.
“It is,” Drew said cheerfully. “Why did you expect I would be here two or three hours ago?”
“That was when Mrs. Landis came to see you, wasn’t it?”
“Yes . . . it was.” Again Drew looked at Nick, who gave a shrug. “How did you know?”
“Her husband works for you. Seems rather obvious that she would come to you, what with you being the faddish choice these days for upper-crust crime solving. And there was the simple matter of my constable making enquiries of the cabbie who drove her to Farthering Place. Brilliant bit of police work, that.”
Birdsong smirked at Drew and then opened the file and began shuffling through its contents.
“May as well sit down, the both of you,” he added, pointing with the stub of a pencil at the pair of chairs in front of his desk. “Make it brief.”
“I’ll go straight to the point then.” Drew sat down and pulled his chair just a bit closer to the desk. “Why haven’t you arrested Mrs. Landis?”
Birdsong stopped messing with the papers and gave him a keen look. “Mrs. Landis is a person of interest in our investigation. We have not arrested her because we have not yet found enough evidence to do so.”
Nick leaned on the back of the empty chair. “Not yet?”
“Not yet,” Birdsong repeated. “Sit down.”
With a chuckle, Nick complied. “But you have some concerns about her?”
“One of the witnesses claims to have seen her.”
“Conor Benton.” Drew nodded. “She told me about that,but she says he’s doing it out of spite, that she was home all night.”
“And that is why she is not currently in custody. Her husband corroborates her story.”
“How certain did you say Benton was that he saw her and not someone else?”
“All right, he told me he didn’t actually see her face,” Birdsong admitted. “But he saw someone, a woman, he’s certain, and he thinks it was Mrs. Landis. Rather, he insists it was Mrs. Landis. He says he knows by the way the woman moved that she was the one. And she was heard to make a threat against Ravenswood down the local pub the
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