Read Online The Lately Deceased by Bernard Knight - Free Book Online

situation was averted by the opening of the door and the arrival of Meredith and Grey. The murmur of voices died down and all faces were turned expectantly towards the tall superintendent. His face was grave and his eyes roved around beneath the black brows, probing the faces before him as he delivered the news.
    â€˜As we thought this morning, this occurrence has proved to be serious in the extreme,’ he announced slowly. ‘Mrs Margaret Walker died as the result of direct violence and we have no alternative but to assume that she was murdered.’
    The announcement was met by a stunned silence. Everyone had been uneasy since being summoned by the police, but all had had the idea that some unfortunate accident during the rather torrid party had brought down the disapproval of the authorities.
    But murder ? Everyone seemed incapable of taking in the detective’s meaning for a moment. Before they had time to break from their silence with demands for details, Old Nick went on.
    â€˜I must ask you all to remain here until you are called to give as full a statement as you can. Each statement will then be typed and read over to you, to be signed by you if correct. After that you are free to leave, but you must give us detailed directions as to where you may be found. I shall be glad if none of you will leave London without first informing me or Inspectors Stammers or Grey.’
    He threw another dark look around the room before turning and going back into the interview room, where Gordon Walker could just be seen sitting in front of a desk, shoulders hunched.
    Meredith closed the door on the rising babble of voices which now broke out in the waiting room, and retreated to the desk, where a typed statement lay on the blotter. He sat down and waved the paper at Gordon.
    â€˜Right, Mr Walker, I’ll just read what the sergeant has written. Please listen carefully and, if there are any mistakes or omissions, please let me know before you sign it.’
    He cleared his throat and began to read aloud. It was a fairly short account of the previous night’s happenings, prefaced by a paragraph stating that his wife’s health had always been good during the time that they had been married. Then, as near as he could remember, he gave a timetable of events during the night, with the information that Margaret had been drinking more than was her custom during the earlier part of the evening.
    He could not remember with whom she had left the room for the first of the games, and he had not seen her until he had found her in the wardrobe much later on. At the time of finding her, he had thought that she was in an alcoholic coma, but that certainly he thought she was alive. He was not prepared to swear to the presence of breathing; he had been slightly drunk by then himself and had had no cause at the time to think that she was in anything other than a drunken stupor.
    He recounted the discovery by Lena Wright and the arrival of the doctor, then the removal of the body from the house. He then had had a bath and shave and lain in his dressing gown on the bed until nine o’clock, when he dressed and waited for the doctor or coroner’s officer to contact him as expected. The first indication of serious complications was the arrival of Masters who told him that his wife might not have died a natural death.
    â€˜Have you anything to add to this, sir?’ asked Meredith at the finish.
    â€˜No I don’t think so, Superintendent,’ replied Gordon wearily. Those are the facts – you don’t want opinions, I suppose?’
    Old Nick looked at him warily.
    â€˜Not on this preliminary statement, no, sir; but if you have anything at all to say which might be relevant to my inquiries, please let me have it right away.’
    â€˜Well, if this is murder, which I certainly can’t credit, then my wife was probably the least likely candidate in the house last night! If someone was to have been killed,