Read Online The Marshal Makes His Report by Magdalen Nabb - Free Book Online Page A

I think I’m awake now—though I don’t know how I can be much help to you. It was suicide, I imagine?’
    ‘That or an accident.’
    ‘Hm. Well, people do strange things, of course, and nothing’s impossible but surely it all happened in the middle of the night?’
    ‘That’s one of the things I need to find out. That and whether it was suicide. The insurance, you understand . . .’
    ‘Of course. Well, I heard a commotion but it’s all a bit vague, so not much help really.
    ‘At what time?’ The Marshal slid his black notebook from the top pocket of his jacket. Go through the motions. Don’t let it matter. Those were the rules of the game. ‘If you can remember . . .’
    ‘Oh yes, I think so. It was around half past two.’
    ‘You’re so sure?’
    ‘Nothing strange about that. I’m not a very good sleeper, so I’m often forced to take a tranquillizer. I try to stick to half a tablet, though I’m often obliged to take the other half during the night. I have to be careful about that because if that happens too late in the night I feel groggy when I get up—not the sort of thing to do in a job like mine.’
    ‘No, no . . . I understand. So you woke up and looked at the time so you could decide whether or not . . .’
    ‘Oh no, you see it was Saturday night. If you’ve ever suffered from insomnia you’ll know that half the problem is caused by worrying about not getting to sleep because you’ve got to get up and work next day.’
    ‘I don’t think I ever . . .’
    ‘Well, think yourself lucky. Of course, different people have different ways of reacting to anxiety. Some people can’t eat.’
    ‘I don’t think . . .’
    ‘No . . .’ her glance at his portly figure was involuntary and withdrawn at once, but even so she couldn’t help adding, ‘And others eat too much to comfort themselves.’
    The Marshal was silenced.
    ‘Anyway, where was I? Oh, Saturday night. Well, since I don’t absolutely have to get up early on Sunday I try not to take anything. I do hate to think of being a slave to any drug, so Saturday night I make my bid for freedom. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. That night it didn’t—at least, I did fall asleep reading, but then, as often happens I woke up with a start about two hours later. It’s not just a question of waking up, you understand. More of a leaping from the pillow like a gaffed salmon, heart beating fit to burst.’
    ‘Had you heard a shot?’ asked the perplexed Marshal, his pen poised hopefully.
    ‘A shot . . . ? No, no, I’m just explaining the way I wake up in the night when I’m anxious. When that happens I have to give in and take the tranquillizer. Do you follow me?’
    ‘I think so . . . and you looked at the time so that—’
    ‘Exactly. It was half past two, near enough. I took a whole tablet. I was annoyed about it because even though it was Sunday the next day I’d wanted to get up at a decent hour because there were various things I wanted to do, but since I wouldn’t have got them done after a totally sleepless night . . .’
    ‘But the noise you heard?’
    ‘I’m coming to that. That was after I’d taken the pill.’
    ‘You didn’t fall asleep at once, then?’
    ‘Good heavens, no! It takes me half an hour or so to calm down. I read for a bit. Then I heard the row. I think their bedroom must be directly below mine.’
    ‘The Ulderighi?’
    ‘Yes. I hear all their quarrels. Heard I should say— though mostly I heard her. Hysterical woman. He always tried to keep his voice down and I often wondered whether it occurred to him that I could hear it all. He was always very civil to me.’
    ‘And the Marchesa isn’t?’
    ‘No. I don’t know if you’ve any idea what she charges for these flats, but I can tell you that it’s plenty. All of us are good tenants who look after the property and pay regularly and we’re treated like we were squatters or something. She loathes us. She can just about force herself to say