Read Online The Young Widow by Cassandra Chan - Free Book Online Page B

laden with sarcasm.
    â€œShe was unpleasant?” asked Carmichael.
    â€œOh, no. Not unpleasant. Just doing her sweet little waif act all over the place and keeping a sharp eye out for number one all the while. It wears very thin, that. She nearly drove Aunt Maddie mad by constantly telling her how Geoffrey would like that, or wouldn’t like this, just as if Maddie hadn’t been living with the man for twelve years. She told Paul she did wish he wouldn’t aggravate his father so. And she told everything to Geoffrey in a way that put us all in the worst possible light. I thought, when she first came, that we might be company for each other—we’re much of an age. But Annette doesn’t
care for anyone but Annette. She’ll flirt with men, but women are utterly useless to her.” She shrugged.
    â€œBut did the marriage seem to you to be a happy one?”
    She paused, thinking this over. “I suppose it did,” she said. “Certainly Geoffrey seemed happy with her.”
    â€œAnd she with him?”
    â€œWell, I never thought, really. Now I can see that obviously she wasn’t, but at the time … Yes, I guess she seemed happy enough.”
    â€œWere you surprised to hear Mrs. Berowne had decided to walk to the village that morning?” asked Carmichael.
    Marion gave a short laugh. “Stunned is more like it. Annette never did anything that energetic. We stopped having picnics down by the lake because she never wanted to walk so far. But of course she could never have accounted for her time that morning if she’d driven.”
    â€œI see,” said Carmichael. “Thank you for being so frank, Mrs. Berowne. There are just a few other questions. Had you been in Mr. Berowne’s study in, say, the week before his death?”
    â€œI’m not sure,” She frowned thoughtfully. “I might have been—it was an easy place to catch him if you wanted to see him without Annette. I think I took Edwin over to tea with Aunt Maddie the day before, but Geoffrey wouldn’t have been in his study then.” She paused and then shook her head. “I seem to think I did pop in on Geoffrey one morning, but I can’t be sure.”
    â€œCan you remember if there were flowers on the mantelpiece when you were there?”
    â€œFlowers?” She looked startled. “I suppose there might have been. If I noticed at the time, I don’t remember now.”
    â€œYou never brought any flowers in yourself?”
    â€œWell, I may have done at some time, but not recently. May I ask why?”
    Carmichael smiled. “Just a loose end,” he said. “I think that’s all for now. We appreciate your help very much.”

    â€œCertainly, Chief Inspector. I—oh, dear, I think that’s Edwin waking up. Can you let yourselves out? Thank you so much.”
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    The church was an uninspired example of late Perpendicular with a modern and rather garish stained-glass window. Reverend Oakley waved a hand at it with pride.
    â€œThat was Geoffrey’s Berowne’s doing,” he said. “The original went in the war, and we just had plain glass until Geoffrey offered to donate the money for a new window.” He gazed at it happily. “It came out rather well, don’t you think?”
    â€œSplendid,” said Carmichael heartily, and even Gibbons, who knew him well, could not detect whether or not he was dissembling. “As you may know, Reverend, any murder investigation starts with the victim. We’ve come to you hoping you could give us some insight.”
    Reverend Oakley nodded thoughtfully and motioned them to sit in the pews. He was a short, stout man with what little hair he had left clipped short and rather shrewd eyes.
    â€œHe was a good man,” he said. “A little old-fashioned in these times, but who of his age isn’t? He wasn’t sensitive, but he was generous and tried to be kind.