Джорджетт Хейер - No Wind of Blame

He put one or two more questions to the butler, but soon found that Peake had told him all he knew. He requested him to summon Miss Cliffe to the morningroom, and sat digesting the information he had acquired until Mary came in.

"You want to speak to me, Inspector?"

"If you please, miss," said the Inspector, indicating a chair.

She sat down on it. She was looking a little pale, and there was an anxious expression in her eyes which did not escape the Inspector.

"Now, miss! I understand that Mr. Robert Steel called here this morning to see Mrs. Carter. Is that a fact?"

"Yes."

"You didn't mention it to me before. How was that?"

"I didn't think it was important. Mr. Steel is a close friend, and often drops in to see us."

"Was Mr. Steel a close friend of Mr. Carter's, miss?"

She hesitated. "I should call him a friend of the house."

"Is it not a fact that he is Mrs. Carter's friend?"

"He is more her friend than Mr. Carter's. But he is also a friend of mine."

"We'll let that pass, miss. Had you no reason to suppose that Mr. Steel might feel more than friendly towards Mrs. Carter?"

"You had better ask him," said Mary stiffly.

"I shall do so, miss, make no mistake about that! But I'm asking you now: when he was here this morning did Mr. Steel give you any reason to suppose that he was feeling very un-friendly towards Mr. Carter?"

"Mr. Steel and Mr. Carter never hit it off very well," she replied evasively.

"No, miss? Why was that?"

"I don't know. They are very different types."

"I put it to you, miss, that you know very well that Mr. Steel is in love with Mrs. Carter."

"Perhaps," Mary said. "It wouldn't be surprising if he were.

"My information is that Mr. Steel told you this morning that he had been in love with Mrs. Carter ever since he first knew her. Is that correct?"

Though she had mistrusted Peake, she had not suspected that he had overheard her conversation with Steel. Colour rushed into her cheeks; she felt the ground sliding from under her feet; and could only answer: "Yes. He did say so."

"Did he also tell you that he would like to break Mr. Carter's neck?"

"I don't know. I can't remember."

"Come, come, miss! Don't you think you would remember if anyone had made a threat like that?"

"Oh, it wasn't a threat!" Mary said unguardedly. "Mr. Steel was very angry with Mr. Carter for upsetting his wife, and people do say stupid things when they're angry."

"And it didn't seem important to you, in view of what has happened?"

"No, not in the least."

"You weren't surprised that Mr. Steel should say such a thing?"

"No. He has rather a quick temper," She broke off, aghast at her own disclosures.

"He has a quick temper, has he? Perhaps he has said very much the same sort of thing before about what he'd like to do to Mr. Carter?"

"No, indeed he hasn't!"

"Oh? And yet you weren't surprised when he said it today?"

"No. I can't explain, but surely you know how one says extravagant things one doesn't really mean when one is angry?"

The Inspector ignored this, and as he seemed to have no more questions to ask, Mary rose to her feet. "If that's all ? You wanted to see Prince Varasashvili. He came back about ten minutes ago. Shall I ask him to come in here?"

"Thank you, miss, if you'll be so good."

The Inspector's first view of the Prince did not predispose him in his favour. The Prince's sleek black hair, with its ordered waves, his brilliant smile, and his accentuated waist-line, filled the Inspector, a plain man, with vague repulsion. He thought that the Prince looked just the type of good-for-nothing lizard whom you would expect to find hanging round a rich woman like Ermyntrude Carter.

The Prince came in without hesitation, and made a gesture with his expressive hands. "You are the Inspector of Police? You desire to interrogate me? I understand perfectly. This terrible affair! You will forgive me that I find myself so startled, so very-much shocked, I can find no words! Ah, my poor hostess!"

"Yes, indeed, sir," said the Inspector woodenly. "Very bad business. May I have your full name and address, please?"

"My address!" said the Prince, with one of his mournful smiles. "Alas, I have no longer an address to call my own since my country has been in the hands of my enemies. My name is Alexis Feodor Gregorovitch Varasashvili. I am absolutely at your service."

The Inspector drew a breath, and requested him to spell it. When he had succeeded in transcribing the name correctly in his notebook, he said that he understood that the Prince was a friend of Mrs. Carter.

"She does me the honour of saying so," bowed the Prince.

"Have you been acquainted with her for long?"

"No, for I met her a few months ago only, at Antibes." "And Mr. Carter, too?"

"Ah no, Mr. Carter did not accompany his wife! I met Mr. Carter for the first time on Friday, when I arrived to spend the week-end here. Little did I think then it would end in such tragedy!"

"No, sir. I understand that you were one of the last people to see Mr. Carter before he set out for the Dower House this afternoon?"

"Is it so indeed? That I did not know, for I myself was gone from the house before he left it. I asked of him the way to Dr Chester's house. Miss Cliffe, I think, was present. Yes, I am sure. I left her with him."

"At what time would that have been, sir?"

The Prince shook his head. "I am sorry. I cannot tell you. It was certainly more than half past four, but I cannot be precise, for I had not the occasion to look at my watch."

"What did you do when you left the house, sir?"

"But naturally I walked to the garage. I should explain, perhaps, that Miss Fanshawe was so very kind as to lend me her car. I drove myself, therefore, to the doctor's house."

"Did you happen to notice what the time was when you arrived there?"

The smile flashed out again. "It is, I see, very fortunate for me that I can say yes, Inspector. Mr. Carter told me it was impossible that I should mistake the house, and this I found was entirely true. I did, in fact, arrive at five minutes to five. The doctor was not in: he had been called out, his housekeeper told me. But in perhaps ten minutes he came back, and we had tea together, and he showed me his relics, until it was time for him to go to his surgery. Then I motored back here, to find - what horror!"

"Yes, indeed, sir, I'm sure. I take it you can prove what you've just told me? That you reached the doctor's house at five minutes to five?"

The Prince wrinkled his brow. "Of course it is most necessary. Surely the good woman. Dr Chester's housekeeper, would know? Yes, for we spoke of the time, since I had arrived a little before I was expected."

The Inspector nodded. "Very good, sir. Were you a member of the shooting-party Mr. Carter went on yesterday?"

"Certainly, yes."

"I understand there was some sort of an accident, sir?"

The Prince flung up his hands. "Oh no, no, no! That is to exaggerate, I assure you! There was no accident, but only a great piece of folly, I am persuaded."

"On whose part, sir?"

"I must not conceal from you that it was the carelessness of Mr. Carter that so nearly made an accident. You have heard, perhaps, that Mr. Carter spoke of being fired at, in particular pointing to Mr. Steel in a manner not at all polite, and quite absurd also! I do not know whether there was some misunderstanding about Mr. Carter's post: it is certain that I, and Mr. Steel, and Dr Chester, thought he was to have stood in a certain place. It is possible that Mr. Carter mistook, though Mr. Steel, and indeed the good doctor too, declared it was not so, but merely that he had moved from his original stand. I do not know, but that Mr. Steel should shoot with deliberation at his host I find not at all probable."