Patricia Wentworth - The Key

Miss Silver coughed.

‘I have questioned Miss Fell, who really did hear the shot, and she says that the church clock was striking at the time. She says she did not remember this when she gave evidence at the inquest. When she was asked about the time, what came into her mind was that she had looked at the drawing-room clock just before she went out.’

‘The church clock was actually striking when the shot was fired?’

‘Yes. There is a chime for each quarter. The shot came with the second chime. The sound of the clock striking would, I imagine, tend to obscure the sound of the shot.’

‘Yes – that’s an idea! But, you see, the first part of Bush’s story – all the meat in fact – is absolutely unsupported. He says he came from his own house – he said his wife was upstairs with her aunt – he says he didn’t meet anyone on the way to the church. There’s no proof that he wasn’t there at half-past nine or any other time before the shot was fired. Of course there’s no proof that he knew Mr Harsch would be there.’

‘The organ stopped just after half-past nine,’ said Miss Silver. ‘And I feel I should tell you what I have learned this evening – Bush was at Miss Doncaster’s on Tuesday evening at about half-past six fixing some shelves. Miss Mary Anne, who is in the habit of listening in on the party line, overheard Mr Harsch’s telephone call to Sir George Rendal acquainting him with the complete success of his final experiment. She repeated the information to Bush, and also, later on, to Mrs Mottram and Mr Everton. She says Bush immediately remarked that in that case Mr Harsch would be down playing the organ that evening. He said Mr Harsch told him he would be down as soon as his work was done.’

Frank whistled.

‘It doesn’t look too good, does it? He knew the experiments had been completed – he knew Rendal was coming down next day – he knew Harsch would be in the church. It’s not fair to blame a man for his birth, but he comes of German stock, and there was an attempt to get at him just before the last war, though apparently he turned it down. Suppose there was another attempt this time, with a bigger inducement, and he didn’t turn it down – it would explain everything, wouldn’t it?’

Miss Silver coughed.

‘It would seem to provide an explanation. Pray continue your remarks on Bush’s statement.’

Frank swung his leg.

‘Well, to my mind the weakest point of the whole thing is his going off and leaving the body in the way he says. I find it uncommon difficult to swallow.’

Miss silver shook her head.

‘Perhaps you have never lived in a village. Village people very much dislike getting mixed up with the police. I find it quite natural that Bush should desire the presence of another witness, and more especially a witness of Mr Harsch’s own social standing.’

‘Well – if you say so-’ His tone deferred to her.

A smile commended him.

She said, ‘The point which tells most in Bush’s favour is one which you do not seem to have remarked. I refer to the key.’

Frank’s eyebrows went up.

‘You mean his putting the key back in Harsch’s pocket? I thought that pretty fishy myself.’

‘Oh, no.’ Miss Silver’s tone was firm. ‘That is an incident which certainly occurred just as he described it. It is not a thing that anyone would invent, and certainly no guilty man would go out of his way to admit it. It is just one of those meaningless but instinctive things that people do when they are under the influence of shock. He had no reason either for inventing or admitting it. I feel quite sure that it happened just as he said.’

‘In other words, you think he is innocent. I wonder. There’s a lot of circumstancial evidence, and it keeps piling up. He left the Bull last night a few minutes before Ezra did – his wife keeps brandy in the house – he has a large and serviceable wheelbarrow in the shed at the bottom of the churchyard – and the dry gravel on Ezra’s boots is the same as the gravel on the church paths. He could have had him into the church, given him a tot of brandy, knocked him out, and taken him across the Green in the wheelbarrow to the place where he was found drowned. There was heavy cloud last night, and Bourne goes to bed early. It piles up, doesn’t it?’

Miss Silver coughed.

‘A man is innocent in law until he has been found guilty by a jury,’ she said.

WHEN SERGEANT ABBOTT had departed Miss Silver glanced at her watch. A quarter to seven! She was afraid Miss Janice Meade – such a charming girl – must have returned to Prior’s End. That poor Miss Madoc could not, of course, be left alone for long. A very sad position for her, poor thing – very sad indeed – but perhaps the clouds would lift.

With these thoughts in her mind she opened the glass door into the garden and looked out. A lovely evening, really very mild, but it would not be so warm later on. As she stood there, the door in the wall was opened and Garth and Janice came through.

Agreeably surprised, Miss Silver went to meet them. She addressed herself to Janice.

‘I was afraid that I would miss you. If it is not too late, I should be glad of a few words with you.’

Whilst she spoke she was aware that something must have occurred between these two young people. It was plain that they walked on air. Janice came back from a long way off to answer her question. With deepened colour she murmured that she was staying to supper.

‘Miss Madoc has an old friend with her. She is staying the night, so I am really not needed. Did you say you wanted to see me?’

‘If you can spare the time,’ said Miss Silver, and carried her off.

When they were in the study and the door was shut, she said, ‘I am afraid this may not be a very good moment, but there is no time to waste. Will you do your best – your very best, my dear – to recall just what Mr Harsch said to you on that Tuesday evening. There may be something that we have missed. There may be something which seemed unimportant at the time, but which might appear significant in the light of what has happened since. Just throw your mind back and tell me everything you can remember.’

Janice looked at her with startled eyes. It was a long way back from the place where she and Garth had been – all the distance between life and death. She felt a little dazed. Perhaps it was because of this that the answer did not meet the question. She said in a stumbling voice,

‘I – don’t – know. Miss Madoc said – but that wasn’t on Tuesday-’

‘What was not on Tuesday?’

‘Something he said to Miss Madoc – but it was on Monday, after he was so late getting back from Marbury. I don’t think I told you.’

‘What was it, Miss Janice?’

‘It sounds silly. I don’t know why I thought of it just now. Miss Madoc told me, and she spoke of it again today – she was telling her friend about it. She thought it was a warning. Mr Harsch came back very late because he had missed the train which connects with the bus, and he had had to walk from the Halt. Miss Madoc said he looked dreadful, and he said he had seen a ghost.’

‘Dear me!’ said Miss Silver mildly. ‘And what did he mean by that?’

‘I don’t know. She didn’t like to ask him, and he didn’t say any more, but she thought he had seen something when he was coming across the fields, and she thought it was a warning.’

‘And did he say nothing to you?’

Janice shook her head.

‘I was working with Mr Madoc. I didn’t really see him till Tuesday evening – not to talk about anything like that.’

‘But on Tuesday evening, when he was talking to you – did he say nothing then?’

Janice sat up straight.