Patricia Wentworth: Miss Silver Comes To Stay

“How anyone could be such-such a devil!”

“Pray go on, Allan.”

“They talked about it, and she said Mrs. Lessiter had given her the things. No, I think that was later-or before-I don’t know which-” He dropped his head into his hands and kept it there, fingers pressing in upon the temples. “She said he had told her he was going to prosecute, and she went to see him.”

“On the night of the murder?”

“Yes. But Miss Cray was there, so she came away.”

“She went back later.”

“You know that?”

“Yes.”

“How?”

“I do know it.”

“Yes, she went back. She told Mr. Holderness. She said she was in a very serious position, and he said why should it come out-she could hold her tongue. You know, when I was going over it afterwards, that’s when I began really to think. Up till then I was just frightened-terrified for her- but when he said that, I could see her. She wasn’t frightened, she was enjoying herself. I know how she looks when she’s pleased about something, and she was pleased. She didn’t exactly laugh, but there was that kind of sound in her voice. He said, ‘You can hold your tongue, can’t you?’ and she said, ‘Oh, yes-I have-I do. And I shall go on-unless I simply can’t help myself.’ ” He lifted his head again. “That’s what got me. He was the one who was in a state-she wasn’t. I shifted so that I could see him, and he looked dreadful. I thought to myself, ‘He’s got the wind up,’ and I couldn’t make out why. Then they began to talk about you.”

Miss Silver’s needles clicked. She said,

“Dear me!”

“Mrs. Welby was afraid you were finding out about things. There was something about a memorandum. She called it ‘that damned memorandum,’ and she said you knew about it. And then she said, ‘I wonder if I hadn’t better make a statement to the police and have done with it,’ and Mr. Holderness said it would be extremely dangerous.” His tone became suddenly harder, older. “That made me think some more. I didn’t like the way he said it. It sounded-it seemed ridiculous at the time-but I couldn’t help thinking it sounded as if he was threatening her.”

Miss Silver coughed.

“You interest me extremely.”

Allan Grover went on as if she had not spoken.

“It was when he said ‘dangerous.’ I was watching him through the knot-hole. He looked at her. It scared me, but she wasn’t scared. I moved so that I could see her, and she was laughing. And she said, ‘Dangerous? For whom?’ That’s where I got the feeling that I didn’t really know what they were talking about. It didn’t seem as if it could mean what it seemed to be meaning, because the next thing she said was, ‘If I make that statement I shall have to say what I saw when I came back.’ Mr. Holderness said her words over again, ‘When you came back-’ and she said, ‘I told you Rietta was with him the first time I went, and I told you I came back. I waited whilst she talked to him. It was highly entertaining. He told her he had found the old will he had made in her favour when they were engaged, and, do you know, she tried to get him to burn it! I always knew Rietta was a fool, but I didn’t think anyone could be quite such a fool as that. He told her he’d rather she had the money than anyone else. He said he had found the will when he was looking for the “memorandum.” From what he said, it was there on the table.’ And she said, ‘ It was, wasn’t it ?’ ” He made an abrupt movement. “When she said that, I didn’t seem to take it in. I don’t know if you can understand. I’ve got a very good memory-I could tell you everything they said and not miss a word.”

Miss Silver inclined her head. She had that kind of memory herself.

He went on.

“I can remember it all, but when I was listening to it it didn’t seem to mean anything. Mrs. Welby went on talking. She said Miss Cray quarrelled with Mr. Lessiter. It wasn’t about the will, it was about Mrs. Welby. Miss Cray wanted him to stop going on about the things his mother had given her, and he wouldn’t. He said he was going to prosecute.” Allan’s voice took on a tone of horror. “And then Miss Cray lost her temper and came out in a hurry. Mrs. Welby had only just time to get out of the way.”

Miss Silver’s needles clicked.

“Yes-I was sure that was how it happened. What did Mrs. Welby do after that? The interval has puzzled me. Did she go in then and see Mr. Lessiter?”

He shook his head.

“No, she didn’t think it was any use-not on the top of that quarrel. She went home and made herself some coffee. She told Mr. Holderness she sat there smoking one cigarette after another and thinking what she could do, and in the end she came round to where she had begun-she must go back and have it out with Mr. Lessiter. By the time she’d made up her mind it was ten o’clock. When she got as far as that, telling Mr. Holderness, he said, ‘That was a pity, Catherine.’ He hadn’t spoken all the time she was telling him until he said it was a pity. I didn’t know what he meant then, but I do now.” A quick shudder went over him. He stared piteously at Miss Silver. “I think that’s when he made up his mind to kill her.”

Miss Silver rested her hands on the small pale blue jacket and said,

“Yes, I suppose so.”

Allan Grover drew a long breath.

“She couldn’t see it, you know. I don’t think it ever occurred to her for one single moment that it would be dangerous to threaten him.”

Miss Silver coughed.

“Did she threaten him?”

“I don’t think she meant it that way, but that is how he would take it. You see, when she went back to Melling House he was there in the study talking to Mr. Lessiter. There was something in that memorandum about him-money Mrs. Lessiter had handed over to him to invest. And he’d kept it, and Mr. Lessiter was going to prosecute. That’s why he killed him.”

“Mrs. Welby was actually a witness of the murder?”

“No, no, no-you mustn’t think that! She left them quarrelling, and she came away. It wouldn’t have been any good her seeing Mr. Lessiter on the top of a scene like that. She had got back to the Gate House, when she heard him coming down the drive. She stood behind a bush and watched him go.”

“A very shocking affair.”

“He had his car parked about a hundred yards along on the grass. I saw it.”

“You saw it?”

He nodded.

“I’m a fool. I used to go round and see her in the evenings. Then she said I mustn’t come any more-people were talking. But I couldn’t seem to get out of the way. I used to go round there and walk up and down, and watch to see her light go out, and then go home. I was there on Wednesday-that’s how I saw the car.”

“And you did not inform the police?”

His voice became suddenly natural and boyish.

“Miss Silver, I give you my word it never crossed my mind that Mr. Holderness being there had anything to do with the murder-how could it? I thought he was out there seeing Mrs. Welby. It made me feel downright sick-an old man like that! I didn’t sleep all night. I could have killed him- but I never thought he had anything to do with Mr. Lessiter’s death-not till I was in Mr. Stanway’s room listening, and heard what Mrs. Welby had to say.”

Miss Silver had resumed her knitting. She said,

“I see. Will you go on?”

The energy went out of him. He said,

“There isn’t much more. By the time she had finished it was all as clear as daylight. That’s to say, it’s as clear as daylight now, looking back at it, but while they were talking it didn’t seem as if I could take it in-it didn’t seem possible. She never said right out, ‘I know you killed Mr. Lessiter and took the memorandum, and if I tell the police, you’ll be hanged for it.’ It was all what a serious position she was in, and she would hold her tongue if she could, but of course if they tried to put it on her, she would have to say what she knew. And then a piece about how awful it was for her having so little money, and how grateful she would be if he could help her out. Of course she didn’t realize-she couldn’t have realized-how that sounded to him. He was old enough to be her father, and all she would think about was that she was in a tight place and he could help her out. But going over it in my mind-and I haven’t been able to help going over it all day-I can see that what he thought was-was-” The breath caught in his throat. He stared miserably down at the pattern of Mrs. Voycey’s carpet.