Arthur Upfield - Murder Must Wait

“Do you know why Dr Nott rang twice?” Bony asked the constable, who was able to provide an item not without interest.

“Yes, sir. The first time Dr Nott rang to say he couldn’t possibly leave a case at the hospital, and to call Dr Delph. I rang Dr Delph’s house and someone there told me the doctor was out. So I rang the hospital and asked them to tell Dr Nott that we couldn’t contact Dr Delph. I was getting anxious, knowing the Sergeant was at the bank and what for, when Dr Nott rang again saying he would be leaving the hospital within five minutes.”

Bony renewed examination of the day sheet, found nothing more to keep him. He had but stepped from the side door when the telephone shrilled and he paused, waiting, expecting news from Yoti. The constable spoke:

“Police Station. I couldn’tsay, marm. Who is speaking? Oh! yes, something like that, I think. I don’t know. Sergeant Yoti is attending to the matter, and he’s not here at the moment. Yes, all right!”

Bony went back, raised his brows in question, and the constable reported:

“Mrs Marlo-Jones, sir. Wanted to know if it was true about Mr Bulford. As the Press has already been informed, I didn’t blank her out.”

“Quite right, Constable. By the way, did anyone else ring asking what had happened to the bank manager?”

“A Mrs Coutts did, and so did Mr Oats from the Library. I told them the same as Mrs Marlo-Jones, and nothing more. Can’t keep anything like that dark too long in a place like Mitford.”

“No, it would get around,” agreed Bony.

Mrs Yoti and Bony had almost finished dinner when Yoti appeared. He looked at Bony as though displeased, and Bony discussed the river flats. Afterwards, when they were smoking and Mrs Yoti was clearing away, the Sergeant asked:

“What do you know?”

“That Bulford committed suicide with the bank’s revolver.”

“You saw him this morning, they tell me.”

“Yes, I did call on him.”

“Oh!” Yoti glared. “You won’t talk, eh?”

“No. I want to listen.”

“Well, he shot himself through the mouth.” Sergeant Yoti sighed. “A bloody policeman isn’t supposed to have any feelings, but when I looked at him sprawled over his desk I thought what a terrible waste of life. I’ve played bowls with him, and I’ve met him at Lodge, and I won’t believe he did himself in over pinching the bank’s money. There can’t be anything like that.”

“Has it been suggested?”

“No. The teller took charge, and the bank inspector’s due to arrive from Albury. Do you know why he committed suicide?”

“I’ve a half-cocked land of idea,” countered Bony, and the phrasing did not escape the Sergeant, who said:

“Funny how life treats some people. You know, me and the wife never had any trouble, always got along well. Looking back, we sort of changed for the best as the years went by, butthere’s a lot of people who begin to change for the worse immediately they’re tied. You met Mrs Bulford, of course?”

“Yes. Alice McGorr says she is the type of woman whoget themselves ‘Crippenised’.”

Yotigrinned, the grin became a genuine chuckle of laughter.

“Good one, that,” he said. “Thatlass is about right regarding the wife. Bulford was meek and milk, but liable to blow up. Poor old Bulford! If only he’d had guts enough to knock her down once a week.”

“You appear to dislike Mrs Bulford.”

“Nothing new about that. Now she’s blaming you for hounding her husband over the disappearance of their baby, for getting him alone and defenceless in his office. The long worry over the baby, plus you, drove him to suicide. What about giving a little? It’s my turn to listen.”

“Very well, I’ll give you what I know,”assented Bony. “In his first statement to me, which was identical with that given to the previous investigator, Bulford said he remained working in his office after his wife left until half past five. Subsequently he stated he had not remained at work after his wife left, but had gone to the Library to talk to Mrs Rockcliff. This morning, I informed him that on the day his baby was abducted the Library was closed to the public while renovations were being carried out. I asked him for the truth, and he declined to give it. When I left him, he knew I would discover the truth; in fact, it could be that he was convinced I knew all the truth concerning the abduction of his child.”

“So that’s it,” Yoti slowly exclaimed. “And do you know the truth?”

“I may be right in my guess. Now, how did the trouble with the doctors turn out?”

“It seems that the teller of the bank rang for Dr Delph after he rang me and, being understandably upset, he merely asked for Delph to be sent to the bank at once. When Delph didn’t turn up, I rang Dr Nott, and the house said he was at the hospital. I told Mrs Nott why we wanted her husband in a hurry, and she said she’d get him. Then Nott rang the man on duty, saying he was on a serious case which he couldn’t leave, and the duty man rang Delph and was told Delph was out. Meanwhile, Nott finished up at the hospital but did not want to leave his patient if he could help it, and he rang Delph. The cook at Delph’s house told him the doctor couldn’t answer the call because Mrs Delph had been taken ill.

“Mrs Delph suddenly ill! H’m! She seemed to be well enough at Alice’s plonkparty.”

“Drinks like a fish,” growled Yoti. “Haw! Ought tobe ‘Crippenised’ . Good one, that. How did you know about the doctors?”

“Your telephone record. I’d make it a must at every Police Station. Think you could enlist your Postmaster friend to aid us again?”

“Why not? What’s the use of friends if you can’t use ’em?”

“I’d like a list of all the calls made by Mrs Bulford after four this afternoon, all the calls made by theDelphs after four this afternoon, and all the calls made by and to the Aboriginal Settlement. Up to, say, midnight tonight. Think he would do that?”

“Do it for me, anyway. Now, why the interest in young Martin?”

“I’m keeping that angle to myself.” Yoti watched the eyes harden, and the chin firm. “You must travel with me, Yoti, and I have to tread with the spring, and silence of a stalking cat. As I have already said, the babies must take priority over the murder of Mrs Rockcliff. I’ve put Essen on to the Martin angle, and Martin mustn’t know our thoughts. The same attitude applies to the stolen drawing, itself of much less importance. I know why it was stolen, and until the investigation into the abductions is concluded I am not interested in who stole it or where it is. When did the Premier come toMiford?”

“Eh? Oh, the Premier…”

“January 3rd, Inspector,” interjected Mrs Yoti. “And if you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to remove the tablecloth.”

“Mind? Of course not. As your husband is so argumentative, make him do the washing-up.” Bony smiled, and withdrew before the glare in the Sergeant’s eyes.

He found Alice and Essen in his room, the former wearing a dark-brown dress and a small black beret with a large red bobble perched to one side. The ensemble disagreed somewhere or other. Was it the brown and red or the bobble on the black?… Bony gave up.

“All ready for the job of earning our wages,” he remarked cheerfully. “You haven’t got a line on young Martin already, Essen?”

“Only that he came in his own car, which is garaged at a Service Station. A pal of mine is manager of the garage, and he’s going to nose around this evening without mentioning me.”

“Good! Now for another job. I want a boat, light and shallow draught. I want it at eleven tonight. Can do?”

“Yes. Know just the thing.”

“There’s an old jetty a hundred yards up-river from the bridge. Have the boat there at eleven,”