Arthur Upfield - Venom House

“Release Miss Answerth,” he said.

“What in hell are you doing here?” Mary asked, icily furious.

“To ask you a few questions, Miss Answerth.”

Mrs Leeper first freed the woman’s feet. When she came to her hands, she looked at Bony, and he nodded. Freed, Mary, with genuine difficulty, sat up, and swung her legs from under the clothes. Her face was distorted with anger.

“Get out of my room, you. Goon, get out before I heave you through the window.”

She stood, and Bony drew forward a lounge chair.

“Please be seated. I have questions to ask concerning the murder of your sister.”

Mrs Leeper didn’t move. Mary advanced to stare malevolently at Bony. Almost carelessly he indicated the chair. Then she sat, and said:

“You’re the first man who hasn’t feared me. What’s this about Janet being murdered? Seems too good to be true. I hope it is.”

“Why did you leave your room and go upstairs in the dark?”

“Because, early in the evening, Janet had come here and done her smoodging about my neck, and she thought I didn’t see her take the matches from the mantel. The way she done it told me she was up to her schemes. And I went upstairs to find out if she’d let Morris loose, and she had.”

“What did you do then, Miss Answerth?”

“Went in and found he wasn’t in bed. I went down the back stairs lookin’ for him. I went up to Janet’s room, and she wasn’t in bed. I went lookin’ for her. Good job I didn’t lay me hands on Janet. I might have squeezed the life out of her if I had. I met up with Leeper instead, and she wouldn’t fight fair, not her. Still, I can wait, Leeper.”

“Did you make that startling clatter?”

The anger vanished. Mary Answerth chuckled.

“I fell into a booby trap,” she admitted.“Outside Janet’s sitting-room door. I’ll forgive Morris if he rigged it up. It was a beaut.” The chuckle ended, the look of anger returned. That gave place to conquering weariness. “I think I’ll lie down again. You’ve bent me neck or something, Leeper. But just you wait.”

She refused assistance to rise from the chair, but the hospital training lost none of its power on Mrs Leeper. She had the bedclothes straightened, and insisted on helping the patient into bed. Mary said, pointedly:

“To hell with the pair of you.”

“Of course, Miss Mary,” agreed Mrs Leeper, and Bony left the Voice in charge.

Later, he opened the front door to Mawson and Lofty and Blaze. They arrived with the dawn. He told them where the body lay and issued particular instructions. Blaze he asked to remain in the hall and prevent Mrs Leeper from going to the kitchen. Taking a lamp, he went up to Morris.

“Hullo, Morris, not in bed?” he asked, placing the lamp beside the toy engine.

The bearded man blinked at the light. He forced his eyes to accept it before turning to Bony.

“I was frightened. I found Janet. She was all quiet. Her head wouldn’t stay right.”

“I know, Morris.”

“Is she dead, Bony?”

“ ’Fraidso. Who unbolted your door tonight?”

The blue eyes pleaded. One large hand stroked the yellow beard.

“I mustn’t tell.”

“Then I’ll tell you. It was Janet.”

“Yes. She told me she wanted me to go with her over the causeway.”

“Why?”

“To run away from Mary. Mary was going to beat me because you gave me the lamp. She said Mary was coming up to beat me, and she said if she tried to I must break her neck like a carrot. We went to the passage and Janet ran away.”

“What did you do then?” asked Bony.

“I tried to find her, and I made the booby trap for her by balancing a set of trays on top of a door I left open. Did you hear it? Wasn’t it a lovely crash? I don’t know who set it off. Mary could have, you know. Mary didn’t find me. You will tell her not to come and beat me, won’t you?”

“She will never do that, Morris. I’ll not let her. When you went out that night with Janet, and went over the causeway, and met that man Janet knew, what happened?”

“I… I mustn’t tell.”

“Then I’ll tell you. You beat him hard. And then you carried him into the water and held him down under it. Janet was with you all thetime, and she told you what to do.”

“Yes, Bony, she told me what to do.”

“And when you came back to the house, your mother saw you and Janet. And Janet wouldn’t let her speak to you. But your mother did speak to you, didn’t she? She went round to your window to speak to you. And she asked you what you did when you went out that night with Janet, and you told her.”

“Yes, Bony.”

“Of course you did. Anyway, it doesn’t matter now. I know everything.”

“Are you pleased, Bony?”

“Yes. I am pleased you didn’t have to break any promises.”

“So am I. Janet always tells me I must never break a promise. Do you think now she is dead I might have another lamp like the one you gave me?”

“Yes, I think so. Do you remember that night you climbed out from your window after you and your mother had been talking, and you saw Janet lasso your mother?”

“Yes. But she didn’t see me.”

“What did you do?”

Morris chuckled.

“Janet didn’t know about me climbing down from the window,” he said. “I told her I saw her kill Mother and drag her away to the Folly, told her I saw her from that window.” Morris pointed to the window from which he fished… the window but one from the porch.

“Weren’t you sorry, Morris?”

“Oh yes. I told Janet she shouldn’t have done it, but Janet said Mother had made up her mind to have me taken away to the place where they stick red-hot bodkins into people.” He abruptly grasped Bony’s arm. “You won’t let them do that to me, will you? Now that Janet is dead?”

Bony placed his hand over the other gripping his arm.

“No, Morris,” he said. “I’ll never let anyone do that to you. Now I must go away, but I will come to see you again. By the way, did Janet play lassoes with you?”

“Oh yes, Bony.”

“H’m! Well, I really must go now, Morris. I’ll give you my other lamp to play with.”

“Oh! Oh, thank you ever so much, Bony.”

The new day reduced the power of Bony’s spare torch, but not the joy in the heart of Morris Answerth.

An Old Habit

BLAZEWASSTILLin the hall when Bony descended. He was dressed in his working clothes, and to look at him was to think it midsummer. His old face was like a long-stored apple, but his brown eyes were keen and anxious.

“End of the track, Inspector?” he asked.

“Yes, the end of the track,” agreed Bony. “You know, in the days to come I’d like to think of you being in charge of this place, and keeping a general eye on Morris Answerth. I would like to see him playing with dogs, or a lamb or two, out in the sunshine. If you would stay on here, I would work to that objective.”

“Suits me,” Blaze said, quietly adding: “It’s the sort of picture Mrs Answerth would like to see, too.”

Bony nodded, and turned to Mawson and the doctor, who appeared from the kitchen passage.

“You were correct, Inspector, about the odour,” Dr Lofty told him.“Neck broken. Almost shaken off the trunk. We transferred the body to an empty room.”

“Then, you permitting, we will accompany you on your visit to Miss Answerth. There are a few points to be cleared up. Won’t take long.”

Mawson and Blaze stopped just inside the lounge doorway. The doctor went to his patient, and Bony stood in the background.

“Well, Miss Mary! How are you this morning?” asked the doctor brightly. The dark eyes blinked, and the daylight left much to be desired by the waiting Bonaparte.