Ngaio Marsh - Death In Ecstasy

“She might,” said Alleyn, “have met somebody who said something to upset her. Something about—”

“I say,” interrupted Nigel. “Suppose she met somebody who said they suspected Garnette of foul play and she wanted to warn Garnette against them? How’s that?”

“Not a bad idea, sir,” said Fox. “Not a bad idea at all. Garnette got wind of it and thought he’d polish the lady off before she had time to alter the Will.”

“But how did he get wind of it?” objected Alleyn. “Not through the note. He never read it. And if she wanted to warn him, why should she alter her Will?”

“That’s so,” sighed Fox. “By the way, sir, what are the terms of the Will? Has she left him a fair sum?”

Alleyn told him and Fox looked intensely gratified.

“Ten thousand. And twenty-one thousand for the Church. That’s motive enough if you like.”

“How much further did you get with your wondering, Brer Fox? Had you fitted in the two scraps of paper we found in the fireplace?”

“Can’t say I did, sir. Somebody warning the Reverend about something, and it seems to refer to Mrs. Candour, as Mr. Bathgate pointed out. Judging from their position in the grate they were part of a letter thrown there some time during the evening, or at any rate some time yesterday.”

“Certainly, but I don’t agree about Mrs. Candour. I’ve got the thing here. Take another look at it.”

Alleyn produced the two scraps of paper.

“I thought at the time,” he said slowly, “that they were written by Miss Quayne’s old nurse.”

“Good Lord!” ejaculated Fox. “How d’you get that out of it?”

“Yes,” said Nigel, “how the devil did you? He wouldn’t tell me, Inspector Fox.”

“Pretty good, isn’t it?” said Alleyn complacently. “Not so good, however, when the first glory wears off. It’s written in green pencil and there was a green pencil on Miss Quayne’s desk. The M — S is the remains of ‘Miss’ and the CA the beginnings of ‘Cara.’ That’s the top of an R, not an N. The old girl wrote to Garnette warning him off. I fancy it read something like this: ‘Sir: This is to warn you that if you [something or another] with Miss Cara, I am determined to give you in charge. There’s a law in England to save women from men like you.’ Something like that.”

“Yes,” said Fox, “that fits.”

“She made that trip here last night to see if the letter had borne any fruit and watched the show from Garnette’s room. Don’t be cross, Fox! I haven’t had time to tell you before. I’ll let you see the notes of my interview with Nannie Hebborn. The old lady came clean and was very helpful. But that disposes of the note. Garnette must have chucked it in the grate some time yesterday. Now, Fox, what about the book?”

“I reckon Garnette heard Ogden showing it to M. de Ravigne at the party and pinched it,” said Fox. “After all, sir, his prints are on the top of the book and on the wrappings of the parcel. He might have missed wiping them off that part of the book.”

“What about that little drip Claude?” demanded Nigel. “You heard Ogden say he was out when he came for the books. And you remember Claude said that a week before he saw the Curiosities here he had put the other books at the back of the shelf. He looked mighty uncomfortable over that. Of course that was when he brought them back from Ogden’s. Suppose he pinched it and didn’t want to say so?”

“That’s got to be considered too,” said Alleyn. “I think the stray prints on the top of the leaves are possibly Claude’s, and not Garnette’s. Bailey hasn’t had much success with them.”

“You think Mr. Wheatley took the book?” said Fox.

“But,” said Nigel, flushed with triumph, “it hadn’t got a brown paper cover on, so if Claude took it he did so deliberately.”

“Don’t overdo it, Bathgate,” said Alleyn kindly. “This is the pace that kills.”

“Garnette told him to take it,” continued Nigel. “Depend upon it, Garnette told him to take it.”

“He’d never do that, Mr. Bathgate,” objected Fox. “Not if he meant to make use of it. No, I still think Garnette pinched the book himself.”

“Here we go round the mulberry bush for about the millionth time,” said Alleyn wearily, “and why the devil we’re hanging about this beastly place is more than I can tell. Let’s get back to the Yard, Fox. There’s an unconscionable lot of drudgery ahead. Have they tackled the fingerprint game?”

“They’re at it now,” said Fox, as they all walked down the aisle. “And by the way, sir, we’ve checked Dr. Kasbek’s story. He seems to be all right.”

“Good. I rang New York early this morning. They were very polite and will try to find us something about Garnette and Ogden. They can check up Ogden through the address on that letter we found on him. Come on.”

But they were not quite finished with the House of the Sacred Flame. In the closed entry, watched over by an enormous constable, was Miss Wade.

“Oh, officer,” said Miss Wade. She peered up at Alleyn and pitched her voice in a genteel falsetto. “I would like to speak to you for a moment.”

“Certainly,” said Alleyn politely. “I’ll see you in the car, Fox.”

Nigel and Fox walked on, and the constable, with massive tact, withdrew to the outer end of the alley.

“What can I do for you, Miss Wade?” asked Alleyn.

“It is a little matter that has rather troubled me. I am afraid I cannot keep pace with all the dreadful things that have happened since yesterday afternoon. Dear Janey says someone has stolen the money that dear Cara so generously gave to the temple. When did they do this?”

“We don’t know, unfortunately. The bonds were deposited in the safe last month. They had disappeared last night”

“Were they stolen yesterday afternoon?”

“Why do you ask that, Miss Wade?” said Alleyn quickly.

“I only thought that perhaps that was what poor Cara meant when she said she would tell Father Garnette about it.”

Alleyn gazed at Miss Wade rather as though she had suddenly produced a rabbit from somewhere behind her back teeth.

“Would you mind saying that again?” he asked.

Miss Wade repeated her last remark in a somewhat louder voice but with perfect equanimity.

“When,” said Alleyn, “did Miss Quayne say this, and to whom?”

“Yesterday afternoon, to be sure. When else?”

“When else, of course,” repeated Alleyn with some difficulty. “How do you know she said it, if I may ask?”

“Really, officer! Because I overheard her. Naturally.”

“Naturally. In the — the temple?”

“In the temple. Naturally, in the temple.”

“Naturally.”

“It quite upset my meditation. I had come down early before the Neophytes’ instruction to make my preparation for the evening ceremony. I had chosen the word ‘buss’ and had just reached the Outer Portal of the Soul when this interruption occurred. It was provoking. I wished, afterwards, that I had chosen a back pew instead of my Initiate’s throne.”

“I am extremely glad you didn’t,” Alleyn managed to say.

“Shall I continue?”

“Please do.”

“I had held my. breath up to forty-five and exhaled slowly while inwardly repeating the word and, as I say, was about to enter the Outer Portal when she opened the door.”

“Miss Quayne did?”

“Who else? Before that I had not been aware of her presence in Father Garnette’s rooms. She had arrived before I did and had gone through the hall, no doubt. I left my overshoes outside,” added Miss Wade with magnificent irrelevancy.

“She opened the door into Mr. Garnette’s rooms, and then you heard her?”