James Benn - A Blind Goddess

“No. Perhaps it was stolen when he was killed.”

“Maybe,” I said, although Neville had been dressed in an old tweed jacket, nothing suitable for the office. It seemed the briefcase could only be in his room or this office, and it was in neither place.

“Nothing here, Boyle,” Payne said finally. “Let’s go. I have a girl to search for. Sadly, we will more likely find a corpse at this point.”

“Okay,” I said, tossing the last of the books into the pile. I glanced around the room one more time. “Wait, there’s one thing we missed.”

“What’s that?”

“The typewriter ribbon. If it hasn’t been typed over, we might be able to read what he last typed out.” The machine was a sturdy black Imperial, with two reels for the ribbon set on top. But there was no ribbon. It was gone.

“Someone beat us to it,” I said.

“Let’s go and see Flowers,” Payne said.

We found Flowers in his office. It was a lot nicer than Neville’s. His secretary was sputtering on about not interrupting him, but she quickly retreated when Payne showed his warrant card. Flowers was on the telephone and quickly put his hand over the receiver.

“Who else has been here?” Inspector Payne said, his voice grim and authoritative.

“Please, I am speaking with Lord Mayhew,” Flowers said, his hand pressed tightly over the receiver. I guessed Mayhew wasn’t used to being interrupted.

“Go on, then,” Payne said, taking a seat in front of Flowers’ desk and crossing his legs. “Tell His Lordship you are about to be detained for impeding a murder investigation.”

“And destroying evidence,” I said, standing close to Flowers, close enough that I could make out Mayhew’s voice. He wasn’t in a good mood.

“Yes, thank you, Captain Boyle, I nearly forgot. Unpleasant business for the Newbury, but there you have it,” Payne said, a malicious grin on his face.

“Excuse me, Lord Mayhew,” Flowers said, beads of sweat showing on his forehead. “The police wish to speak with me. Yes, I will ring you.” He hung the telephone in its cradle and took a deep breath, but it didn’t seem to relax him. I wondered who made him more nervous, the police or his boss.

“You’ve removed his files,” Payne said. “Which I can understand, since business has to proceed. But what I can’t figure out is why you’d take the ribbon out of his typewriter. Run short on office supplies, have you?” Payne had that look in his eye, the look a detective gets when he knows he’s got the upper hand. Predatory, hungry. He was almost smiling at the prospect of an actual clue.

“What? I have no idea what you mean,” Flowers said, confusion replacing his nervousness. “We have plenty of typewriter ribbons, there’s no reason for it to be stolen.”

“I didn’t say it was stolen, I said it was removed. Now why would you do that?”

“I wouldn’t, and I didn’t,” Flowers said. He pressed an intercom button and called for his secretary. I watched his hands. No telltale smudges. “Ah, Miss Gardner. Please tell the inspector if anyone has been given access to Mr. Neville’s office.”

“Why no, Mr. Flowers,” she said.

“And was it locked when you and I went up yesterday for the files?”

“Yes, it was. Is something missing?” Her face showed concern. Was she worried she’d be accused of theft? She was on the far side of thirty, thin and pale, with wispy brown hair.

“Nothing of importance. Inspector, do you have any further questions?”

“How many keys are there to that office, and who has them?”

“Two, I believe. I have a full set, and Miss Gardner does as well. Both are kept in locked desk drawers.” Flowers looked smug while Miss Gardner twisted a handkerchief in her hands.

“Miss Gardner,” I said, as calmly as I could. “We’re just trying to determine if any unauthorized person had access to that office. Is that possible?”

“No, I should say not. Mr. Flowers locked it as he left, I saw him. And I know my keys are accounted for.”

“Fine,” I said. “That’s all we need to hear.” I could see her face relax, and she looked to Flowers to see if she was dismissed. “Too bad about Mr. Neville. Was he popular with the staff?”

“He did his job well, which is all I was concerned with,” she said, jutting out her chin and giving a brisk nod to Flowers as she left, shutting the door behind her. Brisk, efficient, and a bad liar.

“There will be an inquest,” Payne said, standing with his hands on his hips, staring down at Flowers. “And you will be placed under oath. I shall ask you again if anyone else has been in that office. If your answer should prove to be untrue, I will arrest you on a charge of perjury. Is that understood?”

“All because of a typewriter ribbon?” Flowers stammered. “I don’t understand what all the fuss is. Perhaps you should talk directly with Lord Mayhew. There’s nothing else I can say.”

I gave Miss Gardner my best smile as we left, and she returned it with pinched lips. In the hallway, I tapped Payne on the shoulder and motioned him to follow me. We went upstairs, back to Neville’s office. I knelt at the door and studied the lock.

“I had the same thought,” Payne said, glancing down the hallway. He produced a folding magnifying glass in a brass case and nudged me aside. “There, at the bottom of the keyway. A small gouge from the tension wrench. See?” He handed me the glass.

“Yes. This lock has been picked.”

“Where does that leave us?” Inspector Payne said. I wished I had an answer for him. Finding nothing else of interest, we left.

Outside, steam rose from the pavement as the sun broke through the clouds. I told Payne about the dog walkers along the canal and he agreed to have two constables patrol the area that night and ask people if they’d seen anything.

“Might turn something up. The constables won’t be happy after trudging through fields and woods all day, but there’s not much to be done about that. Are you still staying at the Hog’s Head?”

“No. Kaz and Big Mike should be back from London today, so we’ll have to find another place. Kintbury is halfway between Newbury and Hungerford, right?”

“It is. We’re starting the search from there, on either side of the canal, and going toward each town. If you want to stay in Kintbury, try the Prince of Wales Inn. You have business there as well?”

“I have a friend with the Six-Seventeenth,” I said. “Thought I’d pay a visit. Do you know anything about the constable who was killed in Hungerford?”

“Tom Eastman, you mean? That was in the village of Chilton Foliat, to be precise. I know Tom had a quick temper,” Payne said, “but was otherwise a good man. Odd that his body was found on his father’s grave, isn’t it? Strange place for a Yank soldier to dump it. Wait, he was from the Six-Seventeenth as well. Is your friend involved?”

“He’s the accused’s sergeant. He asked me to look into it for him. Nothing official.”

“Hmm. You’re a copper yourself, Boyle, so you know what it’s like to have someone snooping around your patch once a case has been closed. You’ll not make many friends.”

“But the Berkshire Constabulary didn’t close it, did they? It was the US Army, Criminal Investigation Division.”

“They’ll not like it, and Tom’s friends may not be pleased if they think you’re working to turn a murderer loose.”

“I promised to look into it. I don’t even know what evidence CID has.”

“Circumstantial is what I hear. A weak case, made strong by a quick arrest and the fact that the killer is a Negro. I understand that carries a lot of weight in some parts of America.”

“Alleged killer, Inspector.”