Simon Green - The Dark Side of the Road

‘How could you drink this stuff so fast?’ said Penny. ‘It’s practically boiling!’

‘It was hot,’ I said. ‘We needed hot. And it doesn’t actually taste that bad.’

‘Yes, it does,’ Penny said firmly.

‘Well,’ I said. ‘I’ve tasted worse.’

‘I’d hate to think when,’ said Penny.

‘Drink your nice toddy,’ I said. ‘You need the heat.’

Walter stepped forward. He’d used the time to pull himself together again, and as head of the house he wanted answers. He fixed me with a fierce gaze. ‘What happened out there? Who did that to my son?’

While I was still considering how best to say what I knew, and what I suspected, Penny stepped in. She explained the circumstances behind our finding the snowman and what was inside it. She did a pretty good job, sticking to the facts even when they clearly upset her and the people listening. She didn’t mention my smelling blood, so I didn’t either.

Walter nodded slowly, struggling to take it all in. This kind of thing just didn’t happen, in his world. ‘We must call the police,’ he said firmly. ‘The killer could still be around here, somewhere.’

He hadn’t made the deduction yet: that the killer almost certainly had to be someone in the house. Given the weather, there was nowhere else they could be. When I looked around, it was clear to me everyone else had got it. Slowly dawning suspicions showed in all their faces. Except Jeeves, who seemed to be thinking hard.

‘Excuse me, Mister Belcourt,’ he said. ‘Unfortunately, I have to inform you that the landlines are down. I discovered that some time back. The storm, presumably.’

Everyone immediately thrust their hands into their pockets, digging for cellphones. Melanie got there first, but Walter snatched the phone out of her hand the moment she’d tapped in the emergency code. He was head of the house, so he had to take command.

‘Hello? Give me the police! This is an emergency … Come on, come on … Ah! Yes! I wish to report a murder! What? Oh yes; I am Walter Belcourt, of Belcourt Manor. My son has been killed!’

I could hear the voice at the other end quite clearly, even if the others couldn’t. So as they all watched impatiently, I just leant back against the wall and quietly listened in as the emergency operator put Walter through to the local police. Their response, though understandable, wasn’t what Walter wanted to hear.

‘I’m sorry, sir,’ said a polite, overworked voice, ‘but there’s nothing we can do for the moment. We can’t get to you. It’s the storm, you see. No one’s seen anything like it. All the roads are blocked. Major, and minor. My entire force is out, stretched dangerously thin, doing what they can. I can’t get anyone to you until the weather’s calmed down.’

‘But my son has been murdered!’ said Walter.

‘Yes, sir, I understand that. I am sorry for your loss. But my men would probably be killed just trying to get to you! The conditions are impossible.’

‘Then get some snowploughs on the job!’ said Walter.

‘They’re all occupied, fighting to keep the main roads open, sir,’ said the voice. ‘We have to concentrate our resources where they can do the most good. Where they can save the most lives.’

‘Don’t you know who you’re talking to, man? Don’t you know who I am? This is Walter Belcourt!’

‘I am aware of that, sir, yes. I understand this must be very disturbing for you. For the moment, touch nothing, and try not to disturb the crime scene. We will get out to you as soon as we can.’

The phone went dead. Walter looked at it incredulously, and then thrust it back into Melanie’s hand.

‘Well?’ said Diana. ‘What did the police say? When are they coming?’

‘No one’s coming!’ Walter snapped. ‘We’re on our own … He hung up on me! On me ! I’ll have his guts for this …’

‘But what did they say?’ said Khan. ‘Why isn’t anyone coming?’

‘Because of the weather, you damned fool!’ said Walter. His face was dangerously flushed.

‘How long before they can get to us?’ said Melanie.

‘They don’t know,’ said Walter. He suddenly sounded very tired. ‘My son is dead, and no one’s doing anything.’

‘Excuse me, sir,’ said Jeeves. ‘I was listening to the radio, down in the kitchen with Cook. According to the latest weather reports, the storm will be getting worse before it gets better. It is expected to last all the way through the evening and into the night, and possibly well into tomorrow morning.’

‘We’re cut off!’ said Melanie, her voice rising sharply. ‘We’re on our own!’

‘Hell with this,’ said Khan. ‘I’m not staying here! I’m leaving! Right now …’

‘Damn right,’ said Roger. ‘I’ll take my chances on the roads.’

Diana looked to Sylvia, who nodded quickly. ‘We’ll be safer on the roads than trapped here in this house with a murderer.’

They were all moving towards the front door when Jeeves moved forward, to block their way. His solid presence was enough to bring them all to a sudden halt.

‘Get out of the way, man!’ said Khan. ‘We’re leaving, and no one’s going to stop us!’

‘I’m afraid you can’t leave,’ said Jeeves. And there was something in the way he said it that gave them all pause. I studied Jeeves thoughtfully. He was becoming more interesting by the moment.

Surprisingly, Roger was the first to challenge the butler. ‘Who the hell do you think you are?’ he said angrily. ‘Who are you to tell us what we can and can’t do?’

‘Oh, don’t be such a drip, Roger,’ said Penny.

‘You stay out of this, Penny,’ said Roger, reddening despite himself.

‘It is not my place to give you orders, sir,’ said Jeeves, in his most calm and reasonable tone. ‘It is, rather, a matter of unfortunate circumstances. Your cars have all been parked outside the house for some time now, in sub-zero temperatures. Being buried under a thick layer of snow may have helped to insulate them … but even if you could get your engines to start, the drive is completely blocked with snow. The outside roads will undoubtedly be even worse. Local radio was quite firm on the subject; no one should venture out in the storm, or try to travel anywhere, until the weather improves.’

I could see the resolution going out of Khan and Roger’s faces as they thought about it. Sylvia still looked ready to have a go, but Diana was holding on to her companion’s arm with both hands and shaking her head.

‘Jeeves is right,’ I said. ‘I had to struggle to get up the drive, and that was hours ago.’

‘Then we’ll walk,’ said Khan, drawing himself up to his full height. Doing his best to convince himself. ‘As long as we dress up right, and step it out …’

‘Don’t be a damned fool, Alex,’ said Walter. His voice was just a growl, openly contemptuous. ‘It’s more than four miles to the nearest village. Across fields with no landmarks. You can’t follow the roads, because they’ll have disappeared under the snow. You’d freeze to death.’

‘You see?’ said Melanie, wringing her hands together. ‘I was right! We’re trapped here. With a killer hiding among us!’

She turned to Walter, expecting him to comfort her, but he was just staring at nothing, struggling with his thoughts. He’d been through too many shocks in a short period, and I could see the concentration fading in and out in his face.

‘Why would anyone want to kill my son?’ he said, querulously.

One by one, everyone turned to look at me. All I could do was shrug and shake my head. There was nothing I could say that would help.

‘Did James have … enemies?’ said Khan.

‘Everyone has enemies,’ I said. ‘Question is, did he have enemies here?’