Bodies from the Library 3

JULIUS: Good, good. How soon will thy be here?

ROGERS: Well, sir, they are doing their best to get through, but it must take some considerable time, and meanwhile—sir—

JULIUS: Well?

ROGERS: I find myself in rather an awkward position, sir.

JULIUS: You’re the second person who has made that remark to me already this morning. What’s your trouble?

ROGERS: They have expressed a desire that I should meanwhile undertake the investigation into Mr Warbeck’s death, sir.

JULIUS: Well, why not? You’re a detective, after all, aren’t you? I should think it’s your duty.

ROGERS: Quite so, sir. But duties sometimes conflict.

JULIUS: Eh?

ROGERS: I look at it this way, sir. My duty is to protect you. Now, sir, the enquiries I have made so far—quite unofficially, of course—have established certain facts. Firstly, Mr Warbeck was murdered. Secondly, he was murdered by the administration of poison—probably cyanide of potassium—in his glass of champagne while he was opening the window of the drawing-room. Thirdly, any of the persons present might have poisoned the champagne while the attention of the others was distracted by Mr Warbeck’s behaviour. And finally, sir—

JULIUS: Well?

ROGERS: Well, sir, I can’t altogether shut my eyes to the fact that you are now the heir to Lord Warbeck, who himself may die at any moment.

JULIUS: But—

ROGERS: It would be a rather irregular situation, sir, if I were to find myself arresting the minister whom I had been detailed to protect.

JULIUS: This is preposterous! You can’t imagine that I should kill anyone in order to get into the House of Lords?

ROGERS: I must confess, sir, the idea had occurred to me.

JULIUS: Then get it out of your head at once! As if I wasn’t in a bad enough position already! Where is the telephone? I must get through to the Prime Minister immediately!

ROGERS: ( slowly ) The Prime Minister?

JULIUS: Yes, the Prime Minister! He must know at once. This business is serious. Why, it may wreck the Government!

ROGERS: ( slowly ) Yes, sir. I suppose if you put it that way, it might.

JULIUS: What are you gaping for, you fool? Where is the telephone?

ROGERS: ( Briskly ) I beg your pardon, sir, I was thinking. The police state that all the trunk lines are down, so you won’t be able to get through to Chequers yet. But it doesn’t signify. I must have a word with Mr Briggs. Will you excuse me?

( Door closes )

JULIUS: Has the man gone mad?

( Sound of door opening )

MRS BARRETT: Oh, Sir Julius, there you are! What a dreadful business this is! Briggs tells me that the roads are all completely blocked, and we may be shut up for days. What could have possessed that poor young man to kill himself, do you think? I do wish my husband was here, he would know what to do. I feel I am in such an—

JULIUS: An awkward position, Mrs Barrett. I know. But what makes you think that Robert killed himself?

MRS BARRETT: But he must have, Sir Julius, mustn’t he? I mean, we all saw him.

JULIUS: Sergeant Rogers thinks that he was murdered.

MRS BARRETT: Murdered? Oh, how shocking!

JULIUS: Where is Lady Camilla?

MRS BARRETT: Oh, but you can’t think that she could have done such a thing, surely, Sir Julius? Of course, I’ve known for some time that he had treated her very badly, but still—a young girl like that! No, if you ask me, if it was anybody, it would be Briggs. After all, he poured out the champagne, and only yesterday I did overhear him speaking to Robert in a most disrespectful way. Oh dear, it frightens me to think of it. I’m sure I shan’t be able to eat any lunch if he waits at table!

JULIUS: Well, if it’s any consolation to you, Mrs Barrett, Rogers seems inclined to think that I am the guilty party.

MRS BARRETT: ( with a laugh ) Oh, ridiculous, Sir Julius! ( Pause ) Still—of course—I do see what he means.

( Sound of door opening )

Camilla, dear, have you been with poor Lord Warbeck?

CAMILLA: ( in a dead tired voice ) Yes.

MRS BARRETT: Sir Julius and I were just saying—what were we saying, exactly?

JULIUS: I don’t know that I was saying anything very much. Mrs Barrett was engaged in distributing suspicion for causing Robert’s death between me, Briggs and yourself.

CAMILLA: I’m afraid I don’t find that very funny. You see, I loved Robert—and yet, up to a few moments before he died I was wishing him dead. Now I just wish I was dead—that’s all.

MRS BARRETT: Oh Camilla, that’s a very dangerous thing to say. Suppose the police were to hear you? That reminds me, Sir Julius, that man Rogers—is he safe? I don’t like his looks at all.

JULIUS: My dear lady, Rogers is a police officer who has undertaken the duty of investigating this crime.

MRS BARRETT: Didn’t you tell me he had been concerned with suppressing this League of Liberty and Justice that Robert was mixed up in? Suppose he thought the best way of suppressing the League was by—

( Sound of door opening )

BRIGGS: May Sergeant Rogers have a word with you, Sir Julius?

JULIUS: Yes, of course, Briggs. I’ll see him in my room.

ROGERS: I would prefer to talk to you here, sir, in the presence of all the others, if you don’t mind. I only want to put a question or two about last night’s occurrences which will be of general interest.

JULIUS: I have no objection at all. Goodness knows, I have nothing to hide.

ROGERS: I am much obliged, sir. First, then, am I right in thinking that Mr Warbeck was in the act of proposing a toast when he died?

JULIUS: Quite right. The toast was ‘Warbeck Hall’, I remember.

ROGERS: That was just on the stroke of midnight, was it not?

JULIUS: I think so, yes.

CAMILLA: Yes. He was in the middle of saying something else when the clock began to strike.

ROGERS: Something else? What was it?

JULIUS: We don’t know, of course. He said something about an announcement.

CAMILLA: Yes, that’s right. He had an announcement to make.

ROGERS: Can you throw any light, sir, on what the announcement was that he was about to make?

JULIUS: I haven’t the slightest idea. How should I?

ROGERS: Can anybody in this room tell me what Mr Warbeck was going to announce when he died?

( A pause )

BRIGGS: Yes, I can.

JULIUS: You, Briggs?

BRIGGS: Yes, Sir Julius.

ROGERS: What was it?

BRIGGS: If you will excuse me for one moment, Sir Julius, I have somebody here who can explain the matter better than I can.

( Sound of door opening )

MRS BARRETT: What in the world is all this about?

BRIGGS: This way, my dear.

( Sound of door closing )

JULIUS: What on earth …?

CAMILLA: Who is this woman?

BRIGGS: My daughter Susan, my lady.

CAMILLA: What right has she to be here?

BRIGGS: The announcement which Mr Robert was about to make, my lady, was that of his marriage to my daughter.

CAMILLA: So that was it! ( Fiercely ) Married—to you!

SUSAN: ( uneducated voice, but with a certain dignity ) We were married twelve months ago, my lady, at the Paddington Register Office. I have my marriage certificate here to prove it, if you want to see it.

JULIUS: Is there a child?

SUSAN: Three months old, Sir Julius. He’s in the house now.

JULIUS: ( Eagerly ) He? It’s a boy, then?

SUSAN: ( proudly and with emphasis ) Yes, sir—a lovely boy.

JULIUS: Thank heaven for that!

CAMILLA: Robert’s son!

MRS BARRETT: I can’t bear it! Oh, I can’t bear it!

( Sound of running feet )