John Carr - The Judas Window

'Unless they got Tregannon.'

'Yes; but they'd hardly have Tregannon on the premises. It would look much too fishy. And there was the answer to the other question. If Spencer himself were too conveniently hangin' about with his stethoscope, if the whole thing flowed too smoothly, an eyebrow might be raised here and there. It was the Jordan woman, in all accident, who gave the hint away when she was burblin' in court yesterday: I heard her testimony a month ago, and I spotted it then. Remember what she was to do? She was to pick up Spencer in the car - pick him up at the hospital - and they were to drive into the country afterwards. Do you recall that?'

'Yes. What of it?’

'Do you also recall,' said H.M., opening his eyes, 'what Spencer had asked her to do for him? He'd asked her to pack a suitcase for him, and bring it along to the hospital so that he wouldn't have to bother. And, burn me, I don't recall a neater trick. She intended to go to Sussex; Spencer never did. The one way in this world you can be sure you won't get what you want is to tell someone, off-hand, to pack a suitcase for you. The person does his best, and shoves in what he thinks you'll need. But something is always wrong. In this case, all Spencer needed was a pretext. She was to arrive at the hospital luggin' the suitcase. "Ah," said Spencer affably, "I see you've packed it. Did you put in my silver-backed brushes?" Or it may be his dressing-gown, or his evenin' studs, or anything at all: all he's got to do is wade through the list until he finds something that's been omitted. "You left that out?" he says. "Good God, woman, do you think I can travel to the country without my whatever-it-is? My whatever-it-is is absolutely necessary. This is a most unfortunate nuisance" - can't you hear Spencer sayin' that? -"but I am afraid we shall have to go back to the house for it."'

H.M., patting his stomach and leering down from under lofty eyebrows, was giving such an uncanny impersonation of Spencer Hume that you could almost hear the doctor's voice. Then he broke off. He added:

'So they drive back to the house. And they arrive (accidentally but providentially) just in time to find Avory Hume overcoming a maniac who has tried to kill him. Hey?'

There was a pause.

'It's rather a neat trick, and it would have been convincing,' Evelyn admitted. 'Was the woman - Amelia Jordan - in on the scheme to nail Reginald?'

'No. Otherwise there'd 'a' been no reason for the hocus-pocus. She was to be one of the unprepared witnesses. The other two were Dyer and Fleming -'

'Fleming?'

Taking the cigar out of his mouth, H.M., with a very sour expression, sat down at the table again. 'Look here! You heard what Fleming said in the witness-box. Avory' had told him to drop in at the house about a quarter to seven. Hey? All right. With Fleming's habits, he may even suspect that Fleming'll be a few minutes early. Now concentrate on the elegant timing of the whole business, as it was M E A N T to happen.

'Avory has told the prospective loony to come to the house at six o'clock sharp; and, considerin' an errand of blackmail, he can ruddy well believe Reginald will be on time. Avory has told Amelia Jordan that she's to start off in the car (which Dyer will bring round from the garage) at soon after 6.15. Gimme a piece of paper, somebody, and a pencil. Avory Hume was awful methodical, and he worked out this piece of crooked work as methodically as he'd have worked out the terms of a mortgage. Like this:

'At 6 p.m., Reginald will arrive. He will be seen by Jordan and Dyer. Dyer takes him to the study. Then Dyer will be sent to fetch the car. Dyer will probably linger at the study door for a couple of minutes; he's been warned the visitor is not to be trusted, remember. Dyer will leave the house, say 6.5. He should be back with the car between 6.10 and 6.15. Between 6.15 and 6.20, Amelia Jordan will be drivin' away in it to the hospital.

'It's only a short drive from Grosvenor Street to Praed Street, near Paddington. Amelia Jordan arrives at the hospital, say 6.22. She will hand the suitcase to Spencer, who will discover that his whatever-it-is is missin', and they will drive back. They will arrive back between 6.27 and 6.30.

'By this time the stage is all set. Avory Hume will cut up a row, bring Dyer bangin' at the door - open the door to show the results of a frantic struggle in the study. Reginald, groggy and wild-eyed with the inertia that follows a maniacal outburst, won't be able to say much. The doctor will arrive, clucking his tongue. While the excitement is still high and handsome, Fleming will arrive and be the last witness. So.'

H.M. puffed out smoke and waved it away.

'Only it didn't work out like that,' I said. 'Someone took advantage of that scheme - and murdered the old man.'

'That's it. Now I've told you what was meant to happen. Next, to help you along, I'll show you what did happen. I'm goin' to give you a time-table for that whole evening, because it's very suggestive. Most of the official times, like the arrival of officers or the times centrin' directly round the fact of the murder, you've already heard in court. Others weren't important as direct evidence, and weren't stressed. But I've got 'em all here, taken down from the police notes; and I've got the comments I wrote opposite 'em after I'd interviewed Answell and Mary Hume. I suggest to you (gor, how I'm beginnin' to hate that expression!) that, if you study 'em with a little cerebral activity, you'll learn a good deal.'

From his inside pocket he took out a large, grubby sheet of paper, worn from much pawing-over, and spread it out carefully. It was dated over a month before. The time-schedule, in the left-hand column, had evidently been typed by Lollypop. The comments, in the other column, were scrawled in blue pencil by H.M. Thus:

Table

6.10 Answell arrives, and is taken to study.

Delay by mist,

6.11 Avory Hume tells Dyer to go and get the car; study door is closed, but not bolted.

6.11- 6.15 Dyer remains in the passage outside the study door. Hears Answell say: 'I did not come here to kill anyone unless it becomes absolutely necessary.' Later hears Hume speaking in sharp tone, no words distinguishable; but ending loudly; ‘'Man, what is wrong with you? Have you gone mad?' Hears sounds like scuffle. Taps on door and asks if anything is wrong. Hume says: 'No, I can deal with this; go away.'

No mention of stealing spoons,

'Have you gone mad?' Very fishy; look into this, 'Scuffle' Answell's fall?

Was door bolted at this time? No, or Dyer would have heard sounds made by stiff and unused bolt shot into socket,

Very brave of Hume; unco' fishy

6.15. Dyer goes to get car.

Obedient. Arrives at garage 6.18.

6.39. Amelia Jordan finishes packing own valise and suitcase - Dr Hume has asked her to pack for him.

Shocking.

Suppose she left something out? ?

6.30-6.32. Amelia Jordan comes downstairs. Goes into passage towards study door. Hears Answell say: 'Get up, damn you !' Tries study door, finds it is bolted; or locked in some way.

Must be bolted. Lock is stuck at 'open' position.

6.32. Dyer returns with car.

6.33-6.34. Amelia Jordan tells Dyer to stop them fighting or get Fleming; she goes after Fleming.

1.

Finds Fleming coming down steps of own house to go next door.

1.

Rather early; but what of it?

1.

Fleming accompanies her. They all knock at study door.

6.36. Answell opens study door.

6.36-6.39. Examination of body and room. No doubt of door and windows being locked on inside. Answell's cool and dazed behaviour commented on. 'Are you made of stone?' Answell says: 'Serve him right for drugging (or doctoring) my whisky." Enquiries about whisky. Bottle and syphon found full, glasses untouched; Answell still declaring business a frame-up. Piece of feather found torn off arrow.