Cold, Lone and Still

‘The dead man had been invited to the party.’

‘Well, he never come in by no front door, sir.’

When I got back to the flat, Bingley was waiting in the hall. We went up the stairs and I asked, rather belligerently, I think, whether there was any more that I could do for him.

‘Just one small point, Mr Melrose,’ he answered. ‘What was your reaction when you first met Mr Carbridge at the Glasgow youth hostel?’

‘I’ve told you. I thought him pushy and boring.’

‘You would not care to add anything more?’

‘There’s nothing more to add. I thought the chap was a headache, that’s all.’

‘And you had no reason to revise this opinion later in the tour?’

‘No. You must please believe what I’ve said before. Miss Camden and I did not travel in company with the others. It was only by chance that we met them in Glasgow and at the other youth hostels. They proposed to walk the whole length of the West Highland Way from Milngavie to Fort William. We had no such ambition. We picked up the trail at Drymen and, instead of keeping strictly to the route, we left out Kinlochleven and Lundavra, cut across to Ballachulish — having thumbed a lift — and were taken to Fort William from there. I’ve told you all this. Why do you keep harping on it?’

‘Because, Mr Melrose, you did meet up with the others at Rowardennan, Crianlarich and Fort William.’

‘Only because we all used the youth hostels, as I’ve already explained. There was no pre-arrangement to meet. Miss Camden and I were booked in mostly at hotels, but, of course, the hostels are much cheaper, so we used the only ones there are along The Way, those at Rowardennan and Crianlarich and, of course, the one at Fort William, as you say.’

‘I am told by Mr Todd that you and Miss Camden left Fort William in somewhat of a hurry. Was that because you found that Mr Carbridge was there?’

‘Well, partly, I suppose, but mostly because Miss Camden had found our trip more exhausting than she had expected. We had intended to ascend Ben Nevis — I won’t say climb it, because we only thought of getting to the top by the easiest route, which, as I am sure you know, is from the river up to a farm and then on a pony track to the top — but I decided that the exertion would be too much for Miss Camden. There was not much point in staying in Fort William under the circumstances, so we left as soon as we could.’

‘Did you, at any time, have an altercation of any kind with Mr Carbridge?’

‘Certainly not. I had nothing against him except that he was a bore.’ (I certainly was not going to talk about Crianlarich to a policeman.)

‘Was Miss Camden of the same opinion?’

‘I should think everybody was, but you had better ask her, hadn’t you? You’re bad as young Trickett,’ I said ill- advisedly. He stiffened, as I have seen a pointer do when it scents game.

‘Ah,’ he said, with a quiet satisfaction which alarmed me. ‘Young Trickett, eh? Well, I think that is all for the present, Mr Melrose.’

I was more than thankful to be rid of him. I was terrified that I might let out our real reason for leaving Fort William. He had been so nearly right when he asked me whether we had left because Carbridge was there, and his penetrating question — although I do not think he had anything to go on when he asked it — of whether I had ever had any sort of a row with Carbridge had shaken me badly. I wondered what else Todd had told him, apart from recounting my hasty departure from Fort William. After all, Todd had been present when I had assaulted Carbridge at Crianlarich and had himself been fairly roundly ticked off by me as well. I did not imagine he loved me very much.

9: Bull Before the Beaks

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How I detest that detective-inspector!’ said Hera, when she and Sandy were having drinks at my flat and talking things over. ‘Do you know he as good as told me that I had had an affair with Carbridge on the tour? How dare he?’

‘He wanted me to admit that I knew about it and that I got shirty with the man,’ I said. ‘He’s a menace with his rotten, crawling suggestions. He’s got it in for me all right.’

‘It’s not as though you can help falling over dead bodies wherever you go,’ she said thoughtfully.

‘Look, the subject isn’t funny!’ I retorted.

‘I didn’t mean it to be but it is rather unnerving when you repeat your effects.’

‘Mind you, if Bingley had known Carbridge, he would lay off this suggestion that you could have looked twice at the bloke,’ I said. ‘Now if it had been Todd—’

‘What about Todd?’ she asked sharply.

‘Well, nothing except that he’s a trier and people who try and try again do quite often succeed,’ I said. I looked at her. She was thirty-one, but she appeared to be years younger. Her hair was as silken as that of a well-cared-for young child, her features were beautifully moulded, her hazel eyes were large and romantically soulful, but her mouth and chin were firm to the point of obstinacy. I have never seen a more self-contradictory face. That, and her perfect body, fascinated me.

‘Well,’ she said, ‘are you having second thoughts about the goods in the shop window? Others may admire them more than you seem to do.’