hang a piece—pieces—of his art, which no one had seen yet. At what time did he arrive to do this work? Who else was with him? And what time, according to the pathologist, did he die—and how?”
Georgina gave a single nod as she sipped her tea, set her cup down again and began to answer Maisie’s questions as directly as they were asked. “He had been there all day, since dawn, hanging the pieces. They had set up the scaffolding later in the day, according to Duncan and Alex, who said he told them to return to my flat around half past eight—it wasn’t unusual for Nick to bring friends to stay at my flat and they had turned up the night before with their knapsacks. My home is a convenient London bolt-hole for all sorts of people.” She paused, took another sip of tea, and went on. “The gallery caretaker, Arthur Levitt, said that he looked in on Nick around nine and told him he was ready to go home. Nick replied that he had a key and would lock up.”
There was silence for a moment, a hiatus that Maisie allowed to linger in the air as the narrator sought strength to recount the loss of her brother. Georgina Bassington-Hope pulled at the handkerchief Maisie had passed to her earlier and shifted in her chair.
“Detective Richard Stratton from Scotland Yard was on my doorstep at eight the following morning, with news that there had been an accident. I don’t think he usually deals with accidents, but came out all the same as he was on duty when the alarm was raised by Mr. Levitt when he came in and found Nick….”
Maisie spoke softly. “Can you tell me how he described finding your brother?”
“On the floor below the scaffolding. Part of the rail was broken and it looked as if Nick had leaned back a bit too far while checking the position of some anchors against a guide that he had already drafted on paper. His neck had been broken and it is thought that he died instantly when he hit the stone floor, probably around ten-ish, according to the pathologist.” She shook her head. “Damn him for being so secretive! It was all this business of wanting there to be a big ooh-ahh when the triptych was revealed to the world that killed him. If he hadn’t been there alone…”
“Georgina, let’s summon a taxi-cab to take you home.” Sensing a weariness in her client that was not physical but rooted in her soul, Maisie leaned across and placed her hand on Georgina’s shoulder. “We’ll speak again tomorrow—and perhaps we should meet at the gallery, if it isn’t too difficult for you. Would ten be convenient?”
Georgina nodded, feeling the now familiar warmth flood her body again as Maisie touched her. Billy stood up and pulled on his overcoat before making his way out to Tottenham Court Road to hail a taxi-cab. Maisie helped Georgina into her coat and picked up the collection of index cards to pen some additional notes.
“Everything you’ve described points to an accident. The intensity of your sense that it was not a misstep by your brother that caused his death is compelling to me, which is why I am taking on this case. However, when we meet tomorrow, and in our future meetings—for there will be a few—I would like to know if you are aware of anyone who might harbor an intensity of feeling about your brother, or his work, which might have led to a desire to see him dead, either by accident or a deliberate act.”
“Yes, I’ve been thinking about that, I—”
“Good. Now then. One final question today—may I have details of your family? I will need to meet them.”
“Of course, though don’t expect to make too much headway—they do not share my feelings and would be horrified if they knew I had come to an inquiry agent.” She buttoned her coat as they heard the door slam and Billy make his way back up the stairs. “My parents live on an impossibly large estate just outside Tenterden in Kent. Noelle—‘Nolly’—my older sister, lives with them. She’s forty now, lost her husband in the war. She’s nothing like the rest of us, very proper, very county, if you know what I mean. She’s a justice of the peace at the local magistrates’ courts, sits on all sorts of local committees and gets involved in politics; you’ve met the sort—bit of a know-all. And she heartily disapproves of me. My brother Harry is the baby, the child who came along when everyone least expected it, according to Emsy—that’s Emma, my mother. Harry is twenty-nine now and a musician. Not classical, no, much to Nolly’s dismay he plays the trumpet in dark places where people have fun and enjoy themselves.”
Billy came into the room, a coating of fresh snowflakes across his shoulders. “Taxi-cab’s outside, Miss B- H.”
“Thank you, B—, Mr. Beale.” Georgina Bassington-Hope shook hands with Billy, then addressed Maisie. “See you at ten tomorrow morning at Svenson’s Gallery on Albemarle Street.” She paused for just a moment, plunging her hands inside her coat sleeves once again. “I know you will find out the truth, Maisie. And I know you will find his killer, of that I am sure.”
Maisie nodded, moved as if to return to her desk, then turned back. “Georgina, forgive me—one last question, if I may.”
“Of course.”
“You were obviously close to your brother, you’ve said as much, but, were you on good terms when he died?”
The woman’s eyes reddened. “Of course.” She nodded her head. “We were close, so close that we never had to explain ourselves to each other. We just
When Billy came back to the office, he was shaking his head. “Well, what do you think about all that, Miss?”
Maisie was now seated at the paper drawn across the table to form the case map, working with colored pencils to add notes to a small but growing diagram. “It’s too soon to say, Billy, too soon to even begin to draw conclusions.” She looked up. “Come and help me pin this paper onto the table.”
Billy smoothed his hand across the paper to remove folds before pinning the edges and studied his employer’s preliminary notations as he worked. “What do we do next?”
Maisie smiled. “Well, here’s what we’ll be doing this afternoon—we’re off to the Tate to learn a bit more than we know already about art.”
“Oh, Miss…”
“Come on, Billy, an hour or two spent in contemplation of the great world of art will do us both the power of good on this gray old day.”
“If you say so, Miss. You never know, you might find something nice for them bare walls of yours!” Billy patted the case map as he pressed in the last pin, then moved from the table and collected Maisie’s coat, which he held out for her.
