gone into Bluebell Cottage, which is of course empty now. And so we went there to look for him. There was no sign that he’d been in the cottage. That’s when we began searching the Forest.”
“He’s not here. I can give you my word on that.”
“That may well be. But this is a large house, you don’t use all the rooms these days. And the grounds are extensive.”
Roger Ellis considered the request. “I shall give my consent with one reservation. I was just in to see my wife, and asked Sister Crawford to give her something for her headache. She’s in the room above the hall, here. You will not disturb her.”
“Agreed,” the Inspector said with poor grace.
He went to the door and admitted his men. Among them was Constable Bates, whom none of us could abide. As they spread out to search, I said, “Who told you that the doctor had gone into Bluebell Cottage?”
“It was his wife,” the Inspector answered. “Mary Tilton. His mother is coming up from Eastbourne to live closer to him, and if Bluebell Cottage was to her liking, he was prepared to make an offer for it.” He turned and followed his men from the room.
We sat there in silence, the tea that Daisy had brought in while I was upstairs with Lydia and Roger growing cold.
After a moment Mrs. Ellis said, “I do hope they’ll be careful and not break anything.”
“Or pocket anything,” Gran added sourly. “I don’t trust the police.”
“Why should Dr. Tilton have gone missing?” Margaret asked. “I can see that he might have been summoned to see another patient in an emergency. But if that were true, surely he’d have sent word to his wife?”
“One would think so,” Mrs. Ellis replied distractedly, listening to any sound from the search.
“I wish Henry was here,” Margaret said. “I’m afraid.”
“There’s no need to be frightened,” her brother told her. But I thought she’d been away from the Forest long enough to feel differently about it.
After what seemed to be hours, the police returned.
Roger, standing by the fire, came forward to meet the Inspector.
“Are you finished?”
“All but searching the grounds.”
They left, and we could see their torches flashing as they spread out across the grounds.
Gran said, “If they were as clever as they think they are, they’d have come here before dark. Those torches will do them no good, and we shall have them back tomorrow. Wait and see.”
And as she had prophesized, they returned at first light in the morning.
I was first down to breakfast, judging by the dishes that Daisy had set out.
When Roger Ellis came in just minutes after me, I said, “What will you do about Sophie? Have you told the rest of your family that she’s here?”
“If I do,” he said tiredly, “there will be no hope of taking her back to France. You have put me-and that child-in an untenable situation.”
“I realized that, the instant I saw her in Dover. But I couldn’t leave England. And there was no safe way to return her.”
“The fool who brought her to you deserves to be taken out and shot.”
Before I could answer that, Mrs. Ellis came in. She had passed a sleepless night, her eyes dark-ringed, her face drawn.
“They’re out there, just as Gran predicted,” she said. “The police. Surely they don’t believe we could have harmed Dr. Tilton. It’s ridiculous.”
“They have their duty to perform,” her son told her. “I expect they rather enjoyed this one.”
“Yes, it’s so different since the war, isn’t it?” She filled her plate, then set it aside. “I don’t feel like eating after all. How is Lydia feeling this morning?”
“I haven’t disturbed her,” he answered.
She glanced at me. After a moment she asked him, “You and Lydia will make up this quarrel, won’t you? Whatever was said or not said, done or not done when she fled to London, surely it isn’t as important as your marriage. God knows your father and I didn’t always see eye to eye. About many things. But we loved each other.”
“Not enough to prevent him from killing himself over Juliana,” he retorted, then said at once, “No, I’m sorry, that was cruel and uncalled for.”
She bit her lip. “But so true, I’m afraid. We were all devastated, my dear. You as well as the rest of us. I don’t quite know how any of us survived. Well. I hope you and Lydia can find common ground to mend matters.”
“I’m willing to try,” he told her, but I didn’t think he meant it.
Just then Daisy came into the dining room. “That Inspector Rother is in the hall, and he wants to see the family.”
Mrs. Ellis rose. “I don’t think Gran is awake yet. Will you look, Daisy? And see if Miss Margaret has come down, as well.”
Roger was already heading for the door, passing Daisy and striding down the passage toward the hall. I waited for Mrs. Ellis and walked with her.
“I have a bad feeling about this,” she said, speaking to herself as much as to me.
“I expect he’s come to say that the second search was no more successful than the first.”
“Pray God you’re right, Bess, dear. I don’t think any of us can endure much more.”
But as soon as I saw Inspector Rother’s face, I knew she was right.
Roger Ellis was already speaking to him as we came into the room. “You will not disturb my grandmother or my wife. What you have to say you can say to me.” He looked around as his mother came in. “I’ll deal with this, my dear. Don’t let it distress you.”
“But I’m afraid my news will distress all of you,” the Inspector said, looking from one to the other of us. “We have found Dr. Tilton’s body. It was lying in that culvert that runs past the barn. It’s overgrown, that’s why we didn’t find it last night.”
Mrs. Ellis grasped the back of a chair to steady herself. “Our barn? But how did he come to be here?” she said. “I don’t understand.”
“What happened to him?” her son was asking at the same time, his words cutting across hers.
“He was struck over the head. Murdered.” As Gran came into the room, followed by Margaret, he added with intense anger, “One of you in this household is a murderer. Three dead men at your doorstep, for all intents and purposes. Now what do you have to say for yourselves?”
There was a long silence as we digested his words. Then Roger Ellis said coldly, “Until you can prove that, I shall ask you to leave my house. Do what you must do to remove the doctor’s body, and then I’ll thank you to leave my land as well.”
Inspector Rother smiled. “I’m afraid that’s not possible. I shall require statements from each of you regarding your whereabouts night before last. We’re waiting for Dr. Ledbetter from Groombridge. He will tell us the hours of interest. Until then we ask that you not leave the premises. I’ll be posting a constable at the door, meanwhile. At the moment I must go and break the news to Mrs. Tilton. You might spare a thought for her in her loss-”
He’d been standing with his back to the door. It opened, and I heard Margaret cry out. I turned in time to see her husband, Henry, walk through the door.
“What the hell is going on?” Henry demanded, looking from one to the other of us.
Inspector Rother said, “You were summoned days ago.”
“I know. There’s a war on, you see. I was rather busy.” He went directly to his wife, who held him as if he were the anchor she’d been waiting for.
“Where were you these last two nights?” Inspector Rother demanded.
“In London,” Henry replied shortly. “I couldn’t leave France, and when I did, I was seconded to carry dispatches to the War Office. My commanding officer doesn’t hold with provincial policemen disrupting his war.”
It was said to irritate, and it hit its mark. Inspector Rother flushed.
“Nevertheless, you will give your statement to one of my constables,” he said, and then turned to the rest of us.
