‘She couldn’t have. I wore…’
A deathly silence greeted Verity’s blurted response.
‘Thank you for admitting your complicity,’ Riley said, almost smiling at Verity’s shocked expression when she realised that she had given herself away. ‘We know that you argued with Ezra, which I can understand. He had taken up with not one but both of the women you most disliked and resented. Neither of them would have met him had it not been for you. It must have felt like history repeating itself, which is why you mentioned Jason in your letters to your brother and why you didn’t tell him about Nancy and Ezra to begin with. You wanted to exploit that situation for your own purposes, but when Nancy refused to pay for your silence and Gordon took her side when you did reveal the truth, it tipped you over the edge. So you swallowed your pride, went down to Clapham and made yourself known to Ezra’s brother. You had heard him talk about Sam and his volatile temper. You also knew that he resented Ezra because he wouldn’t include him in his various schemes. Sam was the perfect person to do your dirty work for you, in other words.’
‘Except you didn’t think it through,’ Salter added. ‘In arranging for your brother to be killed—’
‘I did not—’
‘Be quiet,’ Riley said in an authoritative tone. ‘You have had your opportunity to talk and failed to take advantage of it. Carry on, Sergeant.’
‘In having Gordon killed, you inadvertently did Nancy a favour. Her relationship with Ezra had been platonic up until that point—’
‘So she would have you believe,’ Verity sneered. ‘I can see that neither one of you is immune to a pretty face. Apparently you are both ready to take her word over mine.’
‘You cleared the path for Ezra and Nancy to be together. You might have gained a little satisfaction from knowing that Ida had been dislodged from Ezra’s affections, but to see Nancy take her place cannot have sat comfortably with you. So Ezra had to go. What we need to know is what part Sir Philip played in his demise. We know that you slipped something into Ezra’s drink to make him woozy. He went outside either because he felt the need for air or because you somehow persuaded him to, which is where Sir Philip caught up with him.’
‘Untrue.’ She folded her arms. ‘Sir Philip had nothing to do with Ezra’s death, although God alone knows he had enough reason to demand retribution. Ezra had made him look like a fool in his own home. However, he was not there as far as I am aware, and nor was I, and you cannot prove otherwise.’
‘I rather think that we can,’ Riley replied, disappointed but not surprised when she didn’t cave in. ‘But leaving that aside for the moment, let’s return to the matter of your brother’s death.’
‘That was an accident, but I suppose you are going to try and pin that on me too. Well, it won’t work. A stack of barrels fell upon him and crushed him to death, and I couldn’t move even one barrel to save my life. Besides,’ she added with a wicked glint in her eye, ‘as you yourself just pointed out, his death was very beneficial from Nancy’s perceptive. Or would have been, had Ezra lived. Why would I do her any favours?’
‘You had to kill your brother before Ezra. You gave Nancy hope and then snatched it away from her.’ Riley paused. ‘How long would you have allowed Nancy to live before she too met with an accident, leaving you as your brother’s only relative to inherit her estate?’
Nancy leapt from her chair. ‘That is an outrageous slander!’
‘Sit down!’ Riley waited until she did so and then resumed speaking. ‘I think it only fair to tell you that we have Sam Dawson in our custody as well. We know that he called to see your brother just before his death and I feel persuaded he will tell us who suggested that meeting, if only to save his own neck. You don’t need to have been there in order to be tried for murder. All we have to do is convince a jury that you put the idea into the killer’s head. Besides, we also know that you called at Sam’s cottage. His wife will have seen you and will be able to identify you.’
‘Even if I did, it means nothing. I just wanted to know more about Ezra.’ She studied her folded hands, her fingers laced together to prevent them from trembling. ‘It humiliates me to make the admission, but I still wanted Ezra as a friend. He had a mesmerising effect upon me, as he did upon every woman who set eyes on him, and I hoped that Sam could help promote my cause.’
Riley shook his head. He would have felt sorry for her but for the fact that he recognised in her stony features the face of a cold-hearted and calculating killer.
‘Lock her up while we speak with Sir Philip and Sam Dawson,’ Riley said abruptly.
He expected protestations but she surprised him when she stood and walked from the room with her head held high.
‘Blimey,’ Salter said, scratching his head. ‘What did you make of that performance?’
‘She knows we are onto her and is falling back on her dignity.’ Riley stood. ‘As things stand, we don’t have enough firm evidence to convict her of anything, and she knows it.’
‘Yeah, I guessed as much.’
‘Never mind. We’re not done yet. Let’s go and see what Sir Philip has to say for himself. Hopefully, he will be a little more forthcoming.’
