‘What do you mean by that?’ Riley asked when Sir Philip’s stream of words stalled.
‘It’s hard to say,’ he replied, frowning as though seeking an answer that continued to elude him. ‘I’d never seen her quite so indomitable before. She was shouting at me in a whisper, if that makes any sense, almost manic in her determination. She said it was my chance to get rid of the problem that was Ezra once and for all. Everyone would think he had fallen down drunk, struck his head and died.’ Sir Philip shuddered. ‘I will never forget the chilling cast to her features, the deadly determination in her eyes. It was as though the matter had become personal and that she didn’t have an emotional bone in her body. It occurred to me then that she actually expected me to whack the poor chap over the head.’
‘Well, someone did,’ Salter said with irrefutable logic.
Sir Philip remained silent.
‘Are you telling us that Verity did it?’ Riley asked.
‘I have said too much.’
‘You have said enough to condemn yourself,’ Riley replied, ‘but I don’t believe that you killed the man. However, what I believe doesn’t signify. As things stand, there is enough evidence to charge you both with murder.’
‘She is my son’s wife,’ he said, tears in his eyes. ‘I can’t…’
‘It might help you to make up your mind if I tell you that you were right to think it was personal from Verity’s point of view.’
Sir Philip looked astounded when Riley went on to explain how Verity had first made Ezra’s acquaintance and looked upon him as hers. For good measure, he also told him about her brother and about Mrs Wendall’s attachment to Ezra as well.
‘So you can see that she felt betrayed on all fronts, and being a vindictive woman she decided upon revenge. We know she arranged for her brother to be killed, but she didn’t do it herself. Instead, she incited someone else to do her dirty work, much as she incited you.’
‘Ye gods!’ Sir Philip rested his elbow on the table and dropped the side of his face into his splayed hand. ‘Talk about a woman scorned. I had absolutely no idea. She fooled me completely.’
‘Quite. Gideon isn’t safe from her murderous revenge either, since he too has a lady friend. He’s probably only escaped her wrath because of her grandiose plans for his career. When he is repeatedly passed over for promotion, Gideon will become surplus to requirements too.’
‘Ezra wasn’t intoxicated,’ Salter added. ‘We know from the doctor’s examination of his body that he’d ingested a mild dose of poison that would have made him disorientated and appear very drunk. Verity knew that he wouldn’t have gone outside with her otherwise.’
Both detectives stopped speaking and the tension in the room was palpable as Sir Philip mulled over his options. Not that he had many choices. Riley had meant what he said and would arrest them both for murder if he didn’t tell the truth. After what seemed like an eternity, Sir Philip spoke again, but his voice was that of a broken man.
‘I didn’t lay a finger on Ezra and tried to get Verity to walk away, but it was as if she had retreated mentally somewhere beyond my reach. She screamed at me again in that exaggerated whisper, which was far more chilling than if she had shouted at the top of her lungs, repeating over and over that Ezra was a scourge who needed to be extinguished. By that point, Ezra was on his knees, looking as though he wanted to vomit.’
‘The poison,’ Riley said. ‘It made him feel sick and was why our doctor found traces of it around his mouth and in his throat. He had been about to bring it up.’
‘Before I could stop Verity she reached into her purse. She had something heavy with her and I recalled her making some offhand remark earlier about having learned during her days growing up in Clapham to always have a means to defend herself when venturing out alone at night. I didn’t think anything of it at the time. Anyway, what she had with her looked like one of a pair of onyx figurines that always sat on her mantelpiece. They had belonged to her father and she was proud of them, but I’d always thought them rather ugly.’
‘What did she do?’ Riley asked.
‘It was awful. I will never forget the sound.’ He dropped his head and Riley thought he was crying. However, he composed himself and continued. ‘Before I could stop her, she lifted the figurine and whacked Ezra on the back of his head with more force than I could ever imagine such a slight thing capable of mustering. It was as though something, perhaps the resentment you have told me about, gave her superhuman strength. There was the horrible sound of cracking bone that will haunt me to the end of my days, Ezra crumpled to the ground and Verity and I…well, I was so damned
