“Ah – yes, far too early. But go ahead, be my guest.”
Rhodes poured himself a generous glass of neat whisky and paced over to the window which looked out across the town. “What about this Floating Ball, what? You’ll be going, I imagine.”
“I don’t think I have a choice. My dear wife is on the organising committee now. That’s your fault, I think. You introduced me to Carstairs.”
“Ha! Ha! He’s not the problem – it’s his wife! The delightful Mrs Archie Carstairs is an absolute dragon dressed up in taffeta! She terrifies me more than demonic dogs, I can tell you that. Stay out of her way or she’ll have you sewing bunting before you know what’s happened, what!”
“I will heed your advice. Thanks for everything, but I had best be off home.”
“What’s it like, living at Tavy Castle?” Rhodes asked as Theodore got up and pushed a dent out of his hat.
“Rancid,” Theodore replied with honesty. “Do you know a good drainage engineer?”
“Afraid I don’t. Drains are bad, then? Makes you wonder why they built the damned place where they did.”
“I can’t work it out. Defence, I suppose.”
“Ask The Countess. She’s about three hundred years old, isn’t she? She was probably there when they built the Norman tower. She knows everything, that woman – don’t let her fool you.”
“I shall do.”
“It’s all awfully interesting. Good luck with the investigation. Do let me know what you find out.”
“Of course. That’s rather the point, isn’t it?”
Rhodes laughed, and raised his glass in a mock salute as Theodore left.
WHY WAS HARTLEY KNIGHT killed? Theodore took the medical files with him and read them on the train back to Tavy Castle. The police medical officer had noted that the deceased man had a large blunt force trauma to the back of his head but was unable to say what had caused it; a solid object consistent either with the edge of a stone step or the blow from an implement. It was infuriatingly vague. The deceased also had evidence of noxious gases in the respiratory system which had corroded the linings of the mouth and airways. What noxious gases were they, Theodore wondered, almost shaking the papers in frustration. Do your science, man! He wished he had been present when the corpse had first been wheeled into the mortuary. He could have performed certain experiments to pinpoint those so-called noxious gases.
It was possible that some traces of the substance might yet linger in the body but he wasn’t hopeful. Still, he intended to find out and now that he had a letter of authority, he was able to move forward – as soon as Inspector Wilbred was done. Once the case was officially closed, he was free to do as he liked. If he tried to act while Wilbred was still investigating, then no doubt the inspector would act in an obstructive manner. He had to take care not to make trouble either for himself, or for Rhodes.
But again his mind circled back to the thorny problem of just who was motivated enough to kill the house steward. Mrs Rush was again the most likely suspect though she claimed to have an alibi. Who else? The steward was controlling and had taken over many aspects of the running of the castle. When he had discussed the matter with Adelia, she had told him that the steward very much overstepped his boundaries. Who else would resent that? Mrs Rush, again.
What about Felicia? He shook his head. Felicia was suffering from her own issues and she was far too sensitive to act in such a manner. He considered each of the other occupants of the castle. The Countess – no, she was too old and frail. Lady Agnes – again he dismissed her. What motive could she have? She was odd and he liked to talk to her when she spoke frankly but most of the time she was silent and simply observed people. Then there was Lady Katharine who he vaguely remembered meeting from time to time, but nothing about her struck him as out of the ordinary. Yet she was exiled to the gatehouse and had no part in the life of the household – why was that? Could that be anything to do with the steward? And then there was Brodie, her son, who was immature and lost, clever and alone. He was certainly a prime candidate if Theodore could find a possible motive.
Were murders ever committed without a motive? Perhaps. Those crimes of chance, those accidental moves – a shove, a punch, and someone went down too hard. Could this death be simply that?
No. No! The noxious gases, the strange way he was found – and the place he was found – all suggested some darker deed. What secret yet lurked in the depths of the ice house?
Theodore closed the file and jumped up. He had nearly missed his stop.
Eight
Adelia and Theodore spent Monday night deep in conversation, making notes and drawing diagrams which started well but inevitably ended in frantic crossings-out and very large question marks. Theodore told her all about the meeting with Rhodes, and what he had gleaned about the manner of death. Adelia, in return, shared her information about Mrs Rush and also the suspicions that had emerged around Lady Agnes.
They made a list. Mrs Rush was at the top because she had the main motive but there was still the claim of her alibi to look into. If she had been at the local chapel as she said she was, then everyone would have seen her, and that would be a solid alibi indeed. Adelia’s task was to investigate that.
They wrote Lady Agnes’s name down next, because of her odd manner and the secrets that were hinted at, but Adelia wasn’t comfortable with her name being on
