Charlotte ate a mouthful very slowly as if stalling for time. After an absolute age, she said, “I don’t know. The usual things. It was all very stilted. Nothing that might incriminate her. Maybe she’s guilty? Maybe she’s just a grieving widow, shamed and alone, vilified by society for following her heart’s desire.”
“When your heart’s desire is to have a love affair with a rancid and argumentative criminal art dealer with a tendency towards republicanism and the overthrow of the monarchy, perhaps one ought to reconsider the workings of one’s heart,” Theodore said suddenly, referring to Octavia’s affair with Nettles. “Thank you, Charlotte, for what you’ve done. Now, what shall we do next?”
No one could offer any suggestions. Eventually Robert said, “You know, I wonder if we ought to not just let the matter drop?”
Theodore considered it. Adelia wobbled her head, half nod, half shake, a non-committal movement of indecision. She had wondered that herself.
“We have never given up before,” Theodore said at last. “And I am not the sort of man who does give things up. Even,” he added with a rueful nod to Adelia, “if those things ought to be given up.” He meant his long and failed career as a doctor, she surmised.
“You’ve never had a case like this before,” said Robert. “You’re not doing it officially, nor are you really acting unofficially. The matter that we asked you to look into – the art crime – is no longer of pressing importance. We are free of what we sought to be free of. If anything bad was going to attach to us after the death, any incrimination, it would have happened by now. Every day, I breathe a little easier. Indeed, we are lucky we did not become suspects ourselves.”
Something about that statement made Adelia stop and think. They had not considered Robert to be a suspect because he had been with Theodore during the time of the murder at the meal.
But they had known, all along, that the murderer did not have to be at the meal nor even present at the house if they had arranged in advance for the food to be tampered with.
She stared at her son-in-law, trying to see guilt written upon his face. He had a motive, a very clear one indeed.
She shook her head. No, it didn’t make sense that he would ask for their help and then kill the man, especially while they were staying in their house. Robert and Charlotte were young, frivolous and silly but neither of them were stupid.
Theodore said, “One man has been poisoned and there is a question over the death of another. I am not a God-fearing man in any way, as you all know, yet I cannot help but think that justice really must be done.” He didn’t sound very firm on the matter.
“It is only God’s prerogative to weigh the souls of men and pass judgment,” said Charlotte. “I did say, from the beginning, that we shouldn’t look into this matter. I agree with Robert.”
Of course she did, Adelia thought. She agreed all too much with her husband.
Charlotte went on. “So I strongly urge us all to let the matter drop. None of us are in any danger whether the death was the work of Mr Wiseman, Octavia, or another person entirely. I’ve done my bit and gone to speak to Octavia but we can all see that it won’t happen again.”
“What do you think?” Theodore said to Adelia.
“Once again, I am facing a battle between my head and my heart. My head says they are correct and we ought to let the issue drop. My heart cries for justice. But I don’t see where we go from here, or how.”
“I agree but from the other direction. My heart suggests there is little to be gained from all of this, but my head rationally points out that we are human beings with a duty to uphold the law and be the very best that we can be. This is something we are good at and therefore it is our responsibility to do it.”
“The police have the ultimate responsibility,” said Robert. “And they have decided not to pursue it. Shall we perhaps take a break and reconsider the options in the New Year?”
“We would lose too much ground if we don’t keep pressing forward now,” said Theodore. “We have made progress. I know it seems small and slight but I do feel we have a strong suspect now, and that is Mrs Dymchurch, and we are so close to joining it all together, even though no arrest may come of it.” Even as he said that, his face fell.
Adelia could see he was wavering and she, too, felt the pull. What was to be gained from investigating something that was not even officially recognised as a crime, which affected none of them, and could be safely dropped? As he said, even if they were to uncover the culprit, they could not be sure that the police would act.
Charlotte sat back in her chair rolling her eyes up so she stared at the ceiling with such an attitude of petulant young woman that Adelia smiled briefly. Robert was looking at his wife though she was not looking back at him. Charlotte groaned and then returned her attention to the other diners. “Mama, I have had an idea, if you will listen to it. Though it pains me to make this suggestion, it might make you happy. You are not sure whether to drop the matter or not, which I attribute to there being a few loose ends, a few questions you just want answers to. You are disappointed with my failure to get information from my visit to Octavia. You want to grill Octavia more thoroughly than I have been able to, is that not so?”
“I would hardly call it grilling...” Adelia said but she was interrupted by Theodore who said, “Yes, she does. We both want answers if nothing
