The Inspector's Daughter (A Rose McQuinn Mystery)

by Alanna Knight

  He looked at me. My teeth were chattering although it wasn't from cold. 'Not scared of a dead man, are you?'

  'Of course not.'

  'Don't worry, I'll be with you until they take him away. If you don't feel like staying here on your own, then I can put you into a hotel in town-'

  'No. I'm fine. I'm not scared. I've seen dead Indians before.'

  But this was different. An Indian on my property in Scotland, who might have been murdered.

  While Vince was writing notes, a police carriage drove up, nicely blocking the road. We could hear voices, Everett protesting.

  I opened the door to Jack Macmerry.

  'Sorry to disturb you so late at night.' He paused and looked at me rather intently. 'Especially when you have a visitor.'

  'Come in.'

  He followed me into the kitchen and was considerably put out to find that my visitor was a man, very presentable, and that I was alone with him at ten o'clock. A moment later he had the situation in hand. 'Evening, sir.' He saluted Vince. 'Sorry to intrude on you.' And, turning to me: 'I just had to know that you were safe, Mrs McQuinn. You see, there's been another murder...'

  Chapter Twenty-One

  'There's been another murder...'

  I stared at Jack Macmerry, my first thoughts the young Sioux Indian lying dead in the barn. 'How on earth did you know that?'

  It was his turn to look bewildered. 'At the circus tonight. Mrs Howe, the magician's wife. Her husband discovered her a couple of hours ago. She was strangled and the killer left his belt around her neck. We're looking for him now.'

  He paused and regarded us grimly. 'Mr Howe believes it was one of the Indian riders. Wild Elk. And that he's on the run, since his horse rode in without him. He can't have got far, doesn't know the district and so forth. We have men out combing the hill.' He looked at me earnestly and said, 'You were my first concern, that you might be in danger. Thank God you're safe and we got here in time.'

  Vince's heavenward glance at this dramatic statement, his raised eyebrows, clearly indicated without necessity for words what I already suspected. That I had a new admirer in Jack Macmerry who gazed resentfully at him. It was the look of a potential rival and I decided that an immediate introduction was necessary: 'This is Dr Laurie, my stepbrother.'

  Relief changed the scowl into a smile as they shook hands. 'A doctor, sir?'

  'I am indeed. And your search is over. You need look no further. We've got your man.'

  'You have!'

  'Yes, as a matter of fact we were just about to send for you,' I said. 'He's out in the stable.'

  'No need to hurry,' said Vince as Jack rushed forward. 'He won't be going anywhere.'

  'You have him secure?'

  Vince shook his head. 'He's dead.'

  'Dead! Did he attack you, then?' said Jack, with an anxious look in my direction.

  'Of course not,' I said. 'He was dead when I found him. When I went out to feed the cat about half an hour ago.'

  'Had he been dead long?' Jack looked bewildered.

  'I examined him and I'd say as rigor was established that he had been dead for at least eight hours,' said Vince.

  'Eight hours!' Jack frowned. 'Then he can't have murdered Mrs Howe.'

  'I should think it extremely unlikely that he could have strangled anyone within that time period. He has a broken arm in addition to other injuries, including a fractured skull. Injuries which suggest he might well have been the victim of an attempted murder himself.'

  Jack shook his head. 'Howe was convinced it was this Indian lad, Wild Elk.'

  'On what evidence?' asked Vince.

  'Well, he was the most likely suspect. According to Mr Howe, he'd been hanging around the caravan. Mrs Howe was strangled with an Indian belt.' He shrugged. 'And when the horse came back riderless, it looked as if he was on the run, trying to get away from Edinburgh.' He sighed. 'It all fitted in so neatly, especially as our only lead in the Dunn case is that a young Indian from the circus, was seen in the vicinity of Saville Grange around the time of her murder. Difficult, since there are twelve of these young fellows - and they all look a bit alike, with their long black hair-' Another long-suffering sigh from Jack. 'There's this man - the gardener from next door - swears he saw him. Never off our doorstep. Hardly a day goes by without him plunging in to see if we've made an arrest yet. And if not, why not?' He shook his head. 'I must say when I heard Howe accuse this lad, I thought "Great - that's both murders solved. Peace at last."'

  The doorbell clanged noisily to announce the arrival of two uniformed constables and a middle-aged man in plain clothes.

  Introduced as Inspector Gray, he grasped Vince's hand. 'Laurie! Great to see you again. Heard you'd gone to London. Miss the golf, do you?'

  'Not much time for that now, sir. What about you?'

  'Still manage a few rounds here and there. Handicap's still improving-'

  I was fascinated by the inspector. Nondescript is the best possible disguise for policeman or criminal. And his name Gray described his appearance and his features to perfection. Five minutes after he left, I'd be hard pressed indeed to describe him. 'Well, what's been happening here, Macmerry?' he asked.

  Listening to Jack's very concise statement as Gray seated himself at the kitchen table and spread out his legs in a very relaxed fashion, I decided that crimes in Edinburgh must be on the decrease since Pappa's day when senior inspectors raced to the scene. Not that Pappa was ever tempted by golf. Going after murderers and lesser malefactors would never have left him time for such leisurely activities as chasing a wee white ball round eighteen holes.

  Gray stood up. 'I'd be obliged if you'd accompany us to view the dead man, Laurie, and give a statement to Macmerry here.'

  'Of course.' And Vince handed him a very elegant card. 'Will this do as my reference?' he asked idly.

  Jack's eyes widened, this was an occasion for awe and respect.

  Gray, who already knew of Vince's promotion, said: 'As you're a member of the Royal household, sir, that will be enough in the absence of the police doctor to pronounce cause of death for the Procurator Fiscal's report. You don't need to come with us, Mrs McQuinn,' he added, heading towards the kitchen door.

  I ignored that. 'I've seen dead bodies before, they're no new experience. And since I discovered this one, there might be questions you want to ask and my statement, too.'

  Gray merely nodded, although Jack was clearly impressed as I produced more lamps and we trooped out to the stable.

  A sad, unhappy scene awaited us and whatever my brave speech, the sight of a dead man chilled me.

  Gray knelt down beside him. 'What have we here?' He touched the crucifix. 'A heathen converted, eh?'

  'We'd better speak to Chief Wolf Rider, sir,' said Jack. 'He might know something of the fellow's background.'

  I thought that was a good idea.

  Watching Vince make a further examination of the dead man, details of which he related to Gray and were duly noted by Jack, I wanted to know more about our dead Indian wearing a crucifix identical to Danny's.

  Gray rubbed his chin thoughtfully as Jack produced an impressive-looking box and proceeded to take the dead man's fingerprints. 'We'll see what they tell us about Mrs Howe's death.' And, turning to Vince: 'What do you think, Laurie? Does the condition of the body suggest to you that we might have another murder on our hands? Was he killed first and his body planted in the stable here?'

  Vince shook his head. 'My first look at the body was fairly hasty but now I am almost convinced that we are not looking at a murder. I'll be very surprised if fingerprints help in this case.'

  He stood up. 'I am almost certain his death was the result of a fatal accident. Evidence? The riderless horse indicates that he was thrown. His injuries suggest such a possibility. And consider the atrocious weather today. There still is a thick mist out there. It was worse earlier in the day so perhaps the beast stumbled into a rabbit hole. Some animal suddenly appeared on their path - like a sheep...' />
  Or Thane, I thought privately.

  'The fall broke his arm, there is bruising down his side. He also hit his head and that, the internal haemorrhage, killed him. Although he managed to survive long enough to crawl this far in a desperate bid to seek help.'

  Gray sat back on his heels and looked up at Vince. 'You'll sign a statement to that effect, will you, Laurie?'

  'As it is my firm and considered opinion, sir, I will be glad to do so.'

  Jack had departed with the two constables who now returned with a stretcher. Gray followed them as they carried the body across the garden and into the waiting police carriage.

  When he returned with Jack he said: ‘I’d be obliged if you'd come with us, Laurie, if you please, to talk to our police doctor.'

  'Of course,' said Vince, preparing to leave.

  Jack turned to me: 'What about you, Mrs McQuinn?'

  'Rose, please-' I said. 'This is too grim a business for polite formality.'

  His smile was wholehearted. 'All right, Rose. Do you want to stay here alone after all this?'

  'Why not? This is my home.'

  'But - there's just been a dead man...'

  'Who has been removed. He can't hurt me, Jack. Please don't worry about me. I'm not in the least scared.'

  He looked at me solemnly. 'I know that. I think you must be one of the bravest women I've ever met.'

  I grinned, feeling pleased. 'I've had my moments.'

  'In the Wild West, eh?'

  'Exactly.'

  He still looked worried. 'I could get you a night's lodging with one of my colleagues. His wife rents rooms in the High Street.'

  'No thank you. I'll be fine, really.'

  I felt Vince's hand on my arm. 'And I will be looking after her.' I guessed by the suppressed amusement in his voice that he had been listening to this conversation between us.

  'Oh, I see.' I heard the relief in Jack's voice. 'Holyrood, is it?'

  'Alas, indeed it is not.' Vince laughed. 'I can't imagine Her Majesty being amused at one of her minions bringing home an uninvited guest for the night. So I'll stay here with Rose. I can sleep over there,' he added, pointing to the box bed.

  My protests fell on deaf ears. 'I insist, Rose. I'll send Everett back with a message.'

  'What if you're needed, a sore throat - something serious, like a heart attack? You must go. Never mind me-'

  Vince shook his head. 'Even Her Majesty will be impressed by the priority of my assistance with a fatal accident. I'll return as soon as I can.'

  Jack frowned, regarding me in the manner of some fragile flower ready to wither and die without his constant attention. 'I would rather we didn't leave you here alone, not even for a short while.'

  There were more tedious arguments in which Inspector Gray took no part, but I had almost to throw the other two well-intentioned men out into the night. Both were determined that they were leaving behind a helpless young woman who would be terrified to stay alone in a gloomy ancient tower. Which had now added to its already bad reputation with a dead body found in the stable. Not to mention a murder at the circus just down the road and a possible killer on the loose.

  Finally it was the production of a pistol and the assurance that I could use it that convinced them. I had almost to demonstrate its use to prove to Inspector Gray that this was a weapon I had handled with great effect in South Dakota.

  He greeted this statement whimsically by asking how many men I had killed. I had no reply to that. Whether I had killed any of the renegades I had not waited to find out. I preferred not to know or have such matters on my conscience.

  At the door Gray poked his head out of the police carriage. 'Perhaps Mrs McQuinn should accompany us to the circus tomorrow morning and tell her story to Cyril Howe.'

  'I'm afraid he is going to need some convincing, being so determined that Wild Elk has killed his wife,' said Jack.

  'Then you had better prepare a copy of Dr Laurie's statement. That should help convince him. Especially as his prime suspect had already been dead himself for four or five hours before his wife was killed.'

  After they left I sat by the fire for a long time with all the lamps lit in the windows.

  Where was Thane? My deerhound was never around when he was needed - like now. I would have given much for the comforting reassurance of his presence in my kitchen. Why did he stubbornly remain out of sight when there were other visitors to the Tower? Would I ever work out this puzzle?

  But there were other questions needing answers. Questions of considerable urgency.

  Someone had killed Daisy Howe but it could not have been Wild Elk. However, if his fatal accident had happened at eight o'clock instead of ten, then the police would have been able nicely to round off and file away both murders as neatly solved.

  He was the 'savage lurking about' who had killed Molly Dunn and in the case of Mrs Howe, after strangling her he had rushed from the scene and in the anxiety to escape, plunging recklessly into the mist the horse had thrown him.

  There was only one problem. While Chief Wolf Rider's troop were one short at the performance, Daisy Howe was still very much alive and assisting her husband in his magician's act.

  I thought about Inspector Gray's quiet reactions to all the evidence. He was a slow-moving man, who didn't make much fuss but obviously reached the appropriate conclusions.

  Even without the new concept of fingerprints, I wondered how Pappa would have reacted to the known facts.

  It was a frightening thought that such discrepancies in time also made perfectly clear that there were now two killers on the loose in Edinburgh, two crimes to solve.

  Molly Dunn's murder with its circumstantial evidence still worried me most. I awoke during the night and heard Vince moving about in the kitchen.

  Startled for a moment, but too weary to investigate, I realised he had interrupted a very strange dream. I was on the verge of apprehending Molly's murderer and Matthew Bolton's eccentric friend was threatening me.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Not only had I a ringside seat at a Royal command performance at the circus one day but on the very next I was to have a ringside seat at a murder inquiry!

  I awoke at dawn to the sound of a carriage on the road outside. It was still dark. I thought of Vince asleep downstairs and decided it was someone heading to Duddingston. Too weary to go to the window I fell asleep again.

  By the time I opened my eyes fully to greet the morning, eight was striking on the grandfather clock in the parlour.

  There was no sound from the kitchen and I dressed hastily, hurried downstairs. But Vince had already gone, the box bed carefully made up. I was disappointed - I had hoped we could have a leisurely breakfast together before he went back to Holyrood - as I read the note he had propped up on the table: 'Sorry, Rose, dear, had to rush. Everett came with an urgent summons. One of the infants has a fever.'

  Dreading my visit to the barn, I found that Cat wasn't there either. The events of yesterday must have scared her off. I left the milk and bicycled down to the circus.

  Jack was there with Inspector Gray. I could hear Cyril Howe's voice raised in anger even before I reached the caravan.

  Seeing me did nothing to put him in a better humour either. I gathered that Gray has produced Vince's statement that, according to his examination of the dead man and because of the time factor involved, Mrs Howe's murderer could not be Wild Elk.

  Cyril Howe had made a fuss about having fingerprints taken in the caravan and, refusing to listen to Inspector Gray, he yelled: 'Whatever a damned doctor's been telling you and all this damned new-fangled fancy rubbish' - he glared at Jack - 'I know best. I'm her husband and I know what I'm talking about. It was that damned savage killed my Daisy!'

  'You are mistaken, sir,' said Gray more respectfully than the man deserved. And to me: 'Would you repeat what you told the police, Mrs McQuinn.'

  'I was at the performance last night and Mrs Howe was alive then, helping her husband in the magician's act. B
y the time I reached home two hours later the Indian Wild Elk had already been lying dead in my barn for several hours.'

  Howe's sneer dismissed a mere woman's evidence and he tried constantly to interrupt as Jack corroborated this statement. He got us all annoyed by adding that in his experience all doctors were incompetent crooks who could be, and mostly were, wrong.

  'I must remind you, sir, that Dr Laurie is with the Royal household,' said Gray sternly.

  Howe looked momentarily subdued. 'How many corpses does he see there every day? Not many, I'll bet, if he knows which side his bread's buttered. So if that savage you're all intent on protecting didn't kill my Daisy, suppose you listen to my facts?

  'After the second performance I thought she'd gone back to the caravan to change and had gone to bed. I had things to do, people to see-'

  I thought about 'she' of the dragon pendant as he spoke.

  'I found her in bed all right. Strangled with an Indian belt. Plain as the nose on your face. What more evidence do you want?'

  'Is this the belt?' asked Gray.

  'It is indeed. The very same.'

  Gray looked at Jack who shook his head. 'The fingerprints don't match the dead man's, sir.'

  I was staring at the belt in horror. 'But you'll find mine on it. That's my belt, Inspector.'

  Gray frowned. 'And when did you lose it, Mrs McQuinn?'

  'Earlier this week. I found a deerhound wandering on the hill behind Solomon's Tower. I assumed that he was lost and belonged to the circus. I had nothing suitable so I used my belt as a lead.'

  Pausing, I looked at Howe. 'You remember, I thought he had escaped from here.'

  Howe stared at me. 'I don't know what you're talking about, Mrs McQuinn. A deerhound?' He laughed. 'I don't remember any deerhound.'

  'But you must. You offered to take him off my hands.'

  Howe laughed. 'Now what would I do with a deerhound? They're hunting animals. You could never train them as circus performers,' he added with a look of appeal in Gray's direction.