by Rose Donovan
Lips pursed, Fina nodded. Straightening up, she said “What did you find? Let’s start with their names. Who has an initial C?”
“Well, besides what we already discussed – Lady Charlotte and the Countess’ names, Julia’s is Cicely. So that means that Gayatri, Sajida, you, Miss Ruby and the men are out of the running, assuming it implicates a woman because of the necklace. It doesn’t mean they are or aren’t the murderer, but it is useful information,” he said.
“Yes,” Fina agreed. “I think it would do to press them further – maybe show them the locket?”
“Perhaps, though I’d be worried it might provoke the murderer again,” said Charles.
“It’s a risk we may have to take, though. Time is running short. What about the poison and any other items of interest you found in the rooms? The suspense is frightfully difficult to take.”
“Well…” said Charles, pausing with a grin.
“Go on!” said Fina, grinning back.
Ruby burst into the room, cutting off any further discussion. Her perfectly coiffed hair was dishevelled from running up the stairs.
“Come quickly – there’s been an accident!”
29
Everyone sat in chairs in a single-file line across the saloon. Fina thought they looked like a group of anxious schoolchildren waiting to see the headmaster for their naughty behaviour.
Edgar was sitting – lying, rather – on a settee, apart, with his legs up on a chair. He pressed a handkerchief to the back of his head, as if he were pushing himself to rise from the sofa. Fina could see that there were slashes of blood laid starkly against the cream of the material and that sandy, greasy hair. Gayatri sat next to him, examining the back of his head.
“What happened?” said Fina, rushing to Gayatri.
“I’m afraid, sweetie, someone coshed him on the head,” said Julia. “Just like you.”
After taking a long drag on her cigarette, Julia nodded her head in the direction of the Earl, who looked to be a particularly pale shade of green, rather than his standard red. “The Earl found him lying in the hallway – as a part of our jolly recreation of the crime.”
The Earl winced and shook his head. “Ghastly business. I just cannot think what’s happening to our home. Edgar was sprawled face down on the tiles.”
Charles coughed politely. “May I enquire, milord, who was absent during this time?”
Grimston stepped forward, holding his small notepad at arm’s length, peering imperiously over his small, wire-rimmed spectacles.
“At 9:24, Professor Lighton exited the saloon.
At 9:26, Master Edgar exited.
At 9:32, Lady Charlotte exited.
At 9:34, Professor Lighton returned.
At 9:36, Lord Snittlegarth exited.
At 9:40, Miss Aston exited.
At 9:42, Lady Charlotte returned.
At 9:45, Lord Snittlegarth returned as he had just found Master Edgar in the hallway near the men’s… ahem…”
“Yes, yes, Grimston, we know exactly what you mean. My God, is this place Victoria Station?” asked the Earl. “Did we all really make this many entrances and exits that evening, Grimston?”
“I’m afraid so, milord,” said Grimston, impassively.
“How the deuce did Cyril, Charlotte and Julia all miss Edgar lying in the hallway?” asked Ian with exasperation in his voice. He gripped his brandy snifter so tight Fina was afraid it might shatter. Ruby looked over at Fina with a look of horror – apparently at Ian’s near loss of control.
Turning to the Earl, Ruby asked, “Would the only people likely to see Edgar lying on the floor be men – since he was found near the lavatory?”
He scratched the back of his balding head. “I suppose so, Miss Dove. He was far enough down the hallway near the main corridor that you wouldn’t notice unless you turned to look that way when returning to the saloon. Yes, I’d say a man could not have failed to notice – a woman might have seen him, but not necessarily.”
All eyes turned to Cyril. He shrank visibly into his chair, his face quickly becoming the colour of his starched shirt. “What are you all looking at? I didn’t see Edgar lying on the floor. I passed him in the hallway on my return to the saloon. He was going in the opposite direction, so I assume he was going to the same place I had been.” He stood up suddenly, wrapping his hands on the arms of his chair. “You can’t pin this on me! I like Edgar. He has been one of my best students.”
The Countess, who was sitting in the chair next to Cyril, touched him lightly on the arm. “No one is accusing you, Professor Lighton,” she said in a calm voice, though she began to twist her wedding ring again. “There’s obviously some madman hiding in Pauncefort Hall. He must have slipped in before the storm and been ferreting about, poisoning my loved ones and battering others on the head.” She said this sentence as much to herself as to the rest of the room.
Fina wondered if she should argue out loud with this fairy tale. Or perhaps it could somehow serve their sleuthing purposes? After all, if the killer were lulled into a false sense of security…
Ruby cleared her throat. “Perhaps we should look at this in a slightly different manner. It is true that only a man would have seen the aftermath of the attack, but that does not mean that a woman couldn’t have attacked Edgar. If what Cyril says is true – that he saw Edgar going to the lavatory – then Edgar could have been attacked when he went down the hallway from behind by Lady Charlotte or Julia. I know this is unpleasant, but that is what might have happened.”
Ian said, obviously rising to Julia’s defence, “Well, what’s to say that Edgar didn’t bash in his own head? To make it look like he had been attacked.”
“Why would he do that?” asked Sajida.
“To divert suspicion away from himself,” said Fina, looking toward Gayatri for confirmation of her theory.
Gayatri shook her head. “No, it’s not possible that he did this to himself. It’s at the wrong angle,” she said, pointing at the wound as if to demonstrate.
“I say,” said Cyril. “Where’s the weapon? Did you see it in the hallway, Grimston?”
“Yes, sir. I put it in a small cupboard near the saloon for safekeeping. It was a candlestick that I recognized from the library. It was decidedly the weapon, as it bore traces of the mishap you see on Master Edgar’s scalp.”
“From the library. So anyone could have taken it?”
Grimston cleared his throat. “Yes, sir. Any one of those present here tonight.”
30
Silence descended on the room. Fina swore she could hear the snowflakes falling on the French windows at the opposite end of the saloon. No one wants to discuss this further, she thought. The possibilities are too uncomfortable. She thought she might change tack for a moment.
“Grimston, what is the result of our re-enactment thus far? Who had enough time to plant the poison?” she asked. Strangely, everyone looked relieved to be discussing a larger pool of suspects, Fina thought.
Flipping through the pages of his notebook with deft precision, the faithful retainer began to read. The monotone voice sounded like he was reviewing the daily menu with the cook. “The guests who had time enough – according to the estimates provided earlier – were the following, in rank order: Mr Clavering, Lady Snittlegarth, Professor Lighton, Lady Charlotte, Miss Aston, Miss Gayatri Badarur, Miss Aubrey-Havelock, Miss Sajida Badarur, Miss Dove and Lord Snittlegarth. From my discussions with Charles, we’ve ascertained that Master Granville had time as well during the evening. Master Edgar may or may not have had enough time as well, but the timing was – ahem – delayed by the assault he suffered in the hallway.”
“But, but, but, Grimston, that is absolutely everyone!” spluttered the Earl.
“I am reluctant to say so, yes, milord,” said Grimston gravely.
Turning to his wife, the Earl said emphatically. “I am afraid your theory about the madman must be true, m’dear. It’s the only one that makes any sense.”
�
�With all due respect, Lord Snittlegarth, where is this madman hiding, and why in heaven’s name would he do such a thing?” asked Cyril.
“There’s pots of rooms here, and as for the reason… well… does a madman need a reason?” said the Earl.
“Lord Snittlegarth, it’s true there’s pots of room at Pauncefort, but it’s hardly likely he could go undetected this entire weekend,” responded Julia.
Slapping his legs and rising, Ian said, “I say we form a search party to look for this supposed madman. What else are we to do? Sit here and wonder about one another?”
This caused quite a stir among the guests. Everyone started talking at once. It was clear that no one agreed with one another about the wisdom of moving forward with such an idea, thought Fina.
Moving his hands as if he were banging on a grand piano, Ian motioned to them all to calm down. “As the Countess had the original theory about a madman, why don’t we let her decide?”
Looking slightly perturbed that she needed one of her guests to guide the party, the Countess spoke. “The advisability of such an action is questionable, particularly given what has now happened to my nephew.”
Edgar nodded almost imperceptibly from the settee, Fina noticed.
Holding up her hand as if she were directing traffic, the Countess continued. “However, given the direness of this situation, I see no other alternative. I suggest we form parties of three and search each floor of the house.”
Everyone looked at one another. Ian took the initiative. “Fine. I’ll search with Julia and Ruby,” looking at them for agreement. After they nodded their heads, the Countess said, “I will not join the search, but I will stay here to tend to Edgar.”
Fina said, “I’ll search with Charles and Gayatri.” Sajida continued the round robin. “I guess that leaves Cyril, Charlotte, Lord Snittlegarth and myself, correct?”
“Yes, that rounds it off nicely. Grimston will stay here in case we need something to be fetched,” said the Countess. Grimston registered agreement by merely pursing his lips.
“What do we do if we find this mysterious madman? Clap him in irons?” asked Julia, waving away the smoke from her cigarette. “I may be quite talented at playing a role, but I’m not talented at taking down a gimlet-eyed lunatic.”
Heads nodded in agreement around the room. There was a heavy silence until the Earl spoke in grave tones. “Yes, yes, m’dear. Quite right, quite right. If you find this dangerous individual, don’t try to do anything, other than perhaps lock him in a room. I doubt even that would be possible, but it would be ideal. No, the best plan of action is to return to us and report his location.” Straightening himself up like a general, he intoned, “Then I’ll confront the miscreant myself.”
The saloon gradually emptied. “What utter rot,” said Fina when she had joined Charles and Gayatri as members of her search party. “We all know one of us committed these murders – as well as the attacks on Edgar and Fina.”
“True,” said Gayatri. “But we’d better go through with it so we have something to report. Besides, it will keep our minds occupied. I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling rather on edge,” she said. Fina watched as Gayatri slipped off her silver heels – presumably so they wouldn’t alert the purported madman during their search.
Fina and Charles followed Gayatri’s lead. Now in stockings, they tiptoed up the stairs to the first floor landing. Fina’s feet sank into the deep carpets that lined the floor. She felt freed – almost excited. Though her toes were a bit cold. In room after room, they searched, to no avail.
As they were making their way into the final bathroom, they heard a piercing scream – a high-pitched voice – coming from the second floor. They dashed up the stairs to find Charlotte, crying uncontrollably. The Earl had enveloped her in an embrace in an attempt to comfort her. “I–I–I saw, I saw him!” she exclaimed.
“Where?” asked Fina.
“In the corridor,” said Charlotte, her eyes darting from side to side, reminding Fina of the windscreen wipers on the car in which they arrived to this cursed weekend. “As we were entering this room. I was the last one to file in, and out of the corner of my eye I saw movement and a flash. A flash of green – a green coat.”
“Are you quite sure?” asked Cyril. “Perhaps it’s just mental strain,” he said in his most imperious Oxford Don tones.
“Please don’t patronize me, Professor Lighton,” said Charlotte, pushing her hair back from her forehead and wiping away her tears with the Earl’s handkerchief. “I know you’re trying to be helpful, but I saw what I saw,” she said firmly. “There’s someone hiding – no, lurking – at Pauncefort Hall.”
31
Everyone huddled around the persistently cheerful fire in the drawing room. Quite the picturesque Yuletide scene, thought Fina, sourly. Blankets covered their legs and brandy snifters were close at hand. Edgar was now erect, on a sofa near the fire. He, Grimston and the Countess had been informed about the sighting of ‘the green man’ – as he had been christened given his sartorial choices.
The Earl cleared his throat. “Now that we have confirmed that there is, indeed, a madman at Pauncefort, I suggest that we all stay alert and remain – at the very least – in pairs. When you retire for the evening,” he said looking up at the mantel clock that now read midnight, “Please be sure to lock your doors. It’s possible that this ah, green man has a key, so I suggest you lock yourself in, as it were.”
This seemed to be the signal for the party – if you could call it that now, thought Fina – to break up. Everyone did leave in pairs to climb the stairs to their bedrooms. Charles, Ruby and Fina remained.
Peering out of the window, Fina noticed the snow had stopped. The moon was obscured by a few clouds, but the reflection on the snow gave it an eerie blue sparkle. Peaceful. Quiet. Too quiet.
Glancing over at Charles and Ruby, she noticed their haggard faces for the first time. Ruby’s shoulders tensed up, giving the appearance of a shortened neck. Charles slumped on the chair as if he had surrendered to whatever inevitable nightmare was to come. Fina was sure she looked a sight herself. She noticed a slight trembling in her left hand.
Fina decided that honesty was the best policy with Charles. “I’d like to speak to Ruby – alone – for a few minutes, if you please, Charles. My nerves are shot and I think the best thing for me would be a warm cup of cocoa. Could you make us all some cocoa? We could come with you if you’re worried about being alone, though.”
“No, no…” he said, his masculinity clearly affronted. “Besides, Grimston should be somewhere about in one of the ground floor rooms. I’ll take him with me.” Fina noticed his upper lip was trembling ever so slightly. She found it endearing.
He padded out of the room, slowly and with precision. It must be because he’s worried about making a noise on the tiles, thought Fina.
She sat on a sofa facing Ruby and, folding her feet comfortably underneath her, she let out a great sigh of relief, though relief was hardly the emotion coursing through her veins.
“What did you learn from Charles? What did he find during the search?” asked Ruby.
There was a long, awkward pause. Finally Fina spoke. “I–I haven’t heard the full report from Charles yet.”
“Why ever not? He had plenty of time to debrief you! Oh, let me guess…” she said with a wink and a smile, her shoulders relaxing a little.
As always, Fina felt the heat rise in her cheeks. “Of course not! Besides, I’m injured. No, I really do wish that were the actual reason for why we didn’t finish discussing all of the details. No, I’m afraid…” she stammered, staring into the fire instead of looking at Ruby. “I’m afraid that Charles found the Bluegate papers underneath your mattress.”
Fina had read about the expression ‘jaw dropping’ in literature, but had always thought it to be a bit of a descriptive exaggeration. Ruby’s face proved her wrong. She slumped back into the sofa as if Fina had risen to push her back.
“I’m so s
orry,” said Fina.
“No, don’t judge yourself. I should have thought of that possibility. I suppose the only way to have avoided that would have been to stay in my room. Or for me to hide them in your room while he searched. I’ve been so focused on the murders that I completely forgot about it.”
“It took me by surprise, I must admit. I thought you told me this morning you’d handed over the papers already.”
Ruby stared. “Handed them over? To whom?”
Fina shifted her position on the sofa. That morning seemed so long ago. She had sensed the importance of keeping quiet then, but now, with two bodies on their hands, it was time to speak openly. “To Gayatri, of course. Or Sajida. Our contacts?”
“Gayatri!” Ruby’s voice could hardly sound more astonished. “Why, Fina, darling, she’s nothing to do with the Bluegate papers. Nor is Sajida. You’ve got the wrong end of the stick. I was asked to bring them back to Oxford.”
It was Fina’s turn to stare. “So they’re not involved, after all?”
“Not that I know of. Although it was an excellent piece of deduction on your part,” Ruby said kindly. She sighed. “I suppose you explained to Charles what it meant?”
“I had to, but I was as vague as possible. He didn’t seem upset by it. Actually, I was more upset with him for searching your room than he was about the reason for searching. Although I don’t think he fully grasps the politics of it, I do think he would be sympathetic – if the circumstances were right to explain it. I think we’re all so focused on the murders that little else seems important at this point.”
Ruby nodded, though she had covered her eyes with her hands – a sure sign of an incipient headache, thought Fina.
Hoping to distract her – even if it was with another distressing subject, Fina asked, “What’s your theory about the murders at this point?”