[01] The Man with a Load of Mischief by Martha Grimes

Author:Martha Grimes
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Scribner
Published: 2014-01-18T20:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 12

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24

The next morning Jury was sitting at Pluck’s battered wooden desk, Wiggins looking over his shoulder. They were studying Darrington’s book, Bent on Murder and its sequel, the second book, lying side by side on the desk. Jury would run his finger along a line of one, then shift to the other. “There’s a tremendous difference in the quality of these two. The style’s almost totally different. Or, let’s say one seems a clumsy imitation of the style of the other.”

Wiggins shook his head. “I don’t see it, myself, sir. Of course, I’m not that much of a reader.”

Jury closed the books. “I don’t think Darrington wrote Bent on Murder. I think he was trying to copy the style and botched it in this second book. I think whoever wrote the first book also wrote the third —” Jury pulled another from the stack of four. “Bent Takes a Holiday. Yes. Those two were written by the same hand. But not the other two. Darrington must have appropriated two manuscripts and then spaced them out.”

“But who do you suppose wrote the two good ones?”

“No idea. It presents the interesting possibility that someone else might have known about this plagiarism. And decided to blackmail Darrington.”

“Like Small, you mean? How would Ainsley and Creed come into it, then?”

“They could have been in it together. . . . What I want you to do is ring up London and have them check out the publishing firm where Darrington worked. That’s where he could easily have come by the manuscripts.” Jury rose and pocketed his cigarettes. “Myself, I’m simply going to put it to him, directly. See what happens.”

• • •

As Jury was getting into the blue Morris, Melrose Plant pulled up in his Bentley and rolled down the window.

“Where are you off to, Inspector Jury?”

“Oliver Darrington’s place.”

“Tomorrow is Christmas, you know. And I should like very much to have you dine with me.”

“I accept with pleasure, circumstances permitting.”

“Fine. Right now I’m on my way to Sidbury to pick up Agatha’s present.”

“What are you getting her?”

“I thought a pair of matched pistols might be nice. Mother-of-pearl handles, for dressy occasions.”

Jury laughed as Plant pulled away, and then turned the Morris toward the Sidbury Road.

• • •

It was Darrington this time who answered the door, and started talking the moment he saw Jury. “What in hell is this? About a copy of my book in the hands of this man who was found dead at the Swan?” His eyes blazed. Clearly, he was more concerned with the reading matter of the corpse than with the corpse itself.

“If I might just come in, Mr. Darrington?”

Darrington flung wide the door, and Jury noticed Sheila Hogg in the sitting room looking beautiful, worried, and nervous. He went in and took the seat he had occupied the day before. Oliver glowered over him, and Sheila fidgeted behind the couch opposite, picking at some invisible thread along its back. She was fully dressed this afternoon — a flowered, silk pant dress — but managed still to look undressed.

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