15 Till Death Do Us Part by John Dickson Carr

Author:John Dickson Carr [Carr, John Dickson]
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 12

AN empty safe.

Cynthia, waxen of complexion and with her yellow hair disarranged.

Dick picked her up - Cynthia’s sturdiness made her no light weight, despite the fact that she was not tall - and carried her to the bed, where she lay as limply as a doll.

There could be no question, thank God, about her being alive. She was not even, he hoped, seriously hurt. Her half-parted lips stirred to an audible if jerky breathing. But she was pale, and the devil’s brush of the bruise showed ugly against the very fair skin.

Another door opposite the windows displayed a thoroughly modern, even sybaritic bathroom. Dick plunged into it, turned on the cold-water tap with a rush into the washbasin, soaked a face-cloth, wrung it out, and rummaged in the medicine-chest for smelling-salts and iodine. In doing so he confronted his own reflexion - stubbly-bearded, not even washed, a spectre to affright decent people - in the mirror over the wash-basin. He found neither smelling-salts nor iodine, but there was a bottle of hydrogen peroxide and a box of cotton-wool.

He went back to Cynthia, and he was just pressing the wet cloth to her forehead when he heard, from downstairs, the hollow slam of the front door.

Lesley?

But it was not Lesley. When he hurried downstairs, taking them at mountaineering jumps, it was to find Mrs Rackley: in a regrettable hat, with a market-basket over one arm and a bulging paper carrier in the other hand.

‘Mr Markham!’ exclaimed Mrs Rackley. Her eyes added, ‘Now, then!’ as plainly as any Metropolitan police-constable.

‘Where’s Miss Lesley?’

‘She’s ‘ere, sir.’

‘She’s not here, Mrs Rackley!’

‘I left ‘er ‘ere,’ the other pointed out, dumping the parcels on the hall table with something of alarm. ‘ When did you leave her?’

‘An hour ago, it might be.’ Mrs Rackley’s eyes moved to the clock.’ Miss Cynthia -’

‘What about Miss Cynthia?’

A flustered cook-maid-housekeeper was having some trouble with the parcels in market-basket and carrier, which seemed to be developing a tendency to roll like billiard-balls.

‘Well, sir, it was while Major Price was here. Miss Cynthia, she come to the back door and said, could she slip up the back stairs to Miss Lesley’s room, because she had something she wanted to surprise her with? I said yes, she could, Miss Cynthia being a Nice Girl and holding no offence towards you and Miss Lesley for … I beg-pardon-I’m-sure!’

‘Well ? What happened then?’

‘Sir, what’s wrong?’

‘Never’ mind that! Go on!’

“Then Major Price left, and Miss Lesley went upstairs too, and I heard them talking up there.’

‘Yes?’

‘I went upstairs myself, and tapped on the bedroom door, and said, “Miss, your breakfast’s ready.” And she called out and said, “I’ll come down straightaway; please go out and do your marketing.” Speaking up very sharp, which she’s never done before. And so I marched straight out like she said.’ Mrs Rackley’s sense of bitter offence melted into concern as the possibility of a new enormity occurred to her.’ Don’t you tell me, sir, she didn’t get her breakfast?’

Dick ignored this.

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