A Body at a Boarding School: A 1920s Mystery (Lord Edgington Investigates...) by Benedict Brown

Author:Benedict Brown [Brown, Benedict]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Heathdene Books
Published: 2021-05-30T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-One

“You mustn’t be too hard on her, Grandfather. You more than anyone should know what she’s endured today. She’s lost her husband in the most horrific manner imaginable.”

We were marching back through the woods with Delilah bounding along at our side. The noise of the picnic travelled over to us as beams of sunlight broke the foliage like arrows through a murder hole.

“It’s not a question of sympathy. I can sympathise with her and still find her behaviour idiotic.” My Grandfather was not a man to mince his words. “And you more than anyone should know that!”

Delilah could tell from the tone of her master’s voice that he was in a bad mood and rubbed up against me to commiserate. She was an awfully loyal and perceptive dog, and I was glad to have her with me when things weren’t going Grandfather’s way.

I offered no response and he eventually spoke again. “I’m sorry, my boy. I really am. It’s just that I can see that Celia Hardcastle is protecting someone, but I don’t know who or why and couldn’t find the key to getting it out of her.”

I stopped walking and felt rather wonderful to have picked up on a detail that he had overlooked. “Actually, Grandfather, I might have an inkling of what she knows.”

He turned back and his face was illuminated by a beam of sunlight which had found a route through the dense foliage. “Go on.”

“The parties, Grandfather. It’s not just Mrs Hardcastle who’s heard of them. There were rumours you see. Derek McGeorge was told by Evelyn Peters who swears that George Tapsfield-”

“Yes, yes, Christopher,” he interrupted. “Perhaps you could get to the point.”

Even this didn’t put me off, and I raced to explain. “The point is that Prasad Makwana – the nice Indian chap who started at Oakton last September – is certain that he heard music and singing coming from the dining hall one night when he sneaked outside.”

He didn’t move for several seconds, but held me in his vision. “This is very interesting.”

“I know it is,” I replied, a little too confidently. “Makwana says that there was a band playing and that it sounded like a whole crowd of people were there. He would have gone to investigate, but the caretaker was prowling the quad and so he whizzed back inside.”

The old man let out an exhausted sigh and clicked his fingers through the air to express his frustration. “It could still be nothing, but I should have picked up on it. I’m really not myself today. I think it’s being back in this place.”

“You mean, it’s not the murder that’s unsettled you?” I asked, perhaps a little too naively.

We arrived at the field and he came to a grinding halt. Delilah sat down in front of us to listen to what he had to say – or perhaps she was hoping he’d throw a stick for her.

“Yes, that too, of course.” He ran one nervous hand back through his silver-grey, shoulder-length hair.

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