Blackmail in the Ballroom by L. A. Nisula

Author:L. A. Nisula [Nisula, L. A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: cozy mystery steampunk mystery
Publisher: L. A. Nisula
Published: 2021-08-21T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 13

MRS. DRUMMOND WAS IN the Roman parlor again on the first floor. I wondered if she spent a good bit of time in there normally or if she’d wanted to receive the policemen somewhere that would put them in their place. It didn’t seem to bother them either way. Inspector Burrows smiled at her and said, “Thank you for letting us have another look at the scene. We’re trying to get this cleared up as quickly as possible, and that will help.”

“Then I’m glad to be able to help.” Although she didn’t sound glad at all. “Did you find anything?”

“Some promising leads, but it’s too soon to see if they’ll lead anywhere.” Inspector Burrows kept his tone conversational, as if there was nothing of any real importance in what he was saying, as he eased into his point. “You have some unusual furniture in the Corsican sitting room. How long have you had it?”

Mrs. Drummond looked startled then a bit confounded by the question. “I didn’t think it was that odd. I don’t really know. It’s probably whatever we decided on when we moved in.”

“Do you find it comfortable?”

“I don’t know that I’ve ever thought about it. I don’t know that I’ve ever sat on any of it, actually. We don’t really use that room.”

“Why not?”

“Well, it’s not particularly useful, is it? Too small to really be anything, stuck in that little bend in the hall, but too large to be a closet. And it’s right there, in the hallway on the landing, where anyone can walk by and look in, with the only way to reach it through the ballroom, so it can’t be anything private, but it’s inconvenient for anything public either. We made it a sitting room because we couldn’t think what else to do with it, and I suppose it’s always useful to have someplace where you can put a guest if they want to have a quiet talk with someone at a party. But we use the parlor or the drawing-room for guests and the upstairs sitting room for family, so there isn’t any real use for that room.”

“So you weren’t aware that there was anything odd about the furniture?”

“I don’t even know where we got it from. The decorator, I suppose, or it could have been in there when we moved in. Does it matter?”

“It’s unusual so it might. I have to ask anyway.” I noticed Inspector Burrows didn’t really answer her question.

“I suppose, but it’s such a boring set, I can’t see why you would find it odd.”

“The sofa is hollow.”

“What?” Mrs. Drummond looked completely blank, as if she didn’t even know how a sofa could be hollow, which, if I hadn’t seen it myself, would probably have confused me too.

“There’s a large area under the cushions that’s hollow.”

Mrs. Drummond was at a loss for words. “I wonder why none of my guests have ever mentioned anything about it, but I suppose most of them don’t go in there either. And you

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