Ellery Queen - 1935 - The Spanish Cape Mystery by Ellery Queen

Author:Ellery Queen [Queen, Ellery]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2012-01-15T12:08:42+00:00

* * *

But it was Walter Godfrey who entered first, in his dirty slacks, his tattered sombrero on the back of his head. There were earth-stains on his knees and his fingernails were black with soil. He glanced piercingly at Ellery and the Inspector with his ophidian eyes, permitted himself to look surprised at the presence of his daughter, and then turned back to the door.

“Come on in, Jorum. Nobody’s going to bite you,” he said in a gentle voice—a gentler voice than Ellery had ever heard him use with Rosa or his wife. The old man shambled in, the soles of his broad shapeless shoes leaving a trail of earth on the floor. At close range his skin was even more amazing than it had been from afar. It was lined with hundreds of wrinkles, the color of soiled rock. His hands, which were twisting his hat, were huge and starkly veined. He looked like an animated mummy.

“Jorum’s got something on his mind, Inspector,” said the millionaire abruptly. “He’s told me about it and, while I’ve no interest in your success or failure, you understand, I thought you should know about it, too.”

“That’s white of you,” said Moley, tight-lipped. “And why the hell didn’t you come to me direct, Jorum, if you had something of interest to say?”

The gardener shrugged his gaunt shoulders. “I ain’t buttin’ in anywhere. I’m a man minds my own business, I am.”

“Well, well? Speak up.”

Jorum caressed his gray-stubbled jaw. “Wouldn’t have said nothin’, only Mr. Godfrey said I should. Nob’dy asked me; so I says to m’self:

‘Why should I talk?’ It’s your job to ask questions, ain’t it?” He looked hostilely at Moley’s stormy face. “I saw ‘em on the terrace.”

“Saw whom?” asked Ellery, coming forward. “And when?”

“Answer the gentleman, Jorum,” said Godfrey in the same gentle tone.

“Yes, sir,” replied the old man respectfully. “I saw Mr. Marco on th’

terrace last night with this here, now, Pitts woman. They—”

“Pitts!” exclaimed the Inspector. “That’s Mrs. Godfrey’s maid, isn’t it?”“Yep, that’s the one.” Jorum took out a blue handkerchief and blew his nose on a note of contempt. “Pitts, the snippy one. Old hen, b’gee! Ain’t no better’n she ought to be, I’ll tell ye that. Not that I wa’n’t su’prised, y’understand, when she said—”

“Look here,” said Ellery patiently. “Let’s get this straight, Jorum. You saw Mr. Marco and the lady’s-maid Pitts on the terrace last night. Very well. What time was this?”

Jorum scratched a mossy ear. “Can’t tell ye to the minute,” he said plausibly. “Don’t carry no watch. But it must ‘a’ been roun’ one o’clock in the mornin’, mebbe a mite after. I was comin’ down th’ path toowards the terrace, see, takin’ a look aroun’ ‘fore turnin’ in—”

“Jorum’s something of a watchman,” explained Godfrey curtly. “Not a regular part of his duties, but he keeps his eyes open.”

“Terrace was bright enough under th’ moon,” continued the old man,

“and Mr. Marco, he was settin’ by a table with his back to me, all dressed up like a playin’ actor—”

“He had a cloak on, Jorum?” asked Ellery swiftly.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.