Murder at a London Finishing S by Jessica Ellicott

Author:Jessica Ellicott
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-06-02T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 23

Beryl waited until after the police vehicles and ambulance had left the grounds before going in search of Paul Deering. The news of his wife’s death appeared to have come as a complete shock. She found him in the drawing room filling a large tumbler with whiskey from a decanter from the drinks tray. From the hazy look in his eyes, it was not the first of the day. Not that she would blame him for seeking oblivion in the face of such a shock. It was an altogether common way of dealing with unpleasant news and one she had used herself from time to time.

Although, to be fair, most of her imbibing grew out of a desire to celebrate rather than to forget. Beryl had few regrets and most of those were ones that she was willing to face head-on. After all, she had recognized very early in life that the things one tried to ignore had a habit of popping up again and again until one eventually committed to resolving them.

Paul Deering, on the other hand, did not look like he was in any condition to resolve anything whatsoever. She felt ever so slightly guilty at taking advantage of his disturbed state in order to ask him questions, but the feeling soon passed. She had assured Edwina she would ask all the right questions and she did not intend to let her friend down.

She stepped over to the drinks cart and lifted a glass. She splashed in a finger of whiskey, then topped it with soda water from a silver siphon. It was one thing for Paul to have a fuzzy head, but she had no intention of allowing her own to be similarly dulled. She hoisted the glass in his direction before taking a sip.

That was when he first seemed to recognize that he was no longer alone in the room. His eyes widened slightly at the sight of her, and he took a large gulp of his own drink before speaking.

“The police told me that you and Miss Davenport were the ones who discovered Veronica’s body,” he said. “I just can’t seem to wrap my mind around the fact that she’s gone.”

Beryl took a step away from the bar and motioned that Paul should join her in the nearby seating area. She chose a chair nearest the door in case she needed to make a hurried escape. She had no idea what Paul might do when well and truly in his cups, and she had no intention of becoming trapped in a room with an enraged and drunken murder suspect.

“I’m so sorry for your loss. You must be badly shaken. A visit from the police certainly would not help matters, I’m sure,” Beryl said as she crossed one long leg over the other. Despite his recent bereavement, Paul’s slightly unfocused gaze paused on her legs, which, even if she said so herself, were rather good.

“They were very kind about the whole thing. To tell the truth, they couldn’t have been more considerate.

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