Murder in the Maze (Lottie Sprigg Country House 1920s Cozy Mystery Series Book 3) by Martha Bond

Author:Martha Bond [Bond, Martha]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Darkfield Books
Published: 2024-02-28T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirty-Three

‘It must have been someone having a joke,’ said Mrs Moore. ‘Not a very funny joke, but a joke all the same.’

Lottie was sitting in a chair in Mrs Moore’s room and had just told her about her visit to the maze.

‘How far was the stone from the gap in the hedge?’ asked Mrs Moore.

‘Luckily it wasn’t very far.’

‘The joker could have been quite mean and moved the end of the string to another part of the maze.’

‘Thank goodness they didn’t do that.’

Who had it been? Lottie felt sure now that she had heard the scuff of a foot in the maze. She hadn’t been imagining it after all. The other person had known she was in there because they had seen the string. Why hadn’t they called out a greeting? Or why hadn’t they followed the string to find her? There was something sinister about the manner in which they had kept their identity secret. Although Mrs Moore thought it was someone having a joke, Lottie wasn’t so sure. She found their behaviour more threatening than amusing.

‘Perhaps it was Daisy Darby,’ said Mrs Moore. ‘There’s something odd about her, isn’t there? She was keen to tell us that Maria Lawrence didn’t like her or Lady Chichester. She’s probably trying to spread some rumours so everyone will consider Maria Lawrence as the suspect.’

‘So you think Miss Darby could be the murderer?’ asked Lottie.

‘I don’t know. But it seemed to me she was attempting to manipulate our opinions. I’m always suspicious of anyone who tries to do that.’

‘I’ve had a different thought,’ said Lottie. ‘I discovered this afternoon that the gap in the maze hedge is only a short walk from where Lady Chichester was attacked. I think the murderer could have used that route to quickly escape. And because the gap is on the opposite side of the maze to the terrace, they could have then run through the gardens downhill to the river without being seen.’

‘Someone must have seen them.’

‘But maybe they didn’t. Most of the guests seemed to be on the terrace at the time of the murder.’

‘You’re right, Lottie. And I squeezed through that gap before the murder happened so I didn’t see anyone fleeing. But if the murderer used that route to escape, then that suggests they knew where they were going. The murderer must know the layout of the maze. In which case, it has to be Lord Chichester. What a thought! Could he really have done it?’

‘Maybe. Or maybe not. The other person who knows the layout of the maze is his first wife.’

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