Over the Sea to Death by Gwen Moffat

Author:Gwen Moffat [Moffat, Gwen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Endeavour Media
Published: 2018-10-11T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

‘Corroboration helps.’ Merrick indicated the pile of papers in front of him. ‘Madge Fraser was with Hamlyn and Maynard in the lounge from a quarter to eleven to ten past midnight because on that point the three of them agree. But there’s only her word for it that she turned back from Largo, although several people confirm that the light went out about ten-thirty. Who put it out?’

‘I’m beginning to think it was the murderer,’ Miss Pink said.

He was puzzled. ‘He puts the light out and then helps her wash the dishes? Why put it out when she’s still alive?’

‘Why does it have to be Terry in the burn?’

‘Because he said—wait a minute.’ Merrick sorted through the statements, picked one out and read it, his lips moving. He looked up. ‘He saw no faces, only torchlight on pans, and he heard only mumbling.’ He looked back at the statement. ‘“I heard her talking and then I heard a man. . . . I couldn’t hear what she said. . . .” So they were both mumbling. I see what you mean, ma’am; he heard a woman and assumed it was Terry, but you think it was another woman—and the killer?’

‘Terry was a town girl; would she put the lamp out, wait half an hour, then go outside to wash the pans, and come back to a dark house? I asked Euphemia if someone came out with a torch but she was definite that nothing happened after the lamp was put out. So is Madge Fraser.’

Merrick was dubious. ‘Could she have put the lamp out in order to watch aurora? She might not have seen the Northern Lights before.’

‘It’s the time lag,’ Miss Pink insisted. ‘The lamp went out at ten-thirty, the pans were being washed close to eleven. What was happening during that half hour? I can’t believe that Terry was standing outside Largo watching aurora.’

‘So what do you think was happening? All right, there was a couple washing the pans. Which couple is missing from the house—this house? Or anywhere else,’ he added thoughtfully.

‘The Lindsays are the only married couple who were both in their rooms at that time,’ Ivory said.

Merrick stared at his sergeant. ‘Why wash the dishes?’ His eyes came round to Miss Pink.

‘Billies,’ she corrected absently. ‘To confuse the issue—the time of death? Irwin wasn’t expected back until late the following night. If the murderer left the billies dirty, wouldn’t that imply that she died shortly after she’d eaten? But if they were washed, no one would know when she died.’

‘It could be more concrete than that,’ Merrick said. ‘Surely, with MacNeill tipping rubbish, there was a chance she wouldn’t be found at all and it would be assumed, since the killer had removed all her belongings—except for that marble chip you found, ma’am—that she’d left the glen? The billies could have been washed to give colour to that theory. If they’d been left dirty, the chances might be that Irwin would suspect foul play simply because, if she’d left him voluntarily, she’d have cleared up first.

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