The Chessman by Dolores Gordon-Smith

Author:Dolores Gordon-Smith
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9781780107004
Publisher: Severn House
Published: 2015-07-22T04:00:00+00:00

ELEVEN

Jack walked stiffly up the steps to the front door of Lucas’s house. Although his leg felt much better, he wouldn’t be sorry to sit down.

‘You … you’d better come in,’ said Lucas. Jack followed him into the tiled hall.

Dr Lucas came out of the surgery.

‘Jerry? I wasn’t expecting you back so soon.’ Dr Lucas stepped back in surprise as he saw his son’s companion. ‘Major Haldean?’

Lucas motioned with his hand, trying to quiet his father. ‘It’s all over, Dad.’ He gestured towards Jack. ‘He knows all about it. He knows what happened in the war.’

Dr Lucas sagged and seemed to age visibly. ‘I think you will understand, Major, that you are not welcome here.’

‘No, Dad!’ said Jerry quickly. He looked appealingly at Jack. ‘Can you explain? Please stay.’

Dr Lucas shrugged and silently led the way into a drawing room that had a cold, unused air about it. A table like a sarcophagus flanked one wall, its gleaming surface threatening anyone to defile it with fingerprints. A horsehair sofa and two armchairs, all with antimacassars, stood at an exact distance from each other round a Turkish carpet in front of an empty grate. ‘Perhaps,’ he said quietly, ‘you will tell me what you know.’

‘He knows about me,’ interjected Jerry. ‘Sit down, Haldean. That leg must be giving you gyp.’ He faced his father. ‘Haldean knows Ryle blackmailed us.’

Dr Lucas looked at his son in horror. ‘You’re talking wildly, Jerry. Goodness knows what you’ve been tricked into saying, but—’

‘Cut it out, Dad,’ said Jerry wearily. ‘He knows, I tell you.’

Dr Lucas turned on Jack. ‘And what business is it of yours, Major Haldean, may I ask?’

‘Officially none,’ replied Jack, sinking gratefully into an armchair. ‘But haven’t you realized, Doctor, that both you and your son have been under suspicion of murdering Ryle?’

Dr Lucas stared. ‘That’s incredible, sir! It’s totally untrue.’

‘I know,’ said Haldean coolly. ‘Ryle was arrested this morning which does rather let you out. If he hadn’t been … well, it was fairly obvious that you were covering something up and it was known that you’d had at least one meeting with Ryle that you didn’t want talked about. Things were looking a bit black.’

Dr Lucas sank back in his chair. ‘Ryle’s alive? That creature is alive?’

‘Very much so.’

‘But why should anyone think that I – I – killed him? What motive could I have?’

Dr Lucas was starting to irritate Jack. ‘He had a hold over you. That was clear. The body in the church is obviously that of a drug addict. As a doctor you have ready access to drugs.’ He watched as Dr Lucas flushed. ‘Ryle had six thousand pounds on him. I don’t suppose you gave it to him, did you?’

There was a stunned silence. ‘Six thousand pounds?’ Dr Lucas stared at him. ‘Even if I sold everything I had I wouldn’t be able to raise anything like that sum. I’m a general practitioner, not a Harley Street specialist. You can put that idea out of your head, Major.

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