The Silk Stocking Murders by Anthony Berkeley

Author:Anthony Berkeley [Berkeley, Anthony]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-78002-015-0
Publisher: The Langtail Press Ltd
Published: 2010-08-28T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER XV

MR. SHERINGHAM DIVERGES

THAT evening Roger suffered badly from reaction.

It seemed inexpressibly tame to remain at home alone, thinking over the events of that momentous day; and yet to go out for mere amusement, to a theatre or a concert, would be sheer anticlimax. He badly wanted to talk over the case with somebody, but had not the face to inflict himself further on Moresby or anybody else at Scotland Yard; especially since, from being something like a joint-partner on equal terms, he had now shrunk to a mere excrescence on the great organisation which had at last taken the affair definitely in hand. Roger rather resented being looked upon as an excrescence.

He toyed with the idea of a visit to the little creature who had shared Janet’s flat, Moira Carruthers. It was some days now since he had seen her, and after what she had done for him in the early stages of the case he did not wish to appear neglectful of her now that it had passed out of her orbit. Then he remembered that she would be at the theatre and gave up that idea, not without relief. Was there nobody else with whom he could discuss things, and not have to be too guarded in what he said?

Of course there was! He jumped out of his chair grabbed the telephone-book and looked up Pleydell’s number.

Luckily Pleydell was at home. To Roger’s carefully worded query as to whether he would care to come round to the Albany and talk over a matter of some importance which had arisen since they lunched together, Pleydell replied with some emphasis in the affirmative, adding that he would be round within twenty minutes. Roger understood the emphasis. The evening papers had been discreet, but one and all they had reported the new tragedy, though Scotland Yard’s interest in it had not, of course, been mentioned.

Roger filled in the time till Pleydell’s arrival by adding the developments of the day to the rough diary he had been keeping of the case, with everything that had been learned from the porter and Miss Deeping in such detail as there was. He also chronicled the discovery of one finger-print, and by whom.

Pleydell arrived punctually during the twentieth minute and at once began to question Roger as to the latest development. His perturbation, for so imperturbable a man, was obvious. He repeated his threats to call in the best private detectives that money could hire; he even talked of sending over to America for some of Pinkerton’s men, reputed to be the best private detectives in the world. The account of the porter’s evidence and the finding of the finger-print (on which he congratulated Roger with a warmth which was in strong contrast with Superintendent Green’s official coolness) did something to soothe him, and Roger set himself to do the rest.

“Don’t spoil the broth, Pleydell!” he urged. “You promised you’d do nothing if I kept you in touch, and I’m doing that. We’ll get to the bottom of it all right.

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