The Demon of Dartmoor by Halter Paul

Author:Halter, Paul [Halter, Paul]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Locked Room International
Published: 2012-06-14T00:00:00+00:00

16

A WALK ON WISH TOR

The next morning the sky was overcast but a strong wind was chasing the clouds away, raising hopes for a beautiful day. At eleven o’clock precisely, Superintendent Weston entered the drawing-room of Trerice Manor, along with the first rays of sunshine. After a brief greeting to the waiting detectives, he extracted from his wallet the most recent—and the ultimate—photo of Nigel Manson.

Since the window took up more than half the space of the photograph, Twist and Hurst were able to examine the victim clearly and in some detail. His position on the window-ledge was precisely as had been described by the witnesses. The actor seemed relaxed and securely installed, and the idea that he could have slipped or slid seemed highly unlikely. The broad smile on his face categorically ruled out suicide. That said, there seemed little else of note.

‘It’s a pity the photo wasn’t taken at a wider angle,’ commented Twist. ‘We might have been able to see more detail. And it’s an even greater pity it wasn’t taken at the instant he fell. You’re right, superintendent, it doesn’t tell us very much. I hadn’t been expecting much anyway; that would have been altogether too easy.’

Hurst took his gaze off the photo and looked Weston straight in the eye.

‘By the way, Superintendent, we discovered quite a lot after you left.’

The superintendent was treated to an earful of facts, delivered as a stinging rebuke. When the Yard man had finished his diatribe, the other police officer nodded vaguely.

‘Well, now you understand the scope of the problem. I kept quiet about all the rest of it yesterday so as not to influence your judgment. That way, as I said, you could start from a clean slate. Now you realise the full scale and the context of the whole extraordinary business. The coroner’s inquest has been postponed to next week and it’s very likely that, just as in the case of Madeleine Hall and the three girls, the verdict will be accidental death.’ He looked hard at Hurst. ‘Unless you succeed in solving the mystery before then. As you know, inspector, your chief is a friend of mine and he speaks extremely highly of you. It seems you are able to explain miracles.’

‘Now let’s not exaggerate,’ muttered Archibald Hurst, looking modestly down but obviously flattered, under the amused and affectionate gaze of Dr. Alan Twist.

‘Well, that’s what he told me when I phoned him the day after Manson’s death. He said these kinds of mysteries could indeed be solved and he had just such a specialist in his team, whom he would despatch right away. A specialist capable of explaining miracles. Those were his exact words.’

‘“Miracle” is indeed the right term,’ observed Hurst, ‘for how else to explain a flying horse and an invisible murderer?’ He frowned, took several steps towards the mantelpiece, then came back to stand in front of Weston. ‘We have to tackle this problem head-on, but with order and method as well, of course.

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