The Stately Home Murder by Catherine Aird

Author:Catherine Aird
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media

10

Monday morning dawned with its customary inevitability.

With it came the news that there had been a road traffic accident at Tappett’s Corner on the main Berebury to Luston Road the night before. Superintendent Leeyes was not pleased about this.

“A ruddy great pileup,” he moaned, flinging down the report in front of Inspector Sloan as soon as he arrived on duty. “One woman driver who wouldn’t have been safe out with a pram, one commercial vehicle with no business to be on the road at all on a Sunday …”

Inspector Sloan picked up the paper and began to read.

“And a family saloon,” said Leeyes, “driven by two old women.”

The report said that it had been driven by a husband with his wife sitting beside him, but Sloan knew what the superintendent meant. He had been speaking figuratively. There were some real figures, too.

Two people had been taken to hospital and three vehicles to the suspect garage.

“If there’s anybody in my division getting a kickback out of this, Sloan,” threatened Leeyes, “there’s going to be real trouble.”

“Yes, sir.” He looked at the report. “It is the nearest garage to Tappett’s Corner.”

“I know that.”

“And they’re the only people with heavy lifting gear for this van.”

“I know that, too, and it doesn’t help, does it?”

“No, sir.”

It didn’t.

If there was something wrong there was something wrong and explanations were neither here nor there.

“This other business, Sloan …” Only a true policeman, jealous in honor, would have such an order of priority. “How far have you got? We can’t hang on to a case like this, you know.”

“Some of the way, sir.” Sloan knew Superintendent Leeyes wouldn’t want anyone else here while he was worried about Inspector Harpe’s men. “I think the deceased was killed in the library between four o’clock and half-past five on Friday afternoon.”

Leeyes grunted.

“He was last seen alive,” went on Sloan, “by Lady Eleanor, the Earl’s daughter, just before four and by the butler, Dillow, immediately after that.”

“But by five-thirty …”

“By five-thirty. That was when the vicar, Mr. Walter Ames, arrived at Ornum House in response to a message—”

“A message?”

“A message to the effect that his friend, Mr. Meredith, had made an important discovery—”

“What!”

“I’m afraid so, sir.”

“What sort of discovery?”

“We don’t know, sir. Yet. All we know is that he telephoned the vicar’s house during that afternoon and left a message with the vicar’s wife asking Mr. Ames to step around to the house as soon as he could.” Sloan paused. “I think that by the time he got there Mr. Meredith was dead.”

“Someone else knew about his discovery?”

“Yes, sir. I think so.” He coughed. “The telephone at Ornum House is somewhat public, sir. It’s in the entrance hall. Anyone could have heard him.”

“Someone did?”

“I’m very much afraid so, sir.”

Leeyes grunted again. “Go on.”

“There are bloodstains at the far end of the last bay in the library. I’m having them analyzed this morning. He could well have been killed there and left there until the opportunity arose to take his body to the armory.

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