A MISSING GUEST by Fiona Grace

Author:Fiona Grace [Grace, Fiona]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-12-19T13:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

The door was thick and solid, and Mary had to adjust her stance so that her ear was as close as possible to the keyhole. That was where the best sound from inside was to be found. Now, bending over and listening hard, she could hear the actual words, rather than the sounds, of the two men inside the room.

“So, tell me, Mr. MacLeod, now that you have given your version of events,” Philpott paused. Mary couldn’t hear the scratching of his pen on the paper. The door was too thick for that. But she could imagine the scene – the constable probably sitting on the desk chair, since that was where he liked to be if he could, and Gilbert in the armchair. “Now that I’ve had that, I’d like some background. I understand you met the suspect, Mary Adams, just before the – er – incident at Coldstream Lodge, and that you have interacted with her since then?”

Gilbert would have his hair still tousled from sleep and be wearing casual trousers and a plaid shirt. Mary was sure, knowing his love for the outdoors, that he’d been planning on going for a walk before leaving. She could imagine him, striding across the frosty ground, into the teeth of the wind, a scarf wrapped around his neck, letting the icy breeze refresh him, and help to put the troubling memories of last night into perspective.

Catching herself, and reining in her imagination, Mary listened carefully as Gilbert replied. Her heart was thrumming with tension. Listening at the door like this was a recipe for disaster. Wasn’t there a saying: listeners never hear any good of themselves? She was sure she’d heard something like that, while at school, and she could understand the truth of it. Gilbert was in a difficult predicament right now, talking to an officer of the law. Of course, he would tell him everything he knew! And since Mary was sneakily listening in, she had to be prepared for him to say some unpalatable things about her. In fact, this could be where their friendship ended.

The thought made her swallow hard. But it didn’t stop her leaning even closer, placing her ear right on the cold steel of the lock, as he replied.

“I’ve known Mary Adams ever since that time, yes. I believe I met her on her first day of work at Coldstream Lodge, but I departed the lodge before the – the incident you refer to.” He paused. “And then, while I was at Middlefield Manor, there was another unfortunate murder.”

“And Miss Adams was once again a suspect?” Mary shuddered. The constable now sounded as if he was on the hunt. He was clearly regretting having agreed to let her out of that small study last night.

“Miss Adams was not a suspect, and in fact, she was the one who pursued the idea it was murder. If it hadn’t been for her efforts, the killer would never have been found, and the death deemed accidental,” Gilbert said firmly.

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