Naughty In Nice (A Royal Spyness Mystery) by Bowen Rhys

Author:Bowen, Rhys [Bowen, Rhys]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Group
Published: 2011-09-05T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 20

January 26, 1933

Villa Marguerite. Sir Toby is dead in his swimming pool.

Oh, crikey.

I didn’t know what to do. If I shouted for help, I’d have to explain my presence trespassing in his back garden. I started to inch away until I reached the shrubs around the perimeter, then I slithered and clawed my way back up the hill until I was standing safely on my mother’s terrace. I felt as if I was about to be sick. He had to be dead, didn’t he? He hadn’t moved, and his head—my stomach heaved. The back of his head had been smashed in. I leaned over the railing and noticed that I could see him from there, sprawled on that broad top step, half submerged in water.

I should call the police but had no idea how to do this in France. So I should alert the servants and have them do the calling.

As I walked toward the house I heard voices echoing in the marble hallway.

“And that funny little man’s face—wasn’t it a picture, after I said we were bringing in a top English policeman!” My mother’s voice, carrying clearly.

“And he said, ‘But this is France, Madame. An English policeman has no power to investigate a crime committed in France. It is an outrage. It will not be permitted.’”

Then they went into peals of laugher. I hurried inside to join them.

“Oh, there you are, darling. How was the visit to Sir Toby? Did you get the scoop on what happened to Olga? We’ve been laying bets on why she left. Such fun. And we—” She broke off. “Are you all right? You look as if you’ve seen a ghost.”

“It’s Sir Toby,” I said. “Come and look.”

I led them outside and made them lean over the railing to look down at Sir Toby’s pool.

“Mon Dieu,” Coco said. “Is he drowned? Call for help. He may still be saved, perhaps.”

“No, I’m sure he’s dead,” I said. “I saw him in the pool and thought he was just swimming, you know—then I saw the back of his head was all horribly bloody.”

“How awful,” Mummy said. “He must have fallen and hit his head, then collapsed into the pool.”

“We should call the police,” Vera said.

“Why should we notify the police?” Coco asked. “Let his servants do this if they wish. It is strange that none of them has noticed the plight of their master. We can alert them to this matter, if you wish.”

“No, don’t,” I said sharply, causing all three women to look at me. “They might touch something and disturb evidence.”

“Evidence?” my mother asked.

“We have to view it as a crime scene,” I said. “He can’t have hit the back of his head and then fallen forward into the pool. That just isn’t possible. Someone must have come up on him from behind and hit him over the head so that he fell into the water.”

“Good God,” Vera said. “Are you suggesting that somebody killed him deliberately? Murdered him?”

“Well, it does seem that way,” I said.

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