Rules of Murder by Julianna Deering

Author:Julianna Deering
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: FIC042060, FIC042030, FIC022030, Murder—Investigation—Fiction, England—Fiction
ISBN: 9781441261526
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Published: 2013-07-01T04:00:00+00:00

Twelve

It was nearly five o’clock when they got back to Farthering Place.

“Mrs. Devon has been waiting tea for you, sir,” Dennison said as they came in through the kitchen.

“Tell her that’s all right. I took Miss Parker to tea at The Rose Garden.”

“Very good, sir. And Mr. Parker said he would like to have a word with you the moment you came in.”

“In his study?”

“I believe so, sir. He said it was rather important.”

“Well, then, I’ll go straightaway. Come along, darling. You’ll want to change before dinner. I’ll just nip in and have a word with your uncle.”

“I’ll come with you. Just for a minute, don’t worry. I just want to say hello and make sure he’s doing all right.”

“Well, come along then.”

They went to Mason’s study, and Drew tapped on the open door. Mason looked up from the papers scattered across his desk amid a cloud of cigarette smoke.

“Oh, Drew. There you are.” Seeing Madeline, he got to his feet. “Good evening, my dear.”

“Hello, Uncle Mason. Don’t get up. I do wish you’d take a break from working all the time.”

He managed a faint smile and sat down again. “I can’t just now, my dear, but soon.”

“All right, but I’ll take that as a promise.”

Drew sat himself on the edge of the desk. “I say, sir, did Nick tell you about our visit to the office?”

“He did, in point of fact. I don’t know what to make of that passageway being there all along, but who would think to look for something as outlandish as that?”

“Precisely. Lincoln must have been planning this for some while.” Drew watched his stepfather’s eyes. “He and whoever’s in it with him.”

“True enough,” Mason said.

“Did you hear about the missing files, as well?”

Mason pursed his lips and folded his hands on the desk, effectively blocking Drew’s view of the papers he had been working on. “Nick said one of McCutcheon’s file drawers was empty.”

“But it wasn’t when the police searched the lab earlier, or at least the chief inspector didn’t mention it.” Drew glanced at Madeline and then back at Mason. “What would anyone want with that sort of thing?”

“Best leave that to the experts,” Mason said, and he began stacking pages. “Let’s see to our own business while we still have one, eh?”

“I’ll let you get to whatever important business you need to talk to Drew about,” Madeline said. “I don’t want to interrupt.”

“No, no. No interruption in the least, my dear. I just find myself in a bit of a difficulty, and I’m hoping Drew won’t mind helping me out.”

Drew studied his stepfather’s weary face. “Anything the matter?”

Mason sighed. “With everything that’s happened, I forgot one of our French clients, a Mr. Latendresse, will be stopping by tonight.”

“Tonight? The funeral was just three days ago. Are you up to that sort of thing yet?”

“I’ll have to be, won’t I? I’d forgotten he was coming until he rang up to say he was about an hour away.”

“Can’t he make it another time?”

“I’m afraid not.

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