The Empire Club Murders by C.K. Harewood

Author:C.K. Harewood [Harewood, C. K.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Blue Laurel Press

* * *

Matthew was still fuming when the police car pulled up outside the home of Eric Hailes. He could now understand why Yates had spoken about The Five in the way he had. They were superior, arrogant and confident. Matthew didn’t like them either.

Hailes lived in a much smaller house than his friends. This house was a terrace, well-maintained and perfectly adequate, but not on the same scale as Ballantyne and Foucault. When Matthew knocked on the front door, it wasn’t a maid in neat uniform who answered. The door was opened by a woman wearing a scarf around her head with silver hair clips poking out at the front.

‘Yes?’ she asked, peering at him.

‘I’m Inspector Stannard, madam. I’d like to speak to Mr Hailes.’

The brown eyes widened. ‘You want to talk to Eric?’

‘Yes. Are you Mrs Hailes?’

‘Yes, I am. You better come in.’ She led him through the house to the kitchen, where she opened a back door and stepped out into the garden. ‘He’s in the shed,’ she explained and called out her husband’s name. ‘Eric, come out here. There’s a policeman to see you.’

Matthew heard a clatter from inside the shed, a muttered swearing, and Eric Hailes poked his head out of the doorway. ‘Police?’

‘Detective Inspector Stannard, Mr Hailes,’ Matthew said. ‘But we’ve met before.’

‘Oh, yes,’ Haines nodded. ‘At the golf club. Are you here about the man you mentioned?’

‘No. A different matter. I think you may have heard what happened at the Empire Club last night?’

‘Heard? Yes… that is, no… I’ve—’

‘Oh, do stop babbling, Eric,’ Mrs Hailes chided. ‘What’s happened at the club, inspector?’

‘Mr Christopher Fairbank was killed last night, Mrs Hailes,’ Matthew replied, keeping his eyes on her husband. ‘Did you know that, Mr Hailes?’

Hailes had turned an ashen grey and was swallowing. ‘Yes, I did, inspector. You see, Archie, Mr Ballantyne, telephoned earlier.’

‘You knew?’ Mrs Hailes demanded. ‘Why didn’t you tell me?’

‘I didn’t want to upset you, my dear,’ Hailes said plaintively, looking from her to Matthew.

Mrs Hailes rounded on Matthew. ‘How was Kit killed?’

‘He was stabbed in the heart.’

Her hand went to her mouth. ‘Who would do such a thing?’

‘That’s what I’m trying to find out. We believe Mr Fairbank was with a woman at the club after everyone else had left. Would you know who that woman was, Mr Hailes?’

‘It would have been Daphne,’ Mrs Hailes answered. ‘Daphne’s his wife, inspector.’

‘Yes, I know,’ Matthew said, ‘but it wasn’t Mrs Fairbank. Mr Hailes?’

Hailes shook his head. ‘No, I don't know who it was.’

‘What about this incident with the waiter? You were involved in that, weren’t you?’

‘Oh, that.’ Mrs Hailes looked at her husband with contempt. ‘I don’t know what he was thinking getting involved in that, inspector.’

‘You didn’t approve, Mrs Hailes?’

‘Well, Archie and Kit can be very amusing, inspector, but Eric has absolutely no sense of humour.’

‘Oh, so it was a joke, was it, Mr Hailes?’

Hailes looked uncomfortable. ‘It was Archie and Kit, inspector. They just pulled me into it.’

‘Did you know the waiter?’

‘No, he was just one of the staff.

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