The Tomb of Zeus by Barbara Cleverly

Author:Barbara Cleverly [Cleverly, Barbara]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Suspense
ISBN: 0385339909
Publisher: Delta
Published: 2007-01-01T05:00:00+00:00

An astonished silence stretched endlessly between them. Olivia broke it with a whimper and she reached into her bag for a handkerchief.

Harry, seemingly mesmerised by the keen stare of the inspector, could only struggle to hold his eye and swallow nervously. Finally he took a deep breath, unhooked his gaze, and murmured: “Pregnant? Did I hear you rightly? Well, at no moment. I'm sorry, Inspector, I was not aware. This comes as a considerable shock to me. I hope you can understand that.”

“You were her general practitioner, were you not? Surely the first to hear of the suspicion of the condition?”

“She never confided in me…perhaps she hadn't realised herself…Of course! That must be the reason. She was losing weight, not gaining…it wouldn't have occurred to her…”

“I'm no expert, and you will correct me if I have this wrong, but there are other more obvious signs of pregnancy, I believe,” said Mariani delicately. It was clear he rather wished Mrs. Stoddart had not insisted on being present at the interview.

“The cessation of her monthly, er, ladies' problems? That can happen if a woman loses weight—through stress perhaps. It's called ‘amenorrhea.’”

“That pathologist's mad,” said Olivia firmly. “She wasn't pregnant. She'd have told me.”

Without a word, Mariani passed a photograph over. Olivia looked hastily, passed it to Harry, and buried her head in her handkerchief.

“How many months are they saying?” Stoddart asked, studying the photograph.

“Three months. No less, perhaps a little more. Difficult to be precise,” Mariani summarised. “Could the weight loss have affected the development of the foetus? I put the question, Doctor, because it occurs to me that the coroner, as a layman, may well require a professional opinion in the matter.”

Stoddart nodded his understanding. He would be prepared.

Olivia came snuffling up from her handkerchief. “Well, that proves that this is indeed the nonsense I've just remarked on! Three months? That takes us back to the last half of December. There! I told you! Phoebe was in Europe! For the whole of that month. At her father's funeral. Theodore did not accompany her. He was here on Crete.”

The two men exchanged glances, teetering dangerously on the edge of hysterical laughter, each willing the other to explain.

Finally Mariani said softly, “Forgive me, Mrs. Stoddart, I know we are speaking of your friend but believe me—a husband is not always…not entirely an essential element of the equation.”

“You wilfully misunderstand! This is Phoebe we're talking about! Let me explain! You should know that my husband and I were together with her—travelling companions—in the role of chaperone almost—except that she didn't need one!—for most of the time she was in Europe. On the ship she stayed in her cabin suffering from seasickness. As did I! It was a particularly bad voyage, wasn't it, Harry?”

“It was indeed, Olivia. You suffered terribly, I know.”

“And when we got to Paris we stayed in the same hotel. When she was not with us she was with her family. Phoebe was—oh, how would you describe it, Harry?—devastated by the death of her father, whom she loved very much, and a little uncertain being by herself.

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