Two-Way Murder by E. C. R. Lorac

Author:E. C. R. Lorac [Lorac, E. C. R.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: detective, mystery, British, golden age
Publisher: British Library Publishing
Published: 2021-03-07T07:00:00+00:00

II

On that same Monday afternoon, when the D.D.I. had talked to Waring and Turner and sent them out again to follow their own lines, Dilys Maine decided to walk up the hill by the field path—the same path she had followed after she left Brent on the Saturday night. Her father was out, at his office in Fordings, and Nicholas Brent had rung up shortly after lunch; Dilys had answered the phone and she recognised Brent’s deep voice at once.

“Is Mr. Maine at home? Commander Brent speaking.”

Dilys felt her heart thumping a little but she replied sedately: “My father is at his office, Commander: if you ring Fordings 681 you’ll get him.”

“Thanks. I’ll ring him there, Miss Dilys. How are you keeping—all well at home?”

“Quite well, thank you,” she replied, guessing at the real meaning of his question.

“Good,” he replied. “I’d been meaning to come over to see you. You said you’d like a puppy when Lassie obliged—my cocker. She’s got a lovely litter. If you’d like to choose one for your own, perhaps you could manage to get over here sometime.”

“Oh, thank you very much—I’d love one,” she said. “Perhaps I could get over tomorrow.”

“Well, give me a ring when you can manage it,” he replied. “I could pick you up at the top of the hill and save you the last mile or two over the downs—it’s a perishing cold walk with this wind blowing off the sea.”

“Thank you very much indeed,” she answered, and Brent rang off with a quick “Not at all. It’d be a pleasure. Goodbye.”

Turning from the phone, Dilys saw Alice Ridley standing by the door, her eyes wide with enquiry.

“A fine old taking we’re in,” said Alice. “I can’t even hear the phone go without expecting it’ll be police asking this, that or the other. That nosy parker we had here last night was a bit too bright and noticing for my peace of mind. That was Commander Brent wasn’t it, dearie?”

“Yes. He’s promised me a puppy—his pedigree cocker’s just had a litter.”

“Has he indeed? Those pups are worth a lot of money—no end of prizes that bitch of his has won. They say he knows more about dogs than any of the vets do.” She looked at Dilys with her shrewd blue eyes. “All the same, maybe it’d be better not to go traipsing over there just yet. If he’s promised you a pup, he’ll keep it for you all right. Wait a week or so, until there’s not so much backchat being handed round.”

“Yes. I think it’d be better,” said Dilys. “Anyway, I was going to walk up the field path this afternoon. I must have dropped my pearl brooch last night. I can’t find it anywhere and it might have dropped off while I was running.”

“Goodness! That brooch of your mother’s?” exclaimed Alice. “There’ll be trouble with your dad if you’ve lost that—and let’s hope it didn’t come off you know where—where all the trouble was.”

“I don’t think it can have,” said Dilys.

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