‘Well spotted,’ I said. ‘Even from the short time I’ve been here, I can identify any number of motives. Everything from money to hurt feelings. Professor Rose would seem to have less motive than most: with George dead he’d probably lose his special access to the collection.’ I broke off to look thoughtfully at Stuart. ‘You had your suspicions about George. Did you come here to confront him, and things just got out of hand?’
‘I was with Chloe from the moment we left this room,’ Stuart said steadily. ‘I never left her side for a moment.’
‘I believe you,’ I said. ‘If only because it complicates things unutterably if I don’t.’ I looked back at the body. ‘Whoever did this couldn’t have done it with bare hands. He or she must have used the proverbial blunt instrument. And brought it into the room, since there was nothing like that in here. Which speaks to planning and preparation. And … this would have taken a lot of strength. It’s hard work to bash someone’s head in.’
‘You’d know,’ said Stuart.
‘Yes,’ I said. ‘I would.’
‘More than human strength?’ said Stuart. ‘From some ancient corpse infuriated at having its tomb desecrated and its rest disturbed?’
‘Will you stop that! You saw the state of the thing. That mummy couldn’t have killed George even if the killer had used it as a blunt instrument.’
‘Are you sure?’ said Stuart. ‘I’ve seen things …’
‘So have I,’ I said. ‘And yes, I am sure.’
I moved around the perimeter of the room, checking the walls for sliding panels or hidden doors. I even studied the floor and ceiling carefully, looking for trapdoors, but I couldn’t find anything. I went back to the sarcophagus.
‘The lock that held the coffin lid in place hasn’t been forced or broken,’ I said. ‘So either George unlocked it or the killer knew how to open a very complicated locking mechanism. The only other person who knew that was Professor Rose.’
‘It could have been opened from the inside.’
‘No, it couldn’t.’ A thought struck me. ‘The door was still locked when we got here …’
Stuart nodded quickly. He checked the keyhole, inside and out. ‘No key.’
I knelt down beside the body and searched through George’s pockets. I soon found the key I’d seen him use earlier. I put it in my pocket and got to my feet again. Stuart came forward to join me, frowning.
‘If he still had the key – the only key – how did the killer get out?’
‘I hate locked-room murder mysteries,’ I said.
Someone screamed. We both looked round quickly. Nicholas and Caroline had got tired of waiting. They were standing together in the open doorway, staring in horror at the dead body. Caroline’s face was white with shock. She clapped both hands over her mouth to keep herself from screaming again and turned away from the body, burying her face in Nicholas’s chest. He held her almost absently, his wide eyes fixed on the dead man. A mixture of emotions showed in his face, but he looked more confused than anything. I heard more feet approaching. Caroline’s scream had got everyone’s attention.
Marjorie arrived, pushed Nicholas and Caroline out of her way, and then howled miserably as she saw what had happened to her husband. Penny was quickly there to take Marjorie firmly by the shoulders and turn her away. Marjorie collapsed into Penny’s arms, and Penny made quiet soothing noises as Marjorie sobbed wildly. Part of me wondered whether the grieving young widow might be overdoing it just a bit.
Chloe was the next to arrive. Nicholas and Caroline had retreated into the corridor and Chloe stood framed in the doorway. Her face went slack with shock and she trembled violently. Stuart was quickly there to comfort her. She let him hold her, but her eyes didn’t leave her dead father. She wasn’t crying.
Professor Rose turned up next, breathing hard from exertion. He took one look at the body and turned away quickly, one hand pressed to his mouth to keep from vomiting.
Finally, Bernard and Susan arrived. He looked even more confused than usual, but somehow he found the strength to comfort his distraught wife. It was getting crowded around the door. I looked at Stuart, and he used all his natural authority to gather everyone up and usher them out into the corridor. Marjorie didn’t want to go. Penny had to physically manhandle her out of the door with Chloe and Stuart’s help. I followed them out into the corridor and pulled the door shut. Marjorie glared at me through tear-filled eyes.
‘Why aren’t you doing something to help George? Help him!’
‘I’m sorry, Marjorie,’ said Stuart. ‘George is dead. There’s nothing we can do.’
‘What are you saying?’ Marjorie said fiercely. ‘He can’t be dead! How can he be dead?’ And then she stopped, and laughed shrilly. ‘The sarcophagus was open! You all saw! It killed him … His precious mummy killed him! I told George that awful thing would be the death of him!’
‘More likely someone stole it,’ I said. ‘The thief didn’t expect anyone to be here, and George was killed in the struggle.’
‘Then the thief could still be here in the house!’ said Rose.
‘Don’t even think of going after the killer,’ I said. ‘That goes for all of you.’
‘Why not?’ said Marjorie. ‘Do you want him to get away?’
‘He could be armed,’ I said.
‘We have to call the police,’ said Chloe.
‘And the security people,’ said Stuart.
A thought struck me. I opened the door and looked quickly round the room. ‘The security cameras aren’t working.’ I looked back at Stuart. ‘How is that possible?’
‘It shouldn’t be,’ he said immediately. ‘Unless … the whole system has been shut down.’
‘Who could do that?’ said Penny.
‘Anyone who knew the correct password,’ said Stuart. ‘Only George was supposed to know, but he could have told someone else.’
‘If all the cameras are down,’ I said, ‘no one outside the house knows anything has happened. There’s no record of the murder, and no one is coming to help.’
‘I’ll have to contact the security people,’ said Stuart. ‘Tell them what’s happened. But it will still take them a good hour to get here.’
‘This is why you should never place your faith in electronic systems,’ I said.
‘Not a good time to gloat, sweetie,’ Penny murmured.
‘Who are you, really?’ said Chloe, glaring at me accusingly. ‘That dead body didn’t bother you at all.’
‘Ishmael is a security expert,’ said Stuart. ‘I brought him in to check how secure the house really was.’
‘I should have known,’ said Chloe. ‘And you should have told me, Stuart!’
‘I knew he wasn’t a real Egyptian expert,’ said Rose.
‘Stop talking!’ said Marjorie. ‘Stop just … talking! Call the police!’
‘Given George’s business, there are security issues,’ said Stuart. ‘We let the security people in first and call the police afterwards.’
Chloe nodded, reluctantly.
‘I want the police!’ said Marjorie.
‘We’re in the middle of nowhere,’ Chloe said sharply. ‘The security people will get here quicker. Call them, Stuart.’
‘Let’s all go back to the drawing room,’ said Stuart. ‘I’ll make the call, and Ishmael can get on with his work.’
It took him a while to persuade everyone, but eventually they all left. Only Penny remained with me.
‘I knew it!’ she said. ‘A family gathering in a dark old house and a mummy with a curse on it … Someone was bound to be murdered! Seeing that this isn’t an official case, Ishmael, we could just leave and let the security people handle it.’
‘No,’ I said. ‘This happened while I was here. I feel responsible.’
‘Of course you do,’ said Penny. ‘That’s so you. Sweet, but at the same time infuriating!’
‘Besides,’ I said, ‘aren’t you curious?’
‘A dead body and a missing mummy?’ said
Penny. ‘Of course!’
We went back into the room. Penny looked at the dead man and pulled a face. ‘Can’t we at least … cover him up?’
‘What with?’ I said. ‘There’s nothing here, and I’m not giving up my jacket.’
‘But he looks … really bad.’
‘Then don’t look at him.’
‘Does it make me a bad person,’ said Penny, not allowing herself to look away, ‘that I don’t feel so bad about this because I didn’t like George much?’
‘No,’ I said. ‘Just means you’re human. Fortunately, I’m not so limited.’
‘Stop patting yourself on the back before you strain your arm,’ said Penny. She took a deep breath and turned to me. ‘How’s your bloodhound nose? Are you picking up any signs of another presence in the room? A particular perfume or aftershave, or body odour?’
‘All I’m getting is blood,’ I said. ‘This house is so full of smells that they’re covering up everything else. Look at the blood, Penny. Not a single footprint. Which means our killer stepped carefully around it when leaving. Even though the manner of the murder suggests a frenzied attack, it was followed by a carefully unhurried exit.’
‘So our killer was a professional?’ said Penny.
‘Or a sociopath,’ I said.
‘Or a mummy?’
‘Don’t you start. Let’s just say the killer was definitely a monster.’ I knelt down beside the body again. ‘Looks to me like the beating went on even after George was dead. The skull isn’t just cracked, it’s been smashed right in. That would take a lot of strength.’
‘More than human?’ said Penny.
‘Stop it … And the features are so disfigured from repeated blows it’s easier to identify George by his clothes than his face.’
‘Hold everything!’ Penny said excitedly. ‘Are we sure this really is George?’
I had to smile. ‘You think the murderer took the time to dress someone else in George’s bloodstained clothes, then leave with George’s body and the mummy? You’ve been watching too many Midsomer Murders. No, this close I can recognize George’s scent. It’s him.’
‘Oh, ick!’ said Penny. ‘Still, whoever did this must have been covered in George’s blood.’
‘I know,’ I said. ‘But everyone changed for dinner. Convenient …’
‘Could someone have planned that?’ said Penny. ‘Waited till George was on his own and everyone else was getting changed, and then struck? So it would be possible to put on new clothes without raising any suspicions?’
‘Could be,’ I said. ‘We’ll search everyone’s rooms for bloodstained clothing, but it’s almost certainly been disposed of by now.’
I went to look at the sarcophagus again. ‘Someone opened the lock, and only George and Professor Rose knew how to do that.’
‘But the professor had it all written down in his notebook,’ said Penny. ‘Anyone could have read it … Besides, can you see Rose doing this kind of damage? He’s a bit weedy.’
‘You’d be surprised what people can do when they’re mad enough,’ I said.
‘Ishmael, I know you don’t want it to be the mummy … But why not? We’ve seen stranger things. Hell, you are a stranger thing.’
‘But not supernatural,’ I said. ‘Far more likely the mummy was stolen. It was the most valuable thing in the house.’
‘But what about the curse?’
‘What about it? The stories told of people in Egypt dying suddenly from no obvious cause, with no signs of violence. Not like this.’
‘All right. Perhaps the theft was planned but the murder was accidental? If George hadn’t been here …’
‘The killer has to be one of the family,’ I said. ‘Who else would have been in a position to learn the password to shut down the security? And they’d have known George was likely to still be in here. He was obsessed with his new acquisition.’
‘Any one of them could have a good reason to steal the mummy,’ said Penny, reluctantly. ‘Nicholas and Caroline talk about money all the time, because George cut Nicholas off. Chloe might have been worried about being cut out of the will. Maybe Marjorie wasn’t getting on as well with George as she liked to make out. And Bernard and Susan might have been afraid of being evicted. Hold it! Why didn’t the thief take the sarcophagus as well? I mean, it’s gold. It must be worth a fortune in itself.’
‘And it weighs a ton,’ I said. ‘It took George and me just to move the lid.’
We both looked round sharply as Stuart appeared in the doorway.
‘I can’t stay long. The family are going crazy, and Chloe is in a hell of a state. I’ve phoned the security people. They say all communication between them and Cardavan House was cut off forty-seven minutes ago. None of the cameras spotted anything untoward before then, though they’re going through the recordings just in case. Because the proper password was used, they assumed George had a good reason for shutting everything down. Apparently he’s done it before, when he wanted some privacy.’
‘Are they on their way?’ said Penny.
‘I told them to hold off for the time being,’ Stuart said steadily. ‘They’ll come when I call them, but I don’t want them getting involved until we know what’s going on. We still don’t know what George may have done to acquire the mummy. We need to be sure of the facts before we start official proceedings. So I can protect Chloe.’
‘We need the security people here to protect the whole family from a thief and a murderer!’ said Penny.
‘All the surveillance systems in the grounds are still working,’ said Stuart. ‘Entirely separate systems. Security are adamant no one has entered the grounds since you two arrived.’
He didn’t sound at all happy about that. No doubt wondering which member of his adopted family might have killed another member. No wonder he wanted it to be the mummy.
‘We could still be looking at a professional thief,’ I said. ‘Someone who knew how to avoid the security systems, inside and out. It could be done. I could do it.’
‘Probably not a good time to be pointing that out, sweetie,’ murmured Penny.
‘You saw the grounds,’ said Stuart. ‘Acres and acres of nothing. There’s nowhere for anyone to hide. It has to be one of us.’
‘And that has to include you, Colonel,’ I thought, though I didn’t say it. ‘Maybe the only way you could protect your wife was by sacrificing her father and removing the evidence of what he’d done.’ It didn’t seem likely, but people have done less for worse reasons. Stuart’s only alibi was his wife’s word that they were together all the time, and if she was as protective of him as he was of her …
‘I still say we shouldn’t rule out the mummy,’ Penny said stubbornly. ‘I mean, it is gone.’
‘It’s just a dead thing wrapped in bandages,’ I said. ‘What happened here suggests human rage and human motivation.’
Stuart moved slowly forward and looked down at the body. ‘I’m sorry, George. Whatever you might have done, this isn’t how I wanted it to end.’ He looked at me accusingly. ‘I brought you here to prevent something like this happening!’
‘If you’d wanted me to act as a bodyguard, you should have said. The best I can do now is find out who did this.’ I looked at him steadily. ‘Are you sure that’s what you want, Colonel? For me to follow the evidence, wherever it leads?’
‘Yes,’ said Stuart. ‘Whoever it leads to.’
FOUR
There is No Thief
We made our way quickly back to the drawing room, keeping a watchful eye on every closed door and sudden side turning. The heavy hush seemed to swallow up the sound of our footsteps. It felt like walking through the depths of a forest at midnight while some predator watched from the darkest part of the woods. There was no walking mummy. I knew that, I just wasn’t sure I believed it.
I had no trouble remembering every twist and turn of the way. Penny was used to that, Stuart wasn’t. He watched me as much as our surroundings, as though hoping to pick up some clue
that might explain me to him.
‘Do you really think there might be a professional thief somewhere in the house?’ Penny said finally. I think as much for the comfort of hearing her own voice as anything.
‘It’s possible,’ I said. Being diplomatic, because Stuart was there.
‘Is it?’ he said. ‘God knows I want there to be a thief! Otherwise it means one of my family is a murderer. But it doesn’t seem likely.’
‘Look on the bright side,’ I said. ‘It could be Professor Rose.’
Stuart shook his head. ‘He’s harmless. All he cares about is his work. He’s spent all his time here immersed in the collection. For him, people are just something that gets in the way of more important things.’
‘Many predators take on a harmless aspect,’ I said, ‘until it’s time for them to strike.’
‘Oh, very deep!’ said Penny.
‘I thought so,’ I said.
‘You really reckon Rose could be the killer?’ said Penny. ‘I’m having a hard time seeing someone his size beating a man as big as George to death, even with a whole bunch of blunt instruments.’
‘I haven’t enough evidence to accuse anyone yet,’ I said. ‘It’s just that Rose is the only outsider. As far as I can tell, everything was fine here until he arrived.’
‘Everything was fine until that damned mummy arrived!’ said Stuart. ‘Maybe that’s its curse – the power to change everything for the worse just by being here.’
He broke off as I stopped suddenly and looked sharply around me. Stuart and Penny stared quickly up and down the corridor. It was all very still, very quiet. The corridor was empty, all the doors were closed. And although the shadows seemed more than usually deep and dark, none of them were moving.
‘What is it, Ishmael?’ Penny said quietly. ‘Did you hear something? I can’t hear anything.’
‘I’m not sure,’ I said. ‘It’s just … something doesn’t feel right.’
‘Listen for the beat of the cloth-wrapped feet …’ said Penny.
Stuart looked at her. ‘What?’
‘Old mummy movie reference,’ I said. ‘And no, that’s very definitely not what I’m hearing.’
Death Shall Come Page 9
