Death of a Shadow (An Inspector Littlejohn Mystery)

by George Bellairs

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Did she have many visitors?’

  ‘Not many. Her granddaughter, who lives at Ferney, and her husband, Dr. Vincent, came about once a fortnight. Sir Ensor Cobb would call whenever he was in Geneva.’

  ‘Only then?’

  ‘He might have made a special journey now and then. Also, Miss Halston, Sir Ensor’s secretary, came sometimes. She would stay here in the guests’ châlet for a day or two and attend to anything Mrs. Cobb wished. Now and then, Mr. Bellin, Sir Ensor’s confidential man-of-affairs visited her, too. That was when she had business matters to attend to. He was always very attentive and very interested in what she was doing and how she fared.’

  ‘Had either of them – Miss Halston or Mr. Bellin – been here lately?’

  ‘They were both here last week, just before Alec Cling died. It was merely a social call, as they were in Geneva with Sir Ensor, attending a conference.’

  Littlejohn paused. He could hardly think what to ask next. They’d been there seven hours, much of it in boring waiting in stuffy rooms dimly lighted, accumulating a lot of confusing information, much of it probably quite superfluous. All around was complete silence. Littlejohn didn’t know how many occupants there were in the clinic, but they seemed to be a quiet lot.

  ‘Will that be all? The patient must be getting fatigued. I think we had better bring the interrogation to a close.’

  Dr. Binger spoke in a husky voice. He seemed exhausted, too, and a look of great anxiety had spread over his face as though something might come to light which would ruin him and the reputation of his nursing-home.

  Dr. Fauconnet stood by Binger’s side, like a faithful attendant. She had recovered her poise and now looked as fresh as ever. If it could be described as fresh. Her energy seemed concentrated in her hooded eyes which missed nothing. She gave her closest attention to all that was said. Now and then her lips pursed into a thin line as question and answer seemed to concern matters she thought should be kept secret within the walls of the clinic.

  ‘Before we leave, Miss Durand, I would like you just to tell me, if you will, the arrangements on the day Cling met his death.’

  ‘You mean what I did and what Cling did?’

  ‘That’s right …’

  Littlejohn had been speaking French for so long that now he was seized with a great nostalgia for English again. It might have been the circumstances, the tension and the gloom of the night that affected him. Somehow he associated his own language with the fresh air and felt he’d had enough strain for one evening.

  ‘We were to meet in Geneva for the night plane to London. I left the clinic at about 3.30. Before I went, I opened the drawer to see if the diamonds were safe. Mrs. Cobb was with the hairdresser, the key of the drawer was on her bedside table. I had a presentiment, somehow, about the jewellery. I don’t know why, but I thought Alec Cling might have taken them. The diamonds had gone! I couldn’t do anything about it at the time. It would have upset all our plans. Our rendezvous was the restaurant in the Jardin Anglais at the head of the lake. Eight o’clock. Cling did not arrive. I waited until nine. I had a feeling of great apprehension. In the first place, I had to ask him if he had taken Mrs. Cobb’s jewellery. If he had done, I was determined not to leave with him until they had been replaced. Mrs. Cobb had been my patient for a number of years – ever since she arrived at the clinic. I knew her attachment to her diamonds and was sure that their loss would cause a nervous crisis from which she would probably not recover. I felt it my duty to put matters right.’

  ‘And if Cling had confessed to taking the property but refused to restore it. What then?’

  ‘I had fully made up my mind not to leave with him. I had thought myself in love with him. It must have been mere infatuation, for, as soon as I discovered that he had taken the jewels, I hated him. Nevertheless, I thought that if he loved me, he would be sure to make a bargain and restore them, on condition that I went with him. Instead, he was killed. I am certain he had the jewellery and that he was murdered and robbed because of it.’

  ‘You are sure you did not meet him and quarrel with him?’

  ‘You think it was I who killed him. I could willingly have done so when I discovered that he had tricked me. But I did not murder him. That I swear. The very thought of killing him with a heavy fire extinguisher makes me shudder. It is a nightmare.’

  She put her hands to her face as though to shut out the sight of it.

  ‘How do you know he was killed that way?’

  ‘Dr. Fauconnet told me. She showed me the newspapers with accounts of the enquiry.’

  Littlejohn turned to Dr. Fauconnet, who looked him calmly in the eyes.

  ‘How did you come to give her all this information, when you know her nervous condition?’

  ‘It was my opinion that it would do no harm for her to know the truth. I felt it would release her from the anxiety of not knowing where Cling was.’

  ‘I see. You seem to have made a thorough job of brainwashing Nurse Durand.’

  ‘I beg your pardon. I resent the expression.’

  ‘We will discuss that later.’

  He turned to Nurse Durand.

  ‘You were telling me of your movements … You waited at the restaurant until nine. What then?’

  ‘I didn’t know what to do next. I walked round Geneva and then back to the restaurant. He was not there. Then I took a taxi to Cointrin Airport and waited there until the night plane left for London. He was not on it. I returned to the city and spent some time on the Cornavin station. I had lost count of time and was so exhausted that I didn’t know where I was. Then, the first morning papers arrived and I saw that he was dead. I did not even feel sorry for him. I realised that I had been his dupe in robbing Mrs. Cobb. I had a vague idea that I might be able to assist in recovering her jewellery for her. I determined to return and tell Dr. Fauconnet what I knew; about Cling’s visit earlier in the previous day, his story about bringing a message from Sir Ensor, and his being alone in Mrs. Cobb’s room, after which the jewels vanished.’

  ‘You didn’t do that?’

  ‘No. When I got back here, I quietly went to my room and thought what I had better do. In the peace of familiar places, I saw matters differently. I would certainly be accused of being Cling’s accomplice and perhaps of killing him. I felt completely trapped. So, I …’

  ‘You tried to find a quick way out. You have told this story to Dr. Fauconnet already?’

  ‘Yes. She questioned me and said it would be all right.’

  ‘She questioned you under drugs?’

  Binger almost exploded.

  ‘I protest! Neither of us would do anything so immoral. We have our code of ethics in this place. We are doctors and know how to behave ourselves.’

  ‘Does Dr. Fauconnet say the same?’

  Dr. Fauconnet bared her even white teeth in a grimace.

  ‘Of course I say the same. In a case like this, one is bound to use sedatives. That is all I did.’

  ‘Very well. Your behaviour seems to have departed somewhat from the medical and infringed that of the police.’

  Lindemann nodded vigorously.

  ‘And what do you propose to do about it?’

  Dr. Fauconnet’s temper was rising. Binger stretched out a hand to placate her.

  ‘Not here, please, doctor.’

  Lindemann answered Dr. Fauconnet’s question straight to the point.

  ‘The matter will be reported to the cantonal medical board and the customary periodic inspection will be conducted in this clinic with much more rigour than usual!’

  ‘I think that will be all, Miss Durand, thank you. I’m sorry to trouble you at this time of night, but you have been most helpful …’

  Littlejohn drew the sheets up to her chin and gave her a pleasant smile.

  ‘I hope I’m not, in turn, stepping into the medical ground, but I wish you goodnight and a good sleep.’

  He turned to Binger, who was perspiring heavily.<
br />
  ‘And now, Dr. Binger, could we talk again in your office?’

  ‘It is late and we have early duties …’

  ‘We won’t keep you long.’

  Back through the dimly lighted corridors, down the lift, and once again the padded door of Dr. Binger’s den.

  On the way back Littlejohn and Lindemann held a brief conversation. Dr. Fauconnet followed the rest into the study. She had recovered her aplomb and her eyes never left Dr. Binger’s face. It was as though she thought he might crack under the strain at any time and burst into a series of indiscretions.

  Dr. Binger didn’t ask them to be seated this time. Instead, he flung himself in his chair in almost a state of collapse and mopped his globular forehead.

  ‘Well?’

  Lindemann assumed control.

  ‘Is Mrs. Cobb still suffering from shock?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Has Sir Ensor been informed of the loss of the jewellery and his mother’s condition?’

  Binger turned to Dr. Fauconnet and raised his eyebrows in question. She answered.

  ‘No. We did not consider her condition gave cause for any great alarm. It is the usual reaction. As for the diamonds; we had hoped to recover them ourselves with the help of Nurse Durand.’

  ‘In other words, you thought she had had a hand in the theft and knew where they were hidden.’

  ‘That is so. Now, it appears we thought wrongly.’

  ‘You thought wrongly all the time. Your conduct has been most reprehensible. Sir Ensor must be informed at once. The police also should have been advised right away, instead of having to find out for themselves.’

  ‘I will advise Sir Ensor by telephone of what has happened as soon as it is daylight.’

  ‘You needn’t trouble, thank you. Superintendent Littlejohn is returning to London by the early plane and will do it himself. And now, I’ll trouble you to show us to the door.’

  13

  Sleight of Hand

  EXHAUSTED by the tiresome night at Les Plaisances, the name of which made him smile ironically, Littlejohn slept all the way back to England on the first plane from Geneva to London. He had already made an appointment with Sir Ensor Cobb and arrived at his office just before noon.

  Littlejohn had not, when he telephoned from Geneva, informed the Minister of the loss of his mother’s diamonds. He wished to be present and watch Sir Ensor’s reaction when he broke the news. This was rather spectacular. Sir Ensor indulged in a torrent or rage quite out of keeping with his usual manner.

  ‘Monstrous! It isn’t the value of the things that troubles me, but the fact the old lady had been upset and subjected to indignity. Why wasn’t I told right away?’

  He paused, livid and speechless, which was something fresh for him. He behaved as though Littlejohn were responsible for it all, too. He made gestures as though cleaning chalk from a blackboard.

  ‘I don’t want excuses. It should never have happened.’

  Littlejohn let him have his head for a while and blandly listened to the flow of anger until he felt he’d had quite enough.

  ‘You yourself must take the responsibility for what has happened, Sir Ensor. You apparently approved of the jewellery being in your mother’s possession and quite improperly guarded. The diamonds were kept in the drawer of a dressing-table with a lock which any fool could pick with a hairpin. The damage had been done when the police came in.’

  Cobb couldn’t find an answer. He cooled off and apologised.

  ‘It was the thought of my mother alone there and losing her diamonds which seem to constitute the main joy of her old age. It isn’t good enough.’

  He paused.

  ‘Excuse me. You’ve just arrived from Switzerland. Have you had a meal?’

  ‘No, sir. But I’d better tell you what has happened and then leave and have lunch with a colleague I wish to instruct. I may have to return to Geneva tonight or early tomorrow.’

  ‘You’ve not solved the matter yet?’

  ‘Far from it. This business at Les Plaisances has only complicated the issue. I suppose you thoroughly investigated the place before your mother was sent there, sir.’

  ‘Of course. It has an international reputation and is well-known and highly regarded in medical circles.’

  ‘So I believe. The chiefs of the medical staff there kept us awake all night trying to convince us of the integrity of their clinic.’

  ‘What do you mean? You aren’t insinuating that I bundled my mother and her jewellery off to a second-rate place! It was thoroughly investigated.’

  ‘Please, Sir Ensor, don’t get excited again. I was merely telling you how the police found them. I know nothing at all about the clinic and its work. I think I’d better start right at the beginning and tell you how matters have progressed so far. That is, if you can call it progress. Every new discovery seems to add to the confusion.’

  ‘Begin at the beginning, then.’

  The office was unusually quiet. They could hear Big Ben faintly striking twelve but the noises of the street were silenced by the double windows and the doors were padded. Sir Ensor must have cleared the decks of intruding staff beforehand.

  ‘We thought at first that Cling had been shot somewhere in the precincts of the Hôtel du Roi and his body placed in the car which I’d hired and of which he’d obtained the key from the garage for some purpose of his own. I’m beginning to doubt that theory. I have an idea that Cling used the car to make a special journey somewhere and might have been killed when he arrived at his destination. He was then brought back to the Hôtel du Roi. The murderer found there, however, that all the parking space was full and left the car with the body in the only available dark place, the rose garden by the fountain, and cleared off.’

  ‘But why return to the Hôtel du Roi? Why not leave the body and the car where the crime was committed?’

  ‘Let us assume Cling and his murderer made the journey together. At the end of the outward journey, Cling was killed. The murderer had then to get back to Geneva, and used the car for the purpose. Instead of dumping the body on the way back, he just left it where it was, on the car seat, and abandoned the car. You may have noticed that the garden where the car was found is in darkness to enhance the illuminated fountain nearby. The murderer could creep away without being seen, given a favourable opportunity.’

  ‘That seems a funny theory to me. Why not dump the body in the lake or somewhere where it couldn’t be found?’

  ‘Perhaps time was valuable if the murderer was thinking of an alibi. We shall see. The idea struck me on the way back here and I telephoned to Lindemann, of the Swiss police, to check the mileage of the car. I must confess that since I hired it for pleasure trips, I haven’t taken much notice of the miles we travelled. But I’ve run up a rough calculation and Lindemann can check the speedometer and find how many kilometres we can’t account for. That may give us an idea of the trip Cling made after he confiscated my car.’

  ‘I see …’

  Sir Ensor looked as if he thought it all very fantastic and impracticable.

  ‘Go on with the rest.’

  ‘We know that Cling was very fond of Geneva. We discovered that he had a room of his own there near Eaux-Vives. He used to take his mistress there.’

  ‘Did he, by God! Who was she?’

  ‘Albertine Durand, the nurse in charge of your mother.’

  Sir Ensor slapped the desk with the palm of his hand.

  ‘That’s it! So, it was Cling and Durand who stole my mother’s diamonds. I knew Durand quite well. I must confess I’m surprised …’

  ‘She denies it. She also emphatically denies that she killed Cling. She says she saw nothing of him on the night he was killed, although they had a rendezvous in Geneva. According to her, they were going to run away together.’

  ‘With the diamonds. That’s obvious.’

  ‘Cling had no intention of taking her with him. Their flight was supposed to be to London. Actually, Cling had booked a sin
gle seat on the next plane from Zürich to Chicago. His wife lived in Chicago.’

  ‘What a confused mess.’

  ‘I told you it was.’

  ‘He’d covered his tracks very well?’

  ‘Yes. But he lost his ticket from Geneva to Zürich. It was found under the carpet of his room at Mont-Choisi.’

  ‘The girl must have discovered what he was going to do and killed him in a fit of rage.’

  ‘I don’t know. She doesn’t strike me as being that type. She went to the rendezvous and Cling didn’t turn up. She seems to have spent the night wandering round Geneva until the morning papers arrived and she read about Cling’s murder. She went back to the clinic, presumably because there she could obtain the necessary sleeping pills to commit suicide. She took a good dose, but before she could sleep away to death, Dr. Fauconnet found her and brought her back to life. Whereupon, in the absence of Dr. Binger who might have advised her what to do, Dr. Fauconnet placed Nurse Durand under sedation to keep her quiet.’

  ‘She did! I’m surprised. I always thought well of Dr. Fauconnet …’

  ‘She admitted that she took that course to protect the good name of the clinic and until Dr. Binger returned to take matters over.’

  ‘Meanwhile, what about my mother?’

  He really looked alarmed, as though they’d either hidden or murdered her, too.

  ‘Sedation, too. Your mother, on discovering the loss of her diamonds, suffered from what they call une crise de nerfs, hysteria, and they had to give her something to quieten her.’

  ‘Why wasn’t I told? The whole damn’ thing is outrageous! They ought to have sent for me.’

  ‘You’d probably have taken her away at once and the whole affair would have come to the light of day. The international reputation of Les Plaisances would have grown a trifle shabby after that. In any event, it was probably the correct treatment in the case.’

  ‘But the theft and the upset to my mother. I ought to have been advised.’

  ‘They were going to do so at almost three in the morning, but I said I would see you early today and give you a full account of what happened. Your mother is better and is being well cared for, you can be sure. Especially as the police now have a close eye on Les Plaisances. The two doctors will have a lot of explaining to do when the Cling affair is over.’