by Carola Dunn
‘Thank you.’ If that wasn’t an invitation to overindulgence, Daisy didn’t know what was.
She went to the cloakroom to powder her nose, comb her ruffled curls and calm her ruffled temper. How many times was Gant going to make her repeat her story? Sooner or later, she’d slip and reveal that Lizzie had found the body. It had no relevance whatever to his enquiry but was bound to cause trouble all round.
Would Alec accept the excuse that Gant simply hadn’t asked the right questions and hadn’t given her a chance to tell him? Having himself suffered from Gant’s incompetence, he might. Daisy began to feel more cheerful.
She met a waiter with the coffee in the passage and preceded him into the writing room.
‘Sakari, darling, I’ve brought elevenses. I don’t know about you, but I’m in need of sustenance.’
‘Excellent, Daisy.’ Casting a glance over the supplies the waiter unloaded from the tray on the table in front of her, Sakari tipped him. ‘I, too, am parched. I have been telling Inspector Gant for half an hour that I did not hear the gardener speak one single word.’
‘I didn’t hear more than a dozen or so.’ Daisy chose a chocolate éclair from the plate of cakes. She had, after all, walked all the way up and back down the hill. Besides, each stick
The inspector’s silent acolyte looked hopefully at the table. His face fell as he saw there were only two cups and plates. Daisy felt guilty, but she was determined not to feed Gant.
‘He must have said more than you’ve told me,’ Gant said peevishly.
‘Why?’
‘What do you mean, why?’
‘Why must he have said more than I’ve told you?’
‘Because … Because nobody says so little!’
‘He’s a very uncommunicative individual.’
‘I found that out for myself! But we’ll go back over it all again and hope you remember something more.’
Daisy quickly took a bite of éclair. Masticating the glutinous mouthful, she thought furiously. To ‘go back over it all’ would be dangerous and might lead to questions she had avoided so far. She swallowed. ‘That would be an awful waste of your time, Inspector. You’re a very busy man, I know. Suppose you read to me what I’ve already told you about the gardener and I’ll see if I can add to it.’
‘All right,’ Gant said grudgingly, and he gestured at his acolyte, who flipped through his notebook then started reading in a monotone.
‘Inspector Gant: “When you spoke to the gardener requesting his help to get the children out was he reluctant to enter the maze.”
‘Mrs Fletcher: “Very.”
‘Inspector Gant: “Aha.”’
‘You can cut that out, Constable.’
‘What, sir?’
‘The last remark of mine that you read. Erase it.’
‘I can’t do that, sir. It’d show.’
‘Then cross it out,’ Gant snarled. ‘Get on with it!’
Daisy helped herself to another cup of coffee and a Bakewell tart as the monotone resumed. ‘Mrs Fletcher: “Don’t let that mislead you Inspector he would have been equally reluctant to show me the way to the poet’s corner or the rose garden all he wanted was his dinner in his opinion it wouldn’t hurt the girls to wait till he was ready to return to work.”
‘Inspector Gant: “By that time, they’d probably have found their own way out so he wouldn’t have to go near the scene of the crime.”
‘Mrs Fletcher: “I wasn’t about to allow any delay if they’d gone on wandering just imagine the shock for a young girl of stumbling upon the corpse of someone she knew.”
‘Inspector Gant: “I suppose you offered a big enough tip to change his mind made it worth his while to risk.”
‘Mrs Fletcher: “I didn’t offer him a penny though naturally I tipped him afterwards I just told him about the body.”
‘Inspector Gant: “You hadn’t told him right away.”
‘Mrs Fletcher: “I thought the fewer people knew about it the better but it was more important to get the girls out quickly and I hoped he’d understand realise they mustn’t wander about at random in there as he did.”
‘Inspector Gant: “Did he seem surprised to hear about the body what did he say.”
‘Mrs Fletcher: “Nothing he was walking towards the walled garden as I spoke and he just changed direction towards the maze without opening his mouth I’m sure you’ve discovered he’s a man of few words.”
‘Inspector Gant: “That’s one way of putting it.”’
‘You can cross that out, too. And leave it out when you type your report.’
‘Yes, sir. Mrs Fletcher: “He also has a remarkably inexpressive face I can only hazard a guess as to what he was thinking by his actions he didn’t hesitate before heading for the maze when I told him there was a body in there with them oh wait a minute that’s not quite right.”
‘Inspector Gant: “Hah.” Do you want me to cross that out, sir?’
Gant just glared at him.
‘Mrs Fletcher: “I’d forgotten he stopped walking and looked at me as if he wasn’t sure whether to believe me or not so I told him my friend had gone for the police at that he well he spat on the grass not at me.”
‘Inspector Gant: “He doesn’t like the police.” That’s the end of the bit about the gardener, sir.’
‘After that,’ said Daisy, ‘after he spat when I mentioned the police, I don’t recall his saying anything but “Aye,” when I asked if he could lead them – you – back to the body.’
‘Must’ve reckoned you lot tramping about the place had wiped out any marks he’d left.’ He stood up and addressed the constable. ‘Right, we’ll have to pull him into the station for questioning. Come along.’
Daisy and Sakari looked at each other. It would take a better man than Inspector Gant to get the gardener to talk, Daisy was certain. But what really concerned her was what Pencote, Tesler and Miss Bascombe would decide to do when they heard he’d been taken in for questioning.
His hand on the door handle, Gant turned. ‘I almost forgot. Mrs Fletcher, I’ve been wondering how you managed to find your way out of the maze after discovering the deceased. I sent four men in to make a thorough search, and every single one of the fools got lost.’
Oh help! Daisy thought. Unless she could come up with a viable explanation, the inspector was about to find out that she had misled him. Obstruction of an officer in the course of his duties, at the very least, but given Gant’s animosity towards Alec, might he make a charge of accessory after the fact?
CHAPTER 28
A knock on the door of the writing room was followed so abruptly by its opening that Inspector Gant scarcely had time to jump out of the way. His face irate, he swung round to blast the intruder. Daisy was ready to bless the waiter, come to clear away, for giving her time to think.
Instead of the expected waiter, Alec strolled in, followed by Tom Tring.
She exhaled a long breath. However furious Alec was with her, he wouldn’t let her be arrested. Behind his back, Tom winked at her.
‘Good morning, Mr Fletcher,’ said Sakari composedly. ‘I shall send for more coffee.’
‘Not just now, thank you, Mrs Prasad.’
Gant stopped gaping and exploded. ‘Fletcher!’
‘DCI Fletcher, CID.’ Alec eyed him with disdain. So this was the man who had deserted the scene of the burials and then departed for Chelmsford headquarters, leaving only a most inadequate report. ‘You, I think, must be Detective Inspector Gant?’
‘What are you doing here?’
‘I’m afraid I’ve come to relieve you of this case.’
‘The CC wouldn’t … But I’m just about to make an arrest!’
‘How lucky I’ve arrived in time to prevent your making a nasty mistake. As it turns out, the murder of Harriman is part of the Epping investigation. However, this is no place to discuss the matter. Shall we adjourn to the local station?’
‘B-but … What … How … I don’t …’
Daisy almost felt sorry for him.
‘I’ll explain.’ Alec stood aside.
‘Sir.’ Tom, holding the door, gestured courteously for Gant to precede him. The inspector went out, moving like a sleep-walker stuck in a bad dream. Tom went after him.
‘I’ll see you later, Daisy,’ Alec said grimly. ‘And you, Mrs Prasad.’ He smiled, at Sakari.
He departed. Gant’s acolyte, wordless, shrugged with his eyes raised to heaven and followed, closing the door behind him.
‘Whew!’ Once again Daisy expelled a lungful of breath. ‘Talk about saved by the bell! I’m not the only one, either.’
‘The gardener. And the children, especially Elizabeth.’
‘They’re the least of it!’
‘What do you mean, Daisy? Do not tell me your theory proved correct?’
‘“Proved” is just the word I want to avoid. I met both Miss Bascombe and Pencote at the San, quite fortuitously. You know I didn’t arrange to meet them.’
‘Certainly.’
‘And both of them wanted to talk.’
‘People always want to talk to you.’
‘Excluding the gardener.’
‘To be sure. What did they say? They confirmed your theory? Are you not obliged to report this to Alec?’
‘One question at a time, darling! They were both very cautious, fortunately. Well, call it wisely. If it weren’t for my theory, I wouldn’t have had a clue what they were talking about. As it was, both their stories fitted the theory perfectly.’
‘So nothing is proved.’
‘Exactly. I could tell Alec my speculations, but he hates it when I speculate about his cases. Now he’s sure he’s got the whole thing sewn up, he’d be even more upset. And if he’s blaming it on the Epping Forest murderer, there’s no one innocent going to suffer for it.’
‘What if the murderer confesses to burying the three bodies but denies responsibility for Harriman’s death?’
‘We’ll just have to hope they won’t believe him,’ Daisy said optimistically.
‘You do not think Mr Pencote might kill someone else if he is not caught?’
‘No. I’m sure it was an accident. Well, he struck at Harriman, admittedly, but he never expected to hit him.’
‘I hope you are right, Daisy. I should greatly dislike to see any of Deva’s teachers arrested, and one cannot help but pity Mr Pencote. What are you going to say to Alec?’
‘It depends, really, on what Ghastly Gant tells him. I can’t see why he should mention the discrepancies in my story, but if he does, I don’t mind explaining to Alec. After all, I was protecting Bel, and he can’t very well disapprove of that. All the same, I’d like to put it off for a bit.’
‘He is likely to be occupied with police business for some time, is he not? Perhaps we should just take the first train back to London.’
‘Darling, you’re a genius! Let’s!’
‘Daisy, I was not serious. The police have not given us leave to go.’
‘No, but it was Gant who told us to stay, not Alec, and Alec is not very fond of Gant.’ She thought for a moment, then sighed. ‘I expect you’re right, though. Gant’s going to be looking for any excuse to be awkward, and we don’t want to provide him with one.’
‘Let us take a taxi to the Sanatorium and persuade Sister to allow the girls to go out to lunch with us. Thus we shall all be out of the way if for any reason any of the police come looking for us.’
‘Good idea!’ said Daisy. If Pencote was still there, she’d make an opportunity to reassure him.
In fact, when the taxi pulled up in front of the San, Pencote was just coming out, swinging wearily along on his crutches.
‘Poor man,’ said Sakari. ‘The taxi can take him round to the school while it is waiting for us. Tell him, Daisy, while I instruct the driver.’
Daisy went to meet Pencote. ‘I have news that should relieve your worries somewhat. Scotland Yard has taken the case out of DI Gant’s hands, and they seem quite certain it’s tied to the Epping Forest case. They believe the same person was responsible for Harriman’s death as well.’
He looked at her in astonishment. ‘The Epping murders? How extraordinary! Have they caught the murderer?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘But when they do, he’ll deny killing Harriman. Good morning, Mrs Prasad.’
Sakari sailed by with a nod and a smile.
‘He’ll deny killing all of them,’ said Daisy, ‘if he has any sense. Don’t cross your bridges until you come to them. I don’t want the three of you arrested – I don’t think you really deserve it – but I do think you deserve to live with a little guilt and anxiety!’
‘I do,’ he said humbly, ‘and worse, but I wish I could be sure the others are safe.’
‘If wishes were horses, beggars would ride. Oh dear, here I am talking to an English teacher in clichés!’
Pencote managed to summon up a smile. ‘You’ve been very kind, Mrs Fletcher. I promise you, I’ve had a salutory shock. With Tesler’s help, I’m going to work very hard at mastering my wicked temper.’
‘You couldn’t find a better tutor. I must go. Mrs Prasad is counting on my support. Goodbye for now. Oh, I almost forgot: she arranged for the taxi to take you round to the school while it’s waiting for us.’
She walked on quickly to escape his thanks, wondering whether she had made the right decision. Time would tell, she thought with a sigh.
And there went another cliché.
Between Sakari and Daisy, even the formidable Sister didn’t stand a chance. They took the children out for lunch. Belinda was excited to hear her father was in Saffron Walden. Daisy said she would do her best to get him to come and see her.
‘He’s in the middle of a case, though, darling, so he may not be able to.’
‘Oh well, it’s not too long till the summer hols.’
‘If he does come and see you, there’s no need to worry him about Lizzie finding the body.’ Encouraging the child to keep secrets from her father – disgraceful! Daisy was going to be living with a good share of guilt herself. She passed hurriedly on. ‘Because he’s arrived, the local police may soon allow Mrs Prasad and me to go home. Would it upset you if we left? How about you, Lizzie?’
‘I’m all right now, Mrs Fletcher, honestly. It was sort of like our secret adventure, wasn’t it? And Sister says Miss Priestman wants us to stay in the San for the rest of the week, so it’ll be fun.’
Sister, consulted, said the less fuss made, the sooner the children would get over the experience. The way she said it suggested that the absence of their mothers would be of great assistance.
‘Assuming the police let us leave, Sister, we’ll come back at once if we’re needed. Here, I’ll write down both our telephone numbers for you, though the school office has them, of course.’
‘I’m sure they won’t be needed, Mrs Fletcher. Between me and Miss Priestman, we’ll be able to cope, so don’t worry yourselves.’
Their consciences somewhat assuaged, Daisy and Sakari left. Not that Daisy’s conscience was entirely easy about other matters. On the way down the hill in the taxi, she expressed her qualms about having advised Belinda not to tell her father about Lizzie having been the one to stumble upon Harriman’s corpse.
‘Nonsense, Daisy. What good would it do Alec to know? It would only distract him from his work.’
‘But Bel will learn—’
‘Belinda will learn that it is unnecessary and unwise for a woman to trouble her husband with all her little concerns.’
Looked at from that perspective, it was indeed a valuable lesson!
When they reached the Rose and Crown, a message awaited them saying they were free to leave. Now that she was allowed to go, Daisy wanted to stay on for a while in hopes of seeing Alec, but Sakari said that would be tempting fate. So Daisy wrote a note to Alec, while Sakari telephoned the school and asked them to tell the children. They packed and caught the next train to town.
Once she had stopped worrying about Belinda, Daisy was consumed with curiosity about Alec’s investigation and how he had worked out that the two cases were one.
The newspapers seemed to have lost interest, after reporting little more than that the Epping Forest Executioner had killed himself when about to be apprehended. As far as they were concerned, the case was over. There was always plenty of fresh news with which to titillate their readers.
Three days passed before Alec came home early enough for questions, and then it was touch and go whether he would be willing to tell her. She asked after dinner, when he dropped wearily into an armchair in the sitting room.
‘It’s left a nasty taste in my mouth, love. Can’t we let it go at that?’
‘I’m sure it’s better to talk about it than to let it fester in your mind.’
His lips quirked. ‘Is that what Mrs Prasad’s passed on to you from those psychology lectures she attends?’
‘Well, yes, but sounds like common sense. Besides, think how it’ll fester in my mind if I never find out.’
‘That I can believe!’
‘I’ll get you a whisky.’
‘You can’t bribe a British policeman. Not often, anyway.’
‘This is one of those rare occasions. Water or soda?’
‘Is there any Malvern water?’
‘Yes, of course.’
‘Just a drop.’
‘There you go. Why is it this case disturbs you so much, darling? Because the man committed suicide before you could arrest him?’
‘No, I’m glad he did. Much better than prison and hanging. You see, he really was after justice quite as much as revenge. His sixteen-year-old son was shot as a deserter. From all I’ve heard, if Colonel Pelham had sent him back to the medics, he’d have been diagnosed with shell-shock. But Pelham was a tyrant and a bully. He convened a drum-head court martial, a summary trial without a judge-advocate to speak for the prisoner, not at all according to military regulations. Your Sergeant Harriman volunteered to head the firing squad.’
‘My Sergeant Harriman? He was loathsome. I couldn’t stick him at any price. And that was before I knew he offered his services to shoot a defenceless boy. The colonel sounds as if he got what was coming to him, too.’
