Death at the Dolphin

Death at the Dolphin
Ngaio Marsh

The restoration of a bombed-out London theatre ends in violent death – and one of Marsh’s most vivid and dramatic novels.When the bombed-out Dolphin Theatre is given to Peregrine Jay by a mysterious wealthy patron, he is overjoyed. And when the mysterious oil millionaire also gives him a glove that belonged to Shakespeare, Peregrine displays it in the dockside theatre and writes a successful play about it.But then a murder takes place, a boy is attacked, the glove is stolen. Could it be that oil and water don’t mix? Inspector Roderick Alleyn is determined to find out…

NGAIO MARSH

Death at the Dolphin

COPYRIGHT (#ulink_fd4a514c-017d-5639-9c37-7280bd9fb7fd)

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

HARPER

A division of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd. 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF

www.harpercollins.co.uk (http://www.harpercollins.co.uk)

First published in Great Britain by HarperCollinsPublishers 1967

Copyright © Ngaio Marsh Ltd 1966

Ngaio Marsh asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of these works

A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library

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HarperCollinsPublishers has made every reasonable effort to ensure that any picture content and written content in this ebook has been included or removed in accordance with the contractual and technological constraints in operation at the time of publication

Source ISBN: 9780006167914

Ebook Edition © JANUARY 2010 ISBN: 9780007344772

Version: 2016–09–22

DEDICATION (#ulink_9f5684d6-379b-5a52-ad38-5f9adfe783d6)

For Edmund Cork in gratitude and with affection

CONTENTS

Cover (#uf025278b-9b40-52ee-8981-c36149546e57)

Title Page (#u57879292-7acb-5203-a676-9df52194c4cd)

Copyright (#uc93362f6-49da-590f-b3fd-a876a6699e2a)

Dedication (#ua82b6fdb-89ab-51e5-981f-3db66f153917)

Cast of Characters (#u9aed7df5-300a-570f-bb70-01e5319503e8)

1. Mr Conducis (#ua5e3826d-2f81-53ab-9158-9965848ba1db)

2. Mr Greenslade (#uac326c1e-84fb-5a9e-b2c1-351786eede00)

3. Party (#u10f1fba0-ad1d-5e84-a2eb-00e955c44396)

4. Rehearsal (#litres_trial_promo)

5. Climax (#litres_trial_promo)

6. Disaster (#litres_trial_promo)

7. Sunday Morning (#litres_trial_promo)

8. Sunday Afternoon (#litres_trial_promo)

9. Knight Rampant (#litres_trial_promo)

10. Monday (#litres_trial_promo)

11. The Show Will Go On (#litres_trial_promo)

Keep Reading (#litres_trial_promo)

About the Author (#litres_trial_promo)

Also by the Author (#litres_trial_promo)

About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)

CAST OF CHARACTERS (#ulink_aac975d3-03c8-5751-95ad-6d182ac6d758)

CHAPTER 1 (#ulink_23f36ccc-b224-56b6-b76c-c1728e557d76)

Mr Conducis (#ulink_23f36ccc-b224-56b6-b76c-c1728e557d76)

‘Dolphin?’ the clerk repeated. ‘Dolphin. Well, yerse. We hold the keys. Were you wanting to view?’

‘If I might, I was,’ Peregrine Jay mumbled, wondering why such conversations should always be conducted in the past tense. ‘I mean,’ he added boldly, ‘I did and I still do. I want to view, if you please.’

The clerk made a little face that might have been a sneer or an occupational tic. He glanced at Peregrine, who supposed his appearance was not glossy enough to make him a likely prospect.

‘It is for sale, I believe?’ Peregrine said.

‘Oh, it’s for sale, all right.’ The clerk agreed contemptuously. He re-examined some document that he had on his desk.

‘May I view?’