Inspector Alleyn 3-Book Collection 8: Death at the Dolphin, Hand in Glove, Dead Water

Alleyn said to Williams: ‘When the flash and dabs lot turn up, ask them to cover the whole job, will you, Bob? Everything. I’ll be in the house if I’m wanted. You know the story and can handle this end of it better than I. I’d be glad if you’d stay in.’

It was by virtue of such gestures as this that Alleyn maintained what are known as ‘good relations’ with the county forces. Williams said: ‘Be pleased to,’ and filled out his jacket.

Dr Elekton said: ‘What about the body?’

‘Could you arrange for it to be taken to the nearest mortuary? Sir James Curtis will do the PM and will be hoping to see you. He’ll be here by midday.’

‘I’ve laid on the ambulance. The mortuary’s at Rimble.’

‘Good. Either Fox or I will look you up at the station at noon. There’s one other thing. What do you make of that?’ He walked a few paces up the lane and pointed to a large damp patch on the surface. ‘There was no rain last night and it’s nothing to do with the digging. Looks rather as if a car with a leaky radiator had stood there. Might even have been filled up and overflowed. Damn’ this hard surface. Yes, look. There’s a bit of oil there too where the sump might well have dripped. Ah, well it may not amount to a row of beans. Ready, Fox? Let’s go in through the side gate, shall we?’

They fetched a circuitous course round the drain and entered Mr Period’s garden by the side gate. Near the house, Alleyn noticed a stand-pipe with a detached hose coiled up beside it and a nearby watering-can from which the rose had been removed.

‘Take a look at this, Br’er Fox,’ he said and indicated a series of indentations about the size of a sixpence leading to and from the stand-pipe.

‘Yes,’ Fox said. ‘And the can’s been moved and replaced.’

‘That’s right. And who, in this predominantly male household, gardens in stiletto heels? Ah, well! Come on.’

They walked round the house to the front door where Alfred formally admitted them.

‘Mr Period is in the library, sir,’ he said. ‘May I take your coat?’

Fox, who, being an innocent snob, always enjoyed the treatment accorded to his senior officer on these occasions, placidly removed his own coat.

‘What,’ Alleyn asked Alfred, ‘have you done with the dog?’

‘Shut her up, sir, in the wood-shed. She ought never to have been let loose.’

‘Quite so. Will you let me have her leash?’

‘Sir?’

‘The lead. Inspector Fox will pick it up. Will you, Fox? And join us in the library?’

Alfred inclined his head, straightened his arms, turned his closed hands outward from the wrists and preceded Alleyn to the library door.

‘Mr Roderick Alleyn, sir,’ he announced.

It was perhaps typical of him that he omitted the rank and inserted the Christian name. ‘Because, after all, Mrs M.,’ he expounded later on to his colleague, ‘whatever opinions you and I may form on the subject, class is class and to be treated as such. In the Force he may be, and with distinction. Of it, he is not.’

Mrs Mitchell put this detestable point of view rather more grossly. ‘The brother’s a baronet,’ she said. ‘And childless, at that. I read it in the News of the World. “The Handsome Super”, it was called. Fancy!’

Meanwhile Alleyn was closeted with Mr Pyke Period, who in a different key, piped the identical tune.

‘My dear Alleyn,’ he said. ‘I can’t tell you how relieved I am to see you. If anything could lessen the appalling nature of this calamity it would be the assurance that we are in your hands.’ There followed, inevitably, the news that Mr Period was acquainted with Alleyn’s brother and was also an ardent admirer of Alleyn’s wife’s paintings. ‘She won’t remember an old backwater buster like me,’ he said, wanly arch, ‘but I have had the pleasure of meeting her.’

All this was said hurriedly and with an air of great anxiety. Alleyn wondered if Mr Period’s hand was normally as tremulous as it was this morning or his speech as breathless and uneven. As soon as Alleyn decently could do so, he got the conversation on a more formal basis.

He asked Mr Period how long Mr Cartell had been sharing the house and learned that it was seven weeks. Before that Mr Cartell had lived in London where he had been the senior partner of an extremely grand and vintage firm of solicitors, from which position he had retired upon his withdrawal into the country. The family, Mr Period said, came originally from Gloucestershire – Bloodstone Parva, in the Cotswolds. Having got as far as this he pulled himself up short and, unaccountably, showed great uneasiness.

Alleyn asked him when he had last seen Mr Cartell.

‘Ah – yesterday evening. I dined out. At Baynesholme. Before the party.’

‘The treasure hunt?’

‘You’ve heard about it? Yes. I saw them start and then I came home. He was in his room, then, walking about and talking to that – his dog. Great heavens!’ Mr Period suddenly exclaimed.

‘What is it?’

‘Desirée – his – Lady Bantling, you know! And Andrew! They must be told, I suppose. I wonder if Connie has thought of it – but no! No, she would hardly – My dear Alleyn, I beg your pardon, but it has only just struck me.’ He explained confusedly, the connection between Baynesholme and Mr Cartell, and looked distractedly at his watch. ‘They will be here at any moment. My secretary – a delightful gel – and Andrew who is to drive her. I suggested an eleven o’clock start as it was to be such a very late party.’

By dint of patient questioning, Alleyn got this sorted out. He noticed that Mr Period kept feeling in his pockets. Then, apparently recollecting himself, he would look about the room. He opened a cigarette-box and when he found it empty, ejaculated pettishly.

Alleyn said: ‘I wonder if you’ll let me give you a cigarette and smoke one myself: it’s all wrong of course, for a policeman on duty –’ He produced his case.

‘My dear Alleyn! Thank you. Do. Do. So will I. But I should have offered you one long ago, only with all this upset Alfred hasn’t filled the boxes and – it’s too tiresome – I’ve mislaid my case.’

‘Really? Not lost, I hope.’

‘I – I hope not,’ he said hurriedly. ‘It’s all very unfortunate but never mind,’ and again he showed great uneasiness.

‘It’s infuriating to lose a good case,’ Alleyn remarked. ‘I did myself, not long ago. It was a rather special and very old one and I regret it.’

‘So is this,’ Mr Period said abruptly. ‘A card case.’ He seemed to be in two minds whether to go on and then decided against it.

Alleyn said: ‘When you saw Mr Cartell last evening was he his usual self? Nothing had happened to upset him at all?’

This question, also, produced a flurried reaction. ‘Upset? Well – it depends upon what one means by “upset”. He was certainly rather put out but it was nothing that could remotely be related –’ Mr Period fetched up short and appeared to summon all his resources. When he spoke again it was with very much more reserve and control. ‘You would not,’ he said, ‘ask me a question of that sort, I think, unless you felt that this dreadful affair was not to be resolved by – by a simple explanation.’

‘Oh,’ Alleyn said lightly, ‘we needn’t put it as high as that, you know. If he was at all agitated or absent-minded, he might not be as careful as usual when he negotiated the bridge over the ditch. The dog –’

‘Ah!’ Mr Period exclaimed. ‘The dog! Now, why on earth didn’t one think of the dog before! It is – she – I assure you, Alleyn, a most powerful and undisciplined dog. At the moment, I am given to understand, particularly so. May she not have taken one of those great plunging leaps of hers, possibly across the drain and, dragged him into it? May she not have done that?’

‘She seems, at least, to have taken a great, plunging leap.’

‘There! You see?’

‘She would also,’ Alleyn said, ‘have had to dislodge a walloping big drain-pipe and precipitate it into the ditch.’

Mr Period put his hands over his eyes. ‘It’s so horrible!’ he said faintly. ‘It’s so unspeakably horrible.’ And then, withdrawing his hands, ‘But may she not have done precisely that very thing?’

‘It’s not very likely, I’m afraid.’

Mr Period stared at him. ‘You don’t think it was an accident,’ he said. ‘Don’t bother to say anything. I can see you don’t.’

‘I’ll be very glad if I find reason to change my opinion.’