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

‘Oh, wise young judge,’ Alleyn murmured and Nicola wondered how much he was laughing at her.

‘Can you remember,’ he asked, ‘any of the conversation?’

‘At lunch it was about Pixie and Miss Cartell saying she was a mongrel and Mr Cartell turning huffy and about a car Leonard had seen in the local garage – I don’t remember –’

‘We know about the car. What else?’

‘Well: about poor Mr Period’s favourite thing: family grandeur and blue blood and noblesse oblige. I’m sure he didn’t mean to have digs at Leonard and Moppett but it came over like that. And then Mr Cartell told a story about someone who cooked a baptismal record to pretend he was blue-blooded when he wasn’t and that didn’t exactly ring out like a peal of joybells although Leonard seemed quite interested. And then there was the Pixie episode and then the cigarette-case thing.’ She elaborated on these themes.

‘Plenty of incident throughout. What about the pre-luncheon party? Young Bantling, for instance? How did he fit in? Did he seem to get on quite well with his senior step-father?’

Nicola was aware of silence: the silence of Mr Period’s drawing-room which had been given over to Alleyn. There was the alleged Cotman water-colour in its brown-paper wrappings. There were the unexceptionable chairs and curtains. Outside the windows was the drive, down which Andrew had walked so angrily, swinging his hat. And upstairs, somewhere, was dead Mr Cartell’s room, where Andrew’s voice had shouted yesterday morning.

‘What’s the matter?’ Alleyn said.

‘Nothing. He didn’t stay to lunch. He lunched at Baynesholme.’

‘But he came here, with you, from the station, didn’t he?’

‘Yes.’

‘And stayed here until his mother and her husband called for him?’

‘Yes. At least –’

‘Yes?’

‘He went out for a bit. I saw him go down the drive.’

‘What did he do while he was here?’

‘I think he saw Mr Cartell. Mr Cartell’s his guardian and a trustee for his inheritance as well as his step-father. And Mr Period’s the other trustee.’

‘Did you gather that it was a business call?’

‘Something of the sort. He talked to both of them.’

‘About what, do you know?’

Could Nicola hear, or did she only feel, the thud of her heart?

‘Do you know?’ Alleyn repeated.

‘Only roughly. He’d tell you himself.’

‘You think he would?’

‘Why not?’

‘He told you about it?’

‘A bit. But it was – it was sort of confidential. In a way.’

‘Why are you frightened, Nicola?’ Alleyn asked gently.

‘I’m not. It’s just that: well, the whole thing’s rather a facer. What’s happened. I suppose I’ve got a bit of a delayed shock or something.’

‘Yes,’ Alleyn said. ‘It might, of course, be that.’

He rose and looked down at her from his immoderate height. ‘As my maiden aunt said to her cat: “I can accept the urge and I can deal with the outcome: what I cannot endure are these pointless preliminaries!” She ought to have been in the CID.’

‘What am I supposed to make of that?’

‘Don’t have kittens before they’re hatched. And for pity’s sake don’t hedge or shuffle: that never did anybody any good. Least of all, your young man.’

‘He is not my young man. I only met him yesterday.’

‘Even so quickly may one catch the plague. Did you stay here last night?’

‘No. I was at Baynesholme for a party.’

‘Not Desirée Bantling’s party!’ Alleyn ejaculated.

‘Yes, but it wasn’t the sort you mean. It was a lovely party,’ said Nicola, looking mistily at him. She described it.

‘Any unforeseen incidents?’

‘Only Moppett and Leonard who practically gatecrashed. And Pixie, of course.’

‘What! What about Pixie?’

Nicola told him. ‘Pixie,’ she added, ‘bit Bimbo. He had to go and have his hand bandaged.’

‘You wouldn’t,’ Alleyn asked, ‘know what time it was when Pixie staged this show?’

‘Yes, I would,’ Nicola said promptly and blushed. ‘It was not much after one o’clock.’

‘How do you know?’

‘We got back at half past twelve from the treasure hunt. It was not more than half an hour after that.’

‘We?’

‘Andrew and I. We hunted in pairs.’

‘I thought you said you all had to be in by midnight?’

‘All right. Yes, we were meant to. But Andrew thought the treasure hunt was pretty tiresome so we talked instead. He told me about his painting and somehow we didn’t notice.’