Chapter Thirty

It was not Sam Bolton who found the body this time, but the head gardener himself. There was nothing special to take him to the pool, but it was a fine morning after the cloudy night and he was taking what he called a bit of a daunder round the garden before getting on with his autumn seeds. The sun shone out of a blue sky with no more than a streak or two of grey in the west. The sunrise had been too red to promise any continuance of this pleasant state of things. As far as Mr Robertson was concerned, he didn’t trust it a yard, and if Maggie had no more sense than to come telling him what the B.B.C. said about it, he would just have the one word to say to her, and that was, ‘Blethers!’ He hadn’t come to his time of life without having his own ideas.

He passed through one of the arches of the yew hedge and saw the body in the pool. It lay as the other one had lain, tilted forward over the parapet with the head and shoulders under water. It was Meriel Ford, and there was no doubt in his mind that she was dead. It wouldn’t be any business of his to be touching her. He went up to the house and told Simmons without any fuss.

The news spread like a spark in a dry field. It reached Janet when Joan Cuttle came up with her morning cup of tea. It took her all she knew to muzzle Joan and get her out of earshot of Stella. She was whimpering and catching her breath as she went, but not daring to raise her voice.

Janet went to the telephone and rang up Star. She emerged from the nursery half an hour later with her plans made, and ran into Ninian. He said, ‘You’ve heard?’ and she nodded.

‘Look, I’ve got to get Stella away. I’ve just been on to Star about it,’

He gave a slight shrug.

‘And what did Star say? She won’t be keen on having Stella in town.’

Janet had her determined look, brows very straight, eyes very steady.

‘It’s all arranged. Star’s friend Sibylla Maxwell will take them in. She has a nursery, and children about the same age. The Maxwells have a big house at Sunningdale. She has been asking Star to take Stella there, so it fits in beautifully. We’re catching the nine-fifteen from Ledbury.’

He stood there frowning.

‘Stella ought to be out of it – you’re right about that. But I don’t know about you. The police will want to see everyone.’

She nodded.

‘Star is meeting us. I’ll take the next train back.’

‘That would be the eleven-thirty. I’ll meet it. How are you getting to Ledbury? I don’t know that I can get away.’

‘I’ve ordered a taxi. I’m going down now for Stella’s breakfast. Could you possibly stay with her till I get back? I’m not letting her out of the nursery till the taxi comes.’

All the way up in the train Stella chattered about the Maxwells. They had a garden with a wall round it, they had a swimming-pool, they had a swing. They had two ponies, and they had guineapigs, as well as rabbits. Janet had never seen her so animated.

Star, meeting them at the terminus, looked at Janet over Stella’s head with frightened eyes. Then said, ‘What is happening?’

Janet had no answer to give. All her energies had been concentrated upon getting Stella away. When they had got the luggage out of the van Star pulled her aside.

‘Janet – what does Stella know?’

‘Nothing so far. I watched her like a dragon.’

‘I shall have to tell her something.’

‘Yes. Why don’t you just say there has been an accident? She doesn’t like Meriel, and I don’t believe she’ll take a lot of notice – not with swimming-pools and ponies and guineapigs to think about. She has been talking about them all the way up.’

Star held her arm so tightly that she left a bruise.

‘I told you something dreadful was going to happen. I had a feeling about it. That is really why I came back. I could have stayed in New York and had a marvellous time, but I just couldn’t! I kept on being frightened about Stella!’

Janet detached the clutching fingers.

‘Star, you’re making a hole in my arm. And there’s nothing the matter with Stella. Take her away and have a good time with her.’

The return train got into Ledbury at just after half past twelve, and Ninian was on the platform. When they were clear of the traffic he said abruptly,

‘They’ve found a handkerchief belonging to Esmé Trent in the summerhouse.’

Janet made no comment. She watched his dark unsmiling profile.

‘They don’t know why she should have dropped it there, and they don’t know when, but it wasn’t there after the first business, because the police say they went through everything in the summerhouse. And it wasn’t there as late as four o’clock yesterday afternoon, because Robertson didn’t like the way the police had left the chairs and he was in there putting them right. According to him, “There was nae handkerchiefs nor other fancy goods tae be seen then.’”

Janet said,

‘How do they know it is Esmé Trent’s handkerchief?’

‘Oh, rather a conspicuous article – what Robertson would call kenspeckle. Getting on towards orange in colour, with Esmé all across one corner.’

‘And what does Esmé Trent say to that?’

‘I don’t know. They’ve been asking us all a lot of questions. You’ll be for it as soon as you get back – or as soon as they do. You wouldn’t believe how difficult it can be to account for one’s simplest actions. Why, for instance, did Adriana and Edna go up to bed at half past nine? Very suspicious for Adriana to be tired of Edna’s exhilarating company, or for Edna to have had enough of that interminable embroidery of hers! And who is Miss Silver, and what is she doing down here? Geoffrey will have to admit that he went to see the girl friend and stayed there for an indefinite period. Not in itself an offence against the law. And, as we know, Meriel was last seen leaving the drawing-room with the avowed intention of following him to the study. The police naturally wonder whether she followed him farther than that. He says she didn’t. That leaves you and me to give each other an alibi. It is, of course, highly suspicious to have an alibi at all. And why did we sit up until the riotous hour of half past ten, when as far as we knew, the rest of the virtuous household had gone to bed? Also, why didn’t we hear Geoffrey come in? I did point out that this is a big house, and that the study is well away on the other side of it. I also intimated that we were having quite an interesting conversation, but it didn’t seem to cut a lot of official ice. By the way, I furnished them with a brief biography of you and told them we were engaged, so don’t do anything stupid like shaking my credibility as a witness.’

‘You shouldn’t have said we were engaged.’

‘Darling, I’ve been telling you so for days. Hasn’t it penetrated? It really will be a Suspicious Circumstance if you start cavilling at what I’ve said. Honestly, you’d better let it ride.’

Janet was pale and frowning. She said nothing for a minute or two, and then came out suddenly with,

‘What is all this about? Do they think – do the police think it wasn’t an accident?’

His eyebrows rose.

‘How many coincidences do you expect a policeman to swallow before breakfast? Do you suppose there was a hope that they would get this one down? Even if there had been nothing more, there wouldn’t have been an earthly.’

She said, ‘Is there anything more?’

‘Oh, yes, I’m afraid there is. You see, Meriel didn’t just fall into the pool. She was struck on the back of the head with our old friend the blunt instrument.’