Elaine said:
“She sort of runs things for us.”
“Does she, now?”
Adele said:
“She’s really very useful.”
“Yes,” said Lance thoughtfully, “I should
think she might be.”
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“But what is so nice is,” said Jennifer,
“that she knows her place. She never
presumes, if you know what I mean.”
“Clever Mary Dove,” said Lance, and
helped himself to another piece of chocolate
cake.
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12
“^^ 0 you’ve turned up again like a bad ^^ penny,” said Miss Ramsbottom. ^J Lance grinned at her. “Just as you
say. Aunt Effie.”
“Humph!” Miss Ramsbottom sniffed disapprovingly.
“You’ve chosen a nice time to
do it. Your father got himself murdered
yesterday, the house is full of police poking
about everywhere, grubbing in the dustbins,
even. I’ve seen them out of the window.” She
paused, sniffed again, and asked, “Got your
wife with you?”
“No. I left Pat in London.”
“That shows some sense. I shouldn’t bring
her here if I were you. You never know what
might happen.”
“To her? To Pat?”
“To anybody,” said Miss Ramsbottom.
Lance Fortescue looked at her thoughtfully.
“Got any ideas about it all. Aunt Effie?” he
asked.
Miss Ramsbottom did not reply directly. “I
had an Inspector here yesterday asking me
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questions. He didn’t get much change out of
me. But he wasn’t such a fool as he looked,
not by a long way.” She added with some
indignation, “What your grandfather would
feel if he knew we had the police in the
house—it’s enough to make him turn in his
grave. A strict Plymouth Brother he was all
his life. The fuss there was when he found
out I’d been attending Church of England
services in the evening! And I’m sure that
was harmless enough compared to murder.”
Normally Lance would have smiled at this,
but his long, dark face remained serious. He
said:
“D’you know, I’m quite in the dark after
having been away so long. What’s been going
on here of late?”
Miss Ramsbottom raised her eyes to
heaven.
“Godless doings,” she said firmly.
“Yes, yes. Aunt Effie, you would say that
anyway. But what gives the police the idea
that Dad was killed here, in this house?”
“Adultery is one thing and murder is
another,” said Miss Ramsbottom. “I
shouldn’t like to think it of her, I shouldn’t
indeed.”
Lance looked alert. “Adele?” he asked.
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“My lips are sealed,” said Miss Ramsbottom.
“Come
on, old dear,” said Lance. “It’s a
lovely phrase, but it doesn’t mean a thing.
Adele had a boy friend? Adele and the boy
friend fed him henbane in the morning tea. Is
that the set up?”
“I’ll trouble you not to joke about it.”
“I wasn’t really joking, you know.”
“I’ll tell you one thing,” said Miss Ramsbottom
suddenly. “I believe that girl knows
something about it.”
“Which girl?” Lance looked surprised.
“The one that sniffs,” said Miss Ramsbottom.
“The one that ought to have brought
me up my tea this afternoon, but didn’t.
Gone out without leave, so they say. I
shouldn’t wonder if she had gone to the
police. Who let you in?”
“Someone called Mary Dove, I understand.
Very meek and mild–but not really. Is
she the one who’s gone to the police?”
“She wouldn’t go to the police,” said Miss
Ramsbottom. “No–I mean that silly little
parlourmaid. She’s been twitching and jumping
like a rabbit all day. ‘What’s the matter
with you?’ I said. ‘Have you got a guilty
conscience?’ She said 7 never did anything–I
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wouldn’t do a thing like that.’ ‘I hope you
wouldn’t,’ I said to her, ‘but there’s something
worrying you now, isn’t there?’ Then
she began to sniff and said she didn’t want to
get anybody into trouble, she was sure it must
be all a mistake. I said to her, I said, ‘Now, my girl, you speak the truth and shame the
devil.’ That’s what I said. ‘You go to the
police,’ I said, ‘and tell them anything you
know, because no good ever came,’ I said ‘of
hushing up the truth, however unpleasant it
is.’ Then she talked a lot of nonsense about
she couldn’t go to the police, they’d never
believe her and what on earth should she say?