Inspector Alleyn 3-Book Collection 8: Death at the Dolphin, Hand in Glove, Dead Water. Ngaio Marsh
general lament upon the regrettability of Leonard. Although Sergeant Raikes had in fact not yet reported the affair of the Scorpion sports-car, Mr Period either took it for granted that he had done so or recognized the inevitability of coming round to it before long. He said enough for Alleyn to get a fair idea of what had happened. Leonard, Mr Period concluded, was a really rather dreadful young person whom it would be the greatest mistake to encourage.
‘When I tell you, my dear fellow, that he leaned back in his chair at luncheon and positively whistled? Sang even! I promise! And the girl joined in! A terrible fellow! Poor Connie should have sent him packing at the first glance.’
‘Mr Cartell thought so too, I dare say?’
‘Oh, yes!’ said Mr Period, waving it away. ‘Yes, indeed. Oh, rather!’
‘To your knowledge had he any enemies? That sounds melodramatic, but had he? Or, to put it another way, do you know of anyone to whom he might have done any damage if he had lived?’
There was a long pause. From the lane came the sound of a car in low gear. Alleyn could see through the window that a canvas screen had been erected. His colleagues, evidently, had arrived.
‘I’m just trying to think,’ said Mr Period. He turned sheet-white. ‘Not in the sense you mean. No. Unless – but, no.’
‘Unless?’
‘You see, Alleyn, one does follow you. One does realize the implication.’
‘Naturally,’ Alleyn said. ‘It’s perfectly obvious, I’m sure. If a trap was laid for Mr Cartell last night, I should like to know if there’s anyone who might have had some motive in laying it.’
‘A booby-trap, for instance?’ He stared at Alleyn, his rather prominent front teeth closed over his underlip. ‘Of course I don’t know what you’ve found. I – I – had to go out there and – and identify him, but frankly, it distressed me very much and I didn’t notice – But, had, for instance, the planks over the ditch – had they been interfered with?’
‘Yes,’ said Alleyn.
‘Oh, my God! I see. Well, then; might it not all have been meant for a joke? A very silly, dangerous one, but still no more than a booby-trap? Um? Some of those young people in the treasure hunt. Yes!’ Mr Period ejaculated. ‘Now, isn’t that a possibility? Someone had moved the planks and poor Harold fell, you know, and perhaps he knocked himself out and then, while he was lying unconscious, may not a couple – they hunted in couples – have come along and – inadvertently dislodged the drain-pipe?’
‘You try dislodging one of those pipes,’ Alleyn said dryly. ‘It could scarcely be done inadvertently, I think.’
‘Then – then: even done deliberately out of sheer exuberance and not knowing he was there. A prank! One of those silly pranks. They were a high-spirited lot.’
‘I wonder if you can give me their names?’
As most of them had come from the county, Mr Period was able to do this. He got up to twenty-four, said he thought that was all, and then boggled.
‘Was there somebody else?’
‘In point of fact – yes. By a piece of what I can only describe, I’m afraid, as sheer effrontery, the wretched Leiss and that tiresome gel, Mary Ralston, got themselves asked. Desirée is quite hopelessly good-natured. Now he,’ Mr Period said quickly, ‘in my opinion would certainly be capable of going too far – capable de tout. But I shouldn’t say that. No. All the same, Alleyn, an accident resulting from some piece of comparatively innocent horse-play would not be as appalling as – as –’
‘As murder?’
Mr Period flung up his hands. ‘Alas!’ he said. ‘Yes. Of course, I’ve no real knowledge of how you go to work, but you’ve examined the ground no doubt. One reads of such astonishing deductions. Perhaps I shouldn’t ask.’
‘Why not?’ Alleyn said amiably. ‘The answer’s regrettably simple. At the moment there are no deductions, only circumstances. And in point of fact there’s nothing, as far as we’ve gone, to contradict your theory of a sort of double-barrelled piece of hooliganism. Somebody gets the enchanting idea of rearranging the planks. Somebody else gets the even more amusing idea of dislodging a main sewer pipe. The victim of the earlier jeu d’esprit, by an unfortunate coincidence, becomes the victim of the second.’
‘Of course, if you put it like that –’
‘Coincidences do happen with unbelievable frequency. I sometimes think they’re the occupational hazards of police work. So far, for all we’ve seen, there’s no reason to suppose that Mr Cartell has not been the victim of one of them. Unless,’ Alleyn said, ‘you count this.’
He had a very quick, dexterous way of using his hands. With the least possible amount of fuss he had produced, laid upon Mr Period’s writing desk and lightly unfolded from his handkerchief, the gold case with a jewelled clasp. ‘I’m afraid,’ he said, ‘I shall have to keep it for the time being. But can you identify it?’
Mr Period gave a startled ejaculation and got to his feet.
At the same moment there was a tap on the door which at once opened to admit a girl and a tall young man.
‘I’m so sorry,’ Nicola said, ‘the front door was open and we thought – I’m awfully sorry.’ She stopped short, catching sight of the gold case lying on the handkerchief. ‘Oh,’ she exclaimed. ‘I am glad. Your lovely cigarette-case! You’ve found it!’
‘Ah – yes,’ Mr Period said with a little gasp. ‘Yes. It – it would appear so.’ He pulled himself together. ‘Nicola, my dear,’ he said, ‘may I introduce –’
‘But we’ve met!’ Nicola cried. ‘Often. Haven’t we? I was talking about you only yesterday. Bless my soul,’ she added gaily, ‘who, to coin a phrase, would have thought of meeting you?’
‘To coin another,’ Alleyn said mildly, ‘it’s quite a coincidence, isn’t it? Hallo, Nicola.’
III
‘Put it like this,’ Alleyn said. ‘I don’t say you’ll ever have to, but suppose you were asked to swear on oath that the window was shut during the Pixie episode, would you do it?’
Nicola said: ‘I’d have to, wouldn’t I? Because it was.’
‘Not a shadow of doubt?’
‘Not one. Alfred will say the same.’
‘I dare say.’
‘I wish I knew what you were up to,’ Nicola said, staring out into the garden.
‘I? I’m on my job.’
‘Yes, but are you peering into petty larceny or mucking into a – I’m sure I don’t know why I’m trying to be facetious – into a murder? Or do they tie in together? Or what?’
‘I don’t know. No more than you do.’
‘I suppose,’ Nicola said with some penetration, ‘you’re not very pleased to find me here.’
‘Not as enchanted as I would be to find you elsewhere.’
‘It’s funny. Because, before this blew up I was thinking of Troy. I’m coming in tomorrow evening and I wondered if I could bring a young man with me.’
‘My dear child, she’ll be delighted. Do I detect –?’
‘No!’ Nicola said in a hurry. ‘You don’t detect anything. He paints.’
‘Ah. Mr Andrew Bantling?’
‘I suppose you spotted the paint under his fingernail.’
‘So