Part 19 (1/2)
It was useless, I was going around in circles for nothing.
What was it Arthur felt must be set right? What did he lie to his mother about? Or to put it differently, since he too was only a child at the time, what lie did he let his mother tell to protect the son she loved best?
We were pulling into the outskirts of Tonbridge. I roused myself to thank Mr. Owens for taking me to Rye, and I counted out the money I owed him for the journey. As I gave it to him in front of the hotel, he said, ”I have you to thank as well. I'd not have visited Mrs. Gadd, else. It was good to see her again.”
And all the while I wished I'd never heard her name spoken this day.
Peregrine was pacing the floor when I tapped at his door and stepped into his room.
When I'd left that morning, I'd feared he might do something foolish, perhaps walk away and never be seen again. Now I wished he'd done just that.
”Where the h.e.l.l have you been?” he was demanding. ”You couldn't have been in Owlhurst all this time!”
”I didn't go to Owlhurst after all. I went to Rye instead.”
”Rye? What were you doing in Rye?”
”Do you remember the policeman who talked to you that night?”
”Inspector Gadd? Yes. He was kind. I think he believed I was some sort of monster, but he treated me gently.”
”Well, I've just spent half an hour with his widow. She gave me the name of the girl who died. Lily Mercer.”
”Yes, that's right. I don't know why I couldn't recall her last name.”
”Did she like Arthur more than anyone else? Did she seem to favor him?”
”I have no earthly idea. I was in my own room most of the time. I don't know how they got on.”
I took a deep breath. ”I was just wondering. Peregrine, I want to go back to London tonight. I want to see if I can find Lily Mercer's family.”
”What could they know that would be helpful? They weren't there.”
”But they knew their daughter, I expect. They knew what manner of girl she was. A person of your background doesn't just decide from one minute to the next to strike down a servant in his household. I mean to say, there must be more to the murder than we know-than you can remember.”
”She teased Timothy about his clubfoot. I heard her, in the pa.s.sageway. She asked me what was wrong with me, why I was left behind when my brothers had gone to the zoo and to see the Tower.”
Timothy was the youngest. Vulnerable. Would Arthur defend him? But you don't go round murdering someone just because she's cruel. Unless this was the first time Timothy had been tormented in such a way and Arthur- No, he'd have spoken to Robert-to his mother. Wouldn't he have?
”What else do you recollect?”
He frowned. ”I was given my meals in my room. As I always was. I saw the staff only in pa.s.sing.”
”Peregrine. Was your tutor attracted to Lily Mercer?”
”Mr. Appleby?” He smiled. ”I can't imagine him condescending to a flirtation with a servant girl.”
Mrs. Gadd had said that the tutor was pompous. Still, anything was possible. London was a long way from Owlhurst.
”I've changed my mind, Peregrine. I want to go to Chilham tomorrow, instead of London. To see if I can find your former tutor. To see what he could add to the story.”
”I thought someone in Owlhurst had the rector's journals?”
”Yes, but think-if there had been anything in those journals that the police ought to know, Mr. Montgomery would have told me. He'd read them over. He said as much to me.”
”Who is Montgomery?”
”The present rector. No, I think it might be more helpful to speak to Mr. Appleby. Let me see if I can persuade Mr. Owens to drive me there tomorrow.”
”This time I'll go with you.”
”You'll be seen-recognized-”
”Hardly. I doubt Appleby will know me. Not in this uniform. It's been fourteen years, after all.”
He had a point.
We had a late tea in the hotel dining room, with me on tenterhooks that someone might see in the rather attractive young officer across from me a dangerous escapee from an asylum. But of course no one did. Peregrine complained of being shut up in his room all day and needing exercise, so we went for a short walk down the quiet street. Afterward Peregrine saw me to my door, and said, ”Something you learned today disturbed you. Will you tell me what it is? I ought to know, if it has any bearing on my situation.”
I tried to smile, but it faltered. ”It was just something-odd, that's all.”
I opened my door, and he followed me into my room, shutting the door behind him. I tensed.
He said, ”Don't look like that. I'm not going to hurt you. Have I? In any way?”
”No.”
”Then tell me.”
”The housekeeper-Susan's mother-showed the woman who was the family's laundress a stain she'd found on the sleeve of Arthur's nights.h.i.+rt, and asked if it could be gotten out. She'd found the nights.h.i.+rt in the valises as she unpacked after everyone returned from London. There must have been no time to do anything about it-or else no one noticed it. It was just-she said he was p.r.o.ne to nosebleeds. Arthur.”
”Was he? I don't know. Surely my stepmother was told about the blood. Or the London police would have seen it and questioned Arthur.”
They might have, if he'd been wearing the nights.h.i.+rt when Mrs. Graham called the police. Had he changed it before his mother got home?
Stop it! I ordered myself. I ordered myself.
Answering Peregrine aloud, I agreed. ”Yes. Of course. I'm tired. It was a long, cold journey. And stressful.”
”I'm sure.” He nodded, and was gone. I stood where I was, listening to the sound of his own door opening and then closing.
I wondered if he believed me.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
THE NEXT MORNING, Mr. Owens was there with his motorcar when we came out of the hotel after breakfast. He touched his hat to me, then shook hands with Peregrine-Lieutenant Philips. Mr. Owens was there with his motorcar when we came out of the hotel after breakfast. He touched his hat to me, then shook hands with Peregrine-Lieutenant Philips.