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"He might have questioned Laura," I said.
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"Which is something else I need to know about."
"He may try to protect her."
"Protect her?"
"Not everyone is as justice minded as you, Charles. Like it or not,
those two have become his family. A man will usually try to protect his
family no matter what they've done. I'm just saying this as a warning.
Barrett's got a hell of a temper and it couldcould get away from
him."
"As it has with you?"
I nodded, staring at the rush of gray shadows outside the window.
"Is that why you wanted to stop me last night?"
"Yeah, something like that. All I could see then was one big messy can
of worms being dumped out."
"And what do you see now?"
"John Henry Banks lying in a box forty years too soon."
He drove quickly and absently, with most of his concentration directed
inward and not at the road. He almost passed the gate by except for my
warning.
May fair was just inside sitting on a camp stool, ready to handle the
incoming traffic. He had orders that only officials of the law and
family were allowed in, but Escort's investigator's license placed him
nominally in the former category. That and a generous tip persuaded the
Cerberus in baggy pants to let us through, and he even parted with some
minimal information.
"She died from a fall down the stair in the front hall," Escort
repeated, slamming his door and shifting gears. "One of the maids found
her and thought it was a faint until she saw the blood. Dr. Evans was
called out and he brought in Chief Curtis."
"Why the cops?"
"Mayfair didn't know."
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"So maybe it wasn't an accident. Are they still here?"
"Left hours ago, but the relatives from Newport have arrived in force."
"How much inheritance do you figure is involved?"
He gave out with a short, cheerless laugh. "You and I think along
similar lines. I've no idea, but it is bound to be quite a lot. I'd give
a lot for a look at her will and how she may have allowed for things in
the event of her return."
Cars were parked haphazardly along the drive and on the grass, and the
garage exit was choked. Almost every light in the house was on, and
faces appeared at the windows to inspect the latest arrivals.
A different maid let us in. She'd left off the white starched collar and
cuffs of her uniform and wore unrelieved black. Her round mouth was
crushed and her eyes were red lined and puffy from her own grief. I
recognized her as one of the two women who shared rooms over the garage.
She didn't bother to get our names, taking it for granted that Mayfair
had kept out the undesirables.
Emily had a lot of relatives. Some of them might have been there out of
genuine concern, but none were readily apparent. A lot of booze was
flowing, so it was starting to resemble an impromptu wake.
"You see Barrett?" I asked him.
"No. Do you see Laura?"
"Nope. Let's split up."
"Right."
Escort melted away into the crowd and I lost sight of even his tall,
distinctive form in a few seconds. The big front hall didn't look so big
anymore; it was literally a case of all the world and his wife showing
up. I started to push my way through a sudden opening when a thin,
hard-faced woman with gingery hair focused her sharp eyes on me and came
over.
"Are you family?" she demanded sweetly.
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"No. Friend."
"Then you shouldn't be here," she quickly said. "It's family only until
the funeral."
"How are you related?"
"Poor Emily was my cousin."
"Second or third and only by marriage," an eavesdropper put in
helpfully, and got a drawn-daggers look for his trouble.
"We were very close years ago," she defended smoothly to me. "And that
makes up for a lot."
"But never as much as you hope," added the heckler.
She turned her back on him to face me. "Anyway, you'll have to go. It's
family only, as I said. The maid will show you out." She waited
expectantly with her hands neatly folded and her chin up and I struggled
not to laugh in her face. Someone else did, loudly, and was immediately
shushed. This made us the brief center of attention and my reluctant
hostess went very pink, but held her ground.
Someone else latched on to my arm and I thought for a second that I
really was about to be evicted.
"Why, Cousin Jules! I haven't seen you since the war, how you've grown!"
A younger woman in dark blue tugged hard and led me from the scene.
"Yeahit's been a while," I loudly agreed.
Once out of immediate earshot she said, '"Don't mind her, Abigail is
just your average inheritance vulture like the rest of us. Her trouble
is that she pretends so hard she isn't."
"Thanks, Mrs., Miss"
"Clarice Francher, Miss." We shook hands. "I'm a vulture as well, but
then I'm more honest about it."
"How's that?"
"I admit that I never liked Cousin Violet and hardly knew Emily. I'm
here for appearance' sake and so I can hear what people are saying about
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me behind my back."
She was a pretty woman in her middle twenties with intelligent eyes and
a nicely rounded-out figure. She gave me a once-over as well and seemed
to like what she saw.
"And who are you, Mr"
"Jack Flynn," I stumbled out, mindful that John R. Fleming was
officially dead and had to stay that way for the time being. She picked
up on the hesitation, so I changed the subject. "Look, I only just heard
about this, can you tell me exactly what happened to Emily?"
Her big eyes had narrowed. "Are you a reporter?"
"No, only a friend."
"Whose?" She was evidently aware of Emily's hermitlike life.
"Emily's secretary."
This got me a second and much harder look. "Really? So the mystery man
has a friend?"
I glimpsed Abigail from the corner of one eye, straining to catch every
word. "Acquaintance might be more accurate." Someone caught Abigail's
attention and she darted off to harp at them.
"Might it?"
"Yeah, we've got some business dealings in common. Now, about the
accident--"
"Maybe you should talk to Mr. Barrett."
"I'd be glad to. Where is he?"
She shrugged. "Around, I suppose. I haven't seen him."
"I understand the police were called out here."
"Yes, they were, but it was just routine."
"Where did it happen?"
Clarice rolled her eyes, but with a hint of a smile. "You don't give up,
do you?"
"It's what makes me so charming."
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The smile became more pronounced. "All right. As I heard it, one of the [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]