The Complete Ravenscar Trilogy: The Ravenscar Dynasty, Heirs of Ravenscar, Being Elizabeth. Barbara Taylor Bradford

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СКАЧАТЬ so we can begin.’

      At this very moment Alfredo knocked and walked in, looking somewhat harassed. ‘Afternoon, everyone,’ he said in an offhand, rather casual way, and took a chair next to Edward.

      Inspector Laidlaw pushed his chair back a little, so that the other four men in the room were in his line of vision. ‘Well, gentlemen, I’m here to tell you that I don’t have very much news to give you. We have done a very intensive investigation into Aubrey Masters’s death, and we’ve come up empty-handed.’

      ‘What exactly does that mean, Inspector?’ John Summers asked, steepling his fingers, a habit of his, and frowning at the detective, looking displeased.

      ‘There are no suspects. We don’t believe anyone gave him digitalis, because there seems to be no reason anyone would want to kill him. He led a plain life, somewhat humdrum, in fact. It was a dull marriage, his wife is a bit reclusive, but there were no other women.’

      ‘But did he have a heart condition?’ Rob Aspen asked, ‘and did you manage to trace Dr Springer?’

      ‘He did not have a heart condition, nor was he prescribed digitalis because he didn’t need it,’ the inspector explained. ‘We did find Dr Springer, and he turned out to be a psychiatrist, one who is a follower of Dr Freud. He could throw a little light on Mr Masters’s life in general, although he did show us the medical files pertaining to Mr Masters. He explained that Masters was concerned with his lack of sexuality, worried that this problem was affecting his relationship with his wife. Apparently he firmly believed that she felt neglected.’

      The inspector paused, then added, ‘Dr Springer was analysing him.’

      ‘So did he die of an overdose of digitalis or not?’ Alfredo now asked, a trifle impatiently. He was in a hurry, wanted this meeting to come to a conclusion so he could talk to Edward Deravenel privately.

      ‘Yes, he did,’ the inspector confirmed quietly.

      ‘There was an inquest this morning, wasn’t there?’ Edward said, as he stared at the Scotland Yard man.

      ‘Indeed there was, Mr Deravenel, and the coroner brought in a verdict of accidental death.’ Laidlaw paused for a moment, then finished, ‘In my opinion there could be no other verdict than this. My sergeant and I believe that Masters accidentally poisoned himself with his vegetarian mix of seeds and pods, the stuff he ate, and apparently had eaten for years. It could have built up, the toxicity. The medical examiner thinks that anyway.’

      ‘Didn’t you examine his vegetarian mix at his home?’ Edward gave the detective another hard stare.

      ‘We did indeed, but there was nothing much there, and certainly there was no digitalis in the mixture we did find. You see, the idea was to buy everything fresh several times a week, at least so Mrs Masters told us.’

      ‘And where did he buy the mix?’ John Summers thought to ask.

      ‘That’s the problem: we don’t know,’ Laidlaw answered, and added, ‘His wife told us he brought the mixture home with him in a plain, unmarked brown paper bag, so we have no idea what store he bought it at. I told you, we’ve come up empty-handed, I’m afraid. Case closed, gentlemen. There was no crime, in our opinion.’

      ‘Thank you very much, Inspector Laidlaw,’ Edward said courteously, immediately rising, walking over to the detective, shaking his hand. ‘I, we, appreciate everything you’ve done to solve this, and I suppose it will always remain a mystery, won’t it.’

      ‘That’s right, sir, it will,’ Laidlaw answered, and took his leave of them.

      Edward followed the detective, walked him down the corridor, as he had in the past, heading in the direction of the grand staircase. When they reached it, Edward turned to Laidlaw and said, ‘Inspector, if you ever need anything, need help, whatever it is, please come to me. You’ve been most diligent, and very courteous. Deravenels and I appreciate everything you’ve done.’

      ‘Very little it seems to me, sir, and thank you for your kind offer. I’m sorry, too, Mr Deravenel, that we haven’t been able to solve the attack on you. It wasn’t for the want of trying.’

      ‘Another mystery,’ Edward murmured, offering him a warm and genial smile.

      A moment later, alone in his office, Edward reached for the phone on his desk and picked up the receiver. Then he instantly replaced it. Why make a telephone call to Neville now? It wasn’t necessary. The newspaper boys would soon be out on the streets, touting the latest afternoon editions and screaming the headlines. Best to let sleeping dogs lie, he decided, and waited for Oliveri to come into his office.

      He arrived within two minutes.

      Seating himself in the chair, Alfredo gave Edward a long questioning stare and said, ‘So, what do you think?’

      ‘I think the inspector is a damned fine policeman who has found absolutely no evidence of murder.’

      ‘Do you think Aubrey Masters committed suicide?’

      ‘I’m not sure, to be truthful. He might have killed himself, but let’s take the coroner’s verdict as the gospel truth, shall we?’

      ‘But naturally, old chap,’ Alfredo said, poker-faced. ‘However, between you and me, I’ve found enough evidence to have had him hung, drawn and quartered if he’d been alive. He was definitely skimming, and Jack Beaufield and James Cliff were in on it with him. And others on the job locally.’

      Edward grinned. ‘So we’ve got the two who are still alive by the cojones, have we?’

      ‘Oh yes, indeed, we surely do. It’s taken a bit of digging, if you’ll excuse the unintended pun, by Aspen and Christopher Green but we now have even more evidence required to get those two out. I can’t wait to tell Neville Watkins.’

      Vicky Forth had the hansom cab take her to Whitechapel; once they arrived at the High Street she alighted, reminding the driver that he was to wait for her.

      Hurrying away from the horse-drawn cab, she made her way through several mean, bleak little streets until she arrived at the reclaimed old building now named Haddon House. She knocked on the door and waited, looking up at the darkening sky. A storm threatened and it was beginning to drizzle.

      The door was opened within seconds, and the young woman standing on the threshold smiled when she saw Vicky. ‘Mrs Forth, how nice to see you again, and so soon! Fenella is in her office, do please come in.’ She opened the door wider and ushered Vicky inside.

      After hanging Vicky’s top coat in the hall cupboard, the young woman said, ‘Come along, I’ll take you to her office.’

      ‘Thanks, Dora, but I do think I know the way by now,’ Vicky replied, laughing.

      Fenella Fayne jumped up when she saw Vicky in the doorway of her office and immediately came around the desk, greeted her old friend affectionately.

      ‘Let’s sit over there by the fire,’ Fenella suggested. ‘It’s turned chilly today, and it’s damp as well.’

      ‘It’s not very nice out,’ Vicky СКАЧАТЬ