The Klondike Mysteries 4-Book Bundle. Vicki Delany

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СКАЧАТЬ trail cooking. Angus had to intervene out of sheer desperation.

      “Can you tell me any more about what happened on Saturday, Walker, Mrs. MacGillivray?” Sterling pulled a small note pad and a stub of pencil out of his tunic pocket.

      “Where’s Inspector McKnight today?” I asked, dipping my biscuit into the coffee to soften it. “I expected he would be the one looking into Ireland’s death.”

      “Who said anything about Jack Ireland? I only asked you about the events of Saturday night.”

      “Oh, don’t play clever with me, Constable Sterling. You don’t come in every morning to join us for coffee and chat about our business.”

      He grinned, and I remembered last night and that brief moment standing on the steps of the stage, with a dead body lying at our feet, when I had thought he was going to touch me.

      “McKnight is pursuing other lines of inquiry. He’ll be around later to talk to you. This isn’t Alaska; we don’t have many murders in the Yukon. Ireland is the first this year, and the boss is determined it’ll be the last. Now, about Saturday?”

      Ray shrugged. “Told you all about it last night.”

      “So you did. But I’d like you to tell me again.”

      “Ireland wanted to keep dancing after his minute was up. He wouldn’t let go of the girl and objected when I told him to leave. So he got thrown out. That’s about it.”

      Sterling lifted one eyebrow. “Was Jack Ireland here for long?”

      “I seem to think he might have been. Did you see him, Fee?”

      “Oh, for pity’s sake, Ray. It probably took the Constable less than a minute to find out precisely when Ireland was here and what transpired. People will have been talking about nothing else, and no doubt the story is growing bigger and more extravagant every minute.”

      Helen clattered back through the bar carrying her pail and a dripping mop. Liquid sloshed in the bucket, and the contents of my stomach rose into my throat. I averted my eyes. “Jack Ireland made quite the nuisance of himself. He insulted one of my girls and tried to start a fight when Ray stepped in, which is, as you are no doubt aware, part of his responsibilities here. Mr. Ireland was escorted to the door and politely told never to return.”

      “As you said, Mrs. MacGillivray, the men are talking about little else. I dropped in to a couple of the dance halls on my way over here. I’ll admit that the story gets more interesting in the telling. They’re saying that Walker would have kicked Ireland to death if you hadn’t intervened. Isn’t that taking things beyond your job, Walker?”

      Ray growled.

      “Exaggeration, of course, Constable. Ray was, naturally, extremely angry at the insult to the dancer. An insult that was accompanied by an act of physical violence. Ray takes the girls’ welfare to heart. Don’t you, Ray?”

      “I’m inclined to believe you, Mrs. MacGillivray,” Sterling said. “Bar gossip is about the most unreliable evidence the police can get. The men are saying you put Ireland onto the floor yourself before Walker intervened, and that you single-handedly dragged Walker off of Ireland.”

      I laughed lightly and waved my hand in the air. “You see the things you might start to believe if you listen to gossip.”

      “Which lady was it, Mr. Walker, who Ireland offended?”

      Ray said nothing.

      “Irene,” I said.

      “Irene?”

      “Irene.”

      “Irene what, Mrs. MacGillivray? What’s her last name?”

      “Davidson.”

      Sterling wrote in his notebook.

      I was about to make my excuses and take my leave when he spoke again. “People are also saying that you’re very fond of Irene Davidson, Walker. A fondness that she doesn’t appear to return. They say you weren’t happy about the attentions Ireland paid her. He promised to take her to San Francisco and make her a famous actress, or so they say.”

      Ray said nothing. I wanted to shake some sense into him. He was a suspect in this killing, and his sullen refusal to speak up didn’t show him in a good light.

      “Did Ireland have reason to believe that Irene Davidson might give him more dances than he paid for?”

      “Unfortunately, he may have,” I said. Obviously the man knew everything, no point in pretending otherwise. “I believe they spent some time together the previous evening, after closing. Perhaps he thought that gave him the right to certain liberties.”

      “Gossip, Fee.” Ray was not doing a very good job of hiding his anger at the direction in which these questions were heading. “Now you’re the one spreading gossip.”

      “Sorry, I didn’t quite get that, Mr. Walker.”

      “He accused me of listening to gossip. Which I never do. Much too common.” I glared at Ray. He threw daggers back. We must have presented an interesting sight to the observant constable.

      I waited for Sterling to ask me what else I knew about Irene’s involvement with Ireland. A meaningless phrase like “spent some time together” covered a lot of sins. But his focus shifted.

      “At what time did this trouble take place?” “At about, ahem, the time you arrived to watch us closing down.”

      “I didn’t see you, Walker. In fact, a couple of your bartenders were showing Mr. Ireland the door. Under Mrs. MacGillivray’s supervision, if I remember correctly. Where were you at the time?”

      “Supervising the closing of the gambling rooms, of course,” I answered for my taciturn partner. “Precisely where he would be expected to be at that time of the night.” I opened the inexpensive watch I keep pinned at the waist of my dress when I’m working. “Goodness me, look at the time. Almost opening. If you have no more questions, Constable?” I got to my feet and gathered up my ledger and pen.

      Clearly, Sterling had plenty more questions, but he was too well brought up to remain seated when a lady got to her feet. Unlike Ray, who remained slumped over the table.

      I tossed the constable a demure smile and dared to flutter my eyelashes. But only once. “I can’t tell you how pleased I am that you’re investigating this horrid business so seriously, Constable Sterling. That such a thing could happen in our establishment is simply beyond belief. Isn’t it, Ray? Ray!” If my partner had been any closer, I would have kicked him.

      “You can count on me to do my duty, Mrs. MacGillivray.” Sterling tucked his notebook and pencil back into the pocket of his scarlet tunic. “Inspector McKnight will want to speak to you later. And you too, Walker.”

      “I can be found in my office every morning from nine o’clock until shortly before noon, unless I’m running errands. He’s welcome to call on me then.”

      Sterling nodded politely, put his hat on his head and made for the door.

      I tossed the ledger СКАЧАТЬ