Blame The Dead

Now his expression was plain bewilderment, but with a growing unease behind the eyes. 'So, then?'

I finished my drink and put the glass down. 'So I don't know any more. Thanks for the drink.'

'Hey, wait a minute! You didn't give that log to her, did you?'

'No.'

'That's something, then. So -hand it over.'

Til think about it.'

Til pay you a thousand.'

Til think about it.'

'Fifteen hundred and that's it. In cash. No tax.'

'I'll think about it.'

Willie said uncomfortably. 'Oh, do we really need this, Paul?'

'We need that bloody log!' Back to me. 'Two thousand.'

'I'll think-'

'Stop saying that!'

'Can I help it if I'm a great thinker?'

'Idon't believe you've got the bloody thing at all!' he shouted.

I knew how to react: a negligent shrug of believe-what-you-like-old-mate. But Willie looked as if he'd been caught bringing a female into his club.

And Mockby saw it. He swung round.'Has he got it?'

Willie made a sort of neighing noise.

'Great God on a gondola,' Mockby whispered hoarsely. 'You never had it.' His voice lifted to roaring-forties levels. 'Charles! Charles!'

The door crashed open and the big chauffeur stood there, looking surprised.

'Throw this cheap swindling sod out. I meanthrow him.'

The ruddy face creased into a happy grin. 'Right away, Mr Mockby.' He moved forward.

I took the Mauser out of the holster inside the waistband on my hip and just held it, pointing at the floor.

I knew what Mockby would say and he did: 'You won't use that thing.'

I reached out and fired, and after the bang there was a lovely long clattering clanking tinkling noise from inside the cocktail cabinet. One side of the mirror lining was totally gone, and a couple of glasses gone with it.

'Not too serious,' I soothed him. 'At least I didn't hit a bottle. And you can always tell your wife you were practising for the polo season. Come on, Willie.'

He looked only faintly surprised; the other two were petrified. He finished his drink, smiled politely at Mockby, and walked around him to the door. I followed; Charles stepped out of our way.

'I'll get you for-' he began.

'Don't trouble yourself. We'll find our own way out.'

The Bishop's Avenue was wide and bright and still, every light in every house blazing and nothing moving at all. Nobody running to see what the small sound of a -22 exploding had meant, even if they'd heard. You could stand and scream in the middle of the street there and if you did it long enough, somebody would ring the cops to come and take you away and abate the nuisance. But they wouldn't want to know why you screamed. Innocence is something you can buy for yourself, just as you can buy deafness for others.

As he swung out of the driveway, Willie said, 'I've always wantedsomething frightful to happen to that cabinet, but did you have to drag me away as well? '

'The less you say to Mockby right now, the better. And I needed a lift.'

His profile looked pained for a moment. 'Yes, I'm frightfully sorry about that. But does it really matter if Paul knows you haven't got the log?'

'It'll start him looking again, and I don't like his methods.'

'Ah, yes. Quite so.' Then he thought for a while and said, 'I wonder if he heard Martin right, with that business of invalidating the policy.'

'It takes a bit to invalidate a Lloyd's policy, does it?'

'Oh, Lord, yes. That's why they come to us… good solid policy, well-tested and all that. I just don't quite believe it…"

'Well, stop trying. Mockby was lying, anyway.'

'Washe?'

He glanced at me and the car slowed and a part-time homo sapiens who'd been doing forty mph eighteen inches behind us braked and hooted wildly. Willie took no notice at all. 'But why should he?'

'Because it keeps the Sahara Line right out of it. It makes it just a fuss between the ADP and their insurers; the ADP must have been doing the blackmail, killing Fenwick, trying to get hold of the log. The Sahara Line couldn't be involved and Mockby's hands are clean. Does that figure?'

'Er… yes, I see what you mean.'

'But when I mentioned meeting Mrs Smith-Bang-what?'

He nodded slowly. 'He was just normally rude about her. He doesn't really think she arranged for Martin to be killed. I see.'

'I'm assuming Mockby really cared about Fenwick, of course.'

'Oh, I think he did, all right. If nothing else, he thought Martin was a jolly valuable asset. Or he wouldn't have joined our syndicate – you know?' And after a while, he added, 'But what does it all add up to? '

'It doesn't. Not until we've got that log – if it still exists.'

'Well – what are you going to do next? '

'Just don't know.' But I knew what I was going to try.

It didn't seem too unrespectable an hour when I got home, so I rang Kingscutt straight off. Of course, she might have turned it in and come to stay in London somewhere, or even gone back to America – no, hardly likely, with David still in school.

Then she answered. Her voice was cool, polite, composed.

1 said, 'I'm sorry to trouble you, Mrs Fenwick; it's James Card.'

'Oh? How nice to hear from you. How are you getting on?'

'Well… I'm not sure. Would you be in if I popped down to see you tomorrow?'

After only a moment's pause, she said calmly, 'Yes, of course. Please come for lunch.'

Thanks very much, I'll do that. About twelve, then.'

After that I mixed myself another Scotch and went back to Vegetius on Preparations for a General Engagement until it was past time to go out for dinner, so I opened a tin of chilli.

Twenty-nine

I was there at twelve precisely.

The Manor looked a little cold and lonely without the shiny mass of parked cars that had been there last time. Now there was just a scruffy old Morris Minor – so old it had the V-shaped windscreen – parked on the gravel beside the front door. I climbed the steps and pulled an old bellknob and heard it jangle.

The housekeeper-shaped woman who'd been shovelling round the food at the funeral opened the door, nodded a little dourly at me, and led the way in. Lois Fenwick was in the big drawing-room, now looking even bigger and emptier. She was sitting on the rug in front of a big log fire.

She smiled pleasantly and just reached up a long arm and I shook her hand. 'It's very nice of you to come all this way. We don't see many people these days, do we, Mrs Benson?'

The housekeeper made a noncommittal grunting noise. Mrs Fenwick looked at a neat little gold wristwatch and said, 'Time for our medicine, Mrs Benson.' Then, to me, 'What would you like to drink?'

'D'you have any beer?' I'd still got the drive back. But no beer, so I had to have a Scotch and soda anyway. Mrs Benson mixed them from a tray in the corner, it was obviously a daily ritual. She brought Mrs Fenwick a gin and tonic, me my Scotch, herself a glass of what looked like sweet sherry.

Lois said, 'Well, cheers.'

Mrs Benson gave another strangled grunt, sank her sherry in one lump, and went away. Far away, I heard a vacuum cleaner start up.

Lois laughed gaily. 'Dear Mrs Benson. I don't know what I'd do without her, but she doesn't really approve of me having men to visit. Now sit down and tell me what you've been doing.'

She was wearing a high-necked Victorian cream silk blouse and slim black trousers that really were slim, and leaning against a big brass-and-leather club fender. The nearest chair was a good six feet away, so I perched on one corner of the fender.

'I've been sort of trying to find out who killed your husband.' And she took that without blinking. 'But not getting very far. There's one thing, a ship's log-book, that was sent him from Norway. You wouldn't have any idea what happened to it, would you?'