March said, “Miss Day-” in a meditative tone, and then, “In a matter of drugs one would naturally think first about the nurse. But what motive would she have for drugging her patient?”
Miss Silver coughed.
“There are several answers to that, Randall. She might wish to keep him-she might wish to keep a very comfortable situation. You will understand that I am not accusing Miss Day.”
He drew his brows together in a frowning line.
“Are you trying to link up this suggestion that Jerome Pilgrim is being drugged with the deaths of Henry Clayton and Roger Pilgrim?”
She said very soberly,
“There is no evidence of a link, is there? There is, in fact, no evidence at all, only an unexplored possibility which I have asked you to explore. It may lead you into a blind alley-I am not prepared to say that it will not do so. But you will, I think, agree that when a serious crime has been committed anything abnormal should be investigated. It may not prove to have any connection with the crime, but that is no reason for neglecting it.”
“No, of course not.”
Miss Silver came up to the table and stood there, a small dowdy figure in olive-green cashmere. She said,
“If Captain Pilgrim were being drugged, it would be an abnormal happening, would it not? But the sudden cessation of the drugging would be abnormal too.”
“What do you mean?”
“There has been no attack since the discovery of Henry Clayton’s body.”
“My dear Miss Silver, what does that amount to? We only found him yesterday?”
She coughed.
“I should have gone farther back. There has been no attack since Roger Pilgrim died.” She set a hand on the table and leaned towards him. “Randall, there has been no attack since the police came into the house.”
He smiled.
“No attack for two nights. Would that be so abnormal?”
It was the wrong answer. He was reminded of his schoolroom days. She said sharply,
“You are not giving your mind to it, Randall. It has been stressed that these attacks are the result of excitement or exertion. Consider the events of the last two days-the violent death of one person-the discovery of the murdered body of another- the necessity felt by Captain Pilgrim of assuming his place as head of the family. Could there be anything more conducive to an attack? Yet no attack has followed. Captain Pilgrim has exerted himself beyond what anyone would have considered prudent. He insisted on seeing Miss Freyne and breaking the news to her. The interview could hardly fail to be a most distressing one, yet there have been no ill effects. You will say that a nervous invalid may be roused and taken out of himself by a shock. That would be a possible explanation. But there is another explanation which is also possible. The presence of the police in the house, the careful scrutiny of everything and everyone, might quite reasonably alarm the person who had been using a drug and deter him or her from incurring any further risk.”
March said,
“Him-or her?”
“That is what I said, Randall.”
“Yes, but which?”
“That is not for me to say.”
He said gravely,
“You’ve said a good deal. For instance, you offered an alternative reason for Jerome being drugged. You indicated that the attacks seemed to be connected with Miss Freyne. You suggested that someone wished it to be inferred that her visits had an upsetting effect. You said that someone might be trying to separate them. Have you any reason to suppose that there is anything between her and Jerome?”
“There is friendship and a deep affection-on his side, I think, a very deep affection.”
“Do you mean that he is in love with her?”
“I cannot say. I have only seen them together on one occasion. He was like a different man.”
“And who would wish to separate them? His aunts, his nurse? You know, if it was just that kind of jealousy, there might be no connection with the murder.”
She inclined her head.
“Quite so.”
“The aunts might be possessive-Miss Columba in particular is obviously devoted to him. The nurse might want to keep her job, or she might be fond of him herself-there might be no more in it than a jealous woman’s trick. But why pick on Miss Janetta? She seems to me to have less motive than anyone else.” He looked at her enquiringly.
She did not speak. When he became aware that he would get no answer he pushed back his chair.
“Well, I must be getting along. I’m to have the reports on the two post-mortems. And then-well, then, I think, I shall come back with a warrant and arrest Robbins. I’ll leave Abbott and one of the men here-it had better be the sergeant. They can carry out your search. I suppose Miss Janetta can be induced to move into her sister’s room whilst it is going on. I think it must be done as part of a general routine job-less upsetting all round-” He broke off and looked at her shrewdly. “All the same I would very much like to know why you have asked me to have just that room searched. Why not Jerome’s room-the bathroom-and Miss Day’s?”
Miss Silver coughed primly.
“Because I have already searched them myself.”
chapter 28
Miss Silver came out of the study and went up to her room. The door to the back stair was open. She heard footsteps and voices, one of them Gloria’s. She turned back to look and listen. There were two girls at the open bathroom door-Gloria pink-cheeked and chattering, and a sensible-looking young woman in khaki with a corporal’s stripes on her sleeve.
Miss Silver drew their attention with a cough.
“Is that your sister, Gloria? I should like to meet her.”
Maggie Pell was brought up and introduced.
“She’s been seeing Miss Columba out in the garden and come in for a tidy-up. And Miss Collie says she’s grown, and they don’t starve her in the A.T.S. She says she looks ever so well. But Granpa, he don’t half carry on about the uniform.”
Maggie smiled, a nice slow smile. Her hair was much darker than Gloria’s and very neat. She had blunt features and a thick white skin. Her brown eyes were kind.
“He’s old,” she said-“you can’t expect him to change his ways.”
Miss Silver looked at her, and took a decision.
“I wonder if you could spare me a few minutes,” she said, “Is Gloria going out with you? Could you give me a quarter of an hour whilst she is putting on her things-if it will not make you miss your bus?”
Maggie shook her head.
“Oh, no, that’s all right-there’s no hurry. We’re walking across the fields to see my aunt, Mrs. Collis, at Crow Farm.”
She had a steady, quiet manner. Miss Silver approved. She took her into her room and shut the door.
“Sit down, Maggie. I expect you are wondering why I want to see you. You know, of course, what has been happening here.”
Maggie said, “I’m sure it’s dreadful! Mr. Henry and Mr. Roger both gone-I can’t hardly believe it!”
“You were working here at the time that Mr. Clayton disappeared, were you not?”
“I wasn’t sleeping in the house.”
“No-I know that. It is all very shocking. And most necessary that it should be cleared up. Now I think you may be able to help us.”
“I’m afraid I don’t know anything about it.”
Miss Silver gave a gentle cough.
“You cannot be sure about that. I want to ask you whether anyone sent a parcel to the cleaners just after Mr. Clayton was missing.”