“It’s just a policeman asking questions aboutthe Ball.”
The woman blanched at the word “Ball”.
“This is my wife, sir. Mrs. AudreyDenfield.”
“Pleased to meet ya,” Cobb said, giving aslight bow as he had seen Marc Edwards do.
“I’ll just go, then,” Audrey said.
“No, please stay, ma’am. I understand youwere at the Ball with yer husband.”
“Yes, I was.”
“Did either of you see a Mr. Gilles Gagnondancin’ with Delores Cardiff-Jones?” Cobb asked.
Denfield glanced at his wife and said, “Idid.”
Audrey nodded but did not speak.
“Did they talk while they danced? Did theyseem friendly?”
“What an odd question, Constable. As far as Icould see, they just danced, as people usually do.”
“Did they talk together afterwards?”
“Yes.” It was Audrey who spoke. “I remembersaying to Cecil that those two seemed awfully cozy.”
“Surely you exaggerate, dear.”
“I do not. Delores is a flirt, and you knowit.”
“You danced with her as well,” Cobb said toDenfield.
“What of it? She was the hostess.”
“Were you a particular acquaintance of thelady? A friend?”
“We knew the woman socially. That was all,”Denfield said.
“Mere acquaintances,” Audrey said, giving herhusband a sharp glance.
“Pardon me fer askin’ this, sir, but wherewere you between seven and eight o’clock on the evenin’ of themurder?”
“What a strange question,” Audrey said.
“You don’t suppose I had anything to do withthe crime?’ Denfield said, indignant.
“We need to be sure the defense council don’ttry to throw suspicion at others who knew the victim,” Cobbsaid.
“I see. Very well, then. I was home here allevening. Isn’t that so, my dear?”
“We were together the whole time,” Audreysaid with so much conviction that Cobb was certain she was lying.Still, it was hard to see Denfield as an outraged suitor, even ifhe had perhaps been overly friendly with the flirtatious Mrs.Cardiff-Jones. Denfield wasn’t a candidate for husbandhood or aseeker after her fortune: he was married and well-off.
“Would you mind tryin’ on this glove?” Cobbsaid suddenly.
“Why on earth?” said Denfield.
“Humour me.”
The glove slid on easily.
Cobb thanked the surprised couple and left.He stopped at The Cock and Bull for a draught of ale, then went tothe police quarters and dictated his notes to Gussie French. Butthis time he was not so lucky at avoiding the Chief, who steppedout of his office into the anteroom and shouted, “Cobb! In here.Now.”
Gussie smirked and Cobb followed CyrilBagshaw into his office.
Standing behind his desk, Bagshaw said,“Well, Cobb, you’ve gone and done it again. You’ve ruffled thetails of the high and mighty.”
“I have?”
“I’ve had Horace Macy in here accusing you oftreating him as a suspect for murder.”
“I was just quizzin’ him about the CharityBall, sir. I was lookin’ fer a motive for Gagnon.”
“You questioned him about hiswhereabouts on the night of the crime!” Bagshaw’s eyebrows shot upand shook.
“Well, sir, I thought that Marc Edwards,who’ll be Gagnon’s defense attorney, would try to suggest other menwith motives could’ve done the deed. I wanted to eliminate Macy asa suspect.”
“While suggesting he was one!”
“I’m sorry he took it the wrong way.”
“Not as sorry as I am. I want you to ceaseinterviewing people of quality who might’ve seen something to dowith Gagnon at the Ball. You are to ruffle no more feathers.Besides, we’ve got enough to hang Gagnon without a motive.”
“Am I off the case, then?”
“No, as long as you develop evidence againstthe accused, not go on fishing expeditions that enrage the decentcitizens of the town.”
“I can do that, sir.”
“And stay away from Marc Edwards!”
Cobb left the office, duly chastised. He wentimmediately to Briar Cottage to talk with Marc Edwards.
EIGHT
“Well, you’ve done a full day’s work,” Marc said toCobb as he leaned forward to light his pipe. The two friends werein Marc’s parlour discussing Cobb’s investigation. Both men weresmoking, drawing deep, satisfying puffs. The house was otherwisequiet. Beth, Etta and the two children had gone out for an earlyevening walk.
“Well, I’ve rounded up a few suspects, that’sfer sure.”
“And got yourself in Dutch with yoursuperior.”
“I can handle that okay.”
“Do you really think one of the suitors couldhave done it?”
“I wouldn’t put it past ‘em. Both Trueman andLacy were really after the lady – and her money.”
“She was rich?”
“A fortune left to her by her husband when hedied.”
“But surely they’re more likely to eliminateone another?”
“They tried to. They were all set to fight aduel when Wilkie and me arrived in time to break it up.”
“I see. So passions were running high?”
“But after I broke up the duel, the two ofthem cozied up to each other, like they’d been friends. I don’t getit.”
“Maybe they realized the lady was playingthem both for fools.”
“Well, it seems she was an awful flirt. Sheeven flirted with Cecil Denfield, a married man.”
“And you interviewed him?”
“I did. But he has no real motive. He’s wellmarried and has lots of dough.”
“Still, you never can tell.”
“My money’s on Macy right now. He’s a chemistand can get all the acid he needs. And the glove fits.”
“As it did on Trueman, you say,” Marc said,relighting his pipe. “It’s useful but only as circumstantialevidence.” He paused and then said, “You mentioned a ConstanceBrown.”
“Oh, yeah. She was Macy’s fiancée until hejilted her in favour of the widow.”
“You think she might have blamed the otherwoman?”
“It’s possible. I do intend to interview herto see if I can tell what her feelings were, and whether she’d becapable of throwin’ acid in a rival’s face.”
“At least she’s unlikely to complain to ChiefBagshaw.”
Cobb smiled. “I’m through rufflin’feathers.”
“Of course, Gilles’s story, as he told it tome, is that he saw a man running off when he arrived on the scene.But it was dusk and he could have been mistaken. All I need for avigorous defense are people to cast suspicion upon. And you’vegiven me a number so far.”
“How is Gagnon holdin’ up?”
“As well as could be expected, given the grimcircumstances and the fact that he has been wrongly accused. Louisvisits him twice a day.”
“It must be affectin’ yer election?”
“I must admit that it is. The race is neckand neck at this time, and I put the blame on the anti-Frenchsentiment stirred up by Gagnon’s arrest and the intimidationtactics of the opposition.”
“But Louis will win?”
“I hope so.” Marc knocked the ashes out ofhis pipe. Cobb’s was still going.
“Well, there’s a ways to go yet,” Cobbsaid.
“By the way, you mentioned you talked toVera, the lady’s maid. Did you approach the other servants by anychance?”
“No, I didn’t get around to it. But Vera wasthe last person to see the victim alive.”
“It’s possible one of the other servants waslooking out a front window and saw something important. Or theymight have seen the man running away around the side of thehouse.”
“I hadn’t thought of that. Looks like I’llhave to make another trip to Rosewood.”
“Be careful, Cobb. And stay away fromHumphrey Cardiff. He is very much involved in this case – as youcan imagine – and he has set a trial date for a week from Monday.So we haven’t a lot of time to build up a defense.”
“It would be nice to find the real murdererbefore the trial begins.”
“I am in your hands,” Marc said.
***
Early the next day Cobb went to Constance Brown’splace. Constance Brown herself answered his first knock. Before himstood a plump woman in her mid-thirties. Her ginger hair wasuntamed and her blue eyes were sharp and searching.