Chapter XXXVI
Agnes Masterman’s statement:
“I am making this statement because there is nothing else I can do. Mr. Porlock and Mr. Carroll were bad men. Perhaps they deserved to die-I don’t know. My old cousin never did anyone any harm. You can’t kill people just because they are bad, or because they are in your way. You can’t let innocent people suffer. I can’t let Mr. Oakley be arrested, because I know that he is innocent. There are things you can do, and things you can’t. I can’t let him be arrested.
“We went upstairs at about ten minutes to ten. I didn’t know what to do. I had to talk to my brother, but I was afraid-I was very much afraid. I had been thinking about the money-my old cousin’s money. She didn’t mean us to have it-at least she didn’t mean Geoffrey to have it-and she made another will, but he kept it back. I ought to have gone to the lawyer at once, and all the time I couldn’t be sure whether he had frightened her-or something worse. She was old and frail, and very easily frightened. I couldn’t get it out of my head. I don’t know how Mr. Porlock got to know anything about it, but he did. He made us come down here because he wanted to get money out of Geoffrey. When he was stabbed like that I was afraid, but I didn’t think it was Geoffrey. I thought it was Mr. Carroll. I think most of us did. But Geoffrey said he thought it was Mr. Tote. He really did make me feel that he hadn’t anything to do with it himself. And he gave in about the money and said he would produce the will. He told me she’d left fifty thousand to me, and I said he could have it. I thought I would make sure that he didn’t change his mind, so I wrote to the lawyer and said we had found a later will, and I walked down to the village and posted the letter on Sunday evening. After that I didn’t feel I minded about anything else. I was just waiting for the answer.
“Then tonight something happened. It was like waking up, only instead of waking out of a nightmare it was like waking into one. It happened when Mr. Carroll was talking. I think he was bad and cruel. He was trying to make us believe that he knew who had murdered Mr. Porlock. He kept hinting that he had seen something when the lights came on. I don’t know whether he really did or not. I looked across at Geoffrey, and I saw his thumbs twitching. That was when I woke up. He’d done it all his life when he was very much afraid. My father was very severe with him. I’ve seen his thumbs jerk like that when he went in to be caned. I saw them jerk and twitch when my old cousin died. He doesn’t know it’s happening. When I looked across and saw it this evening I knew what it meant. I couldn’t help knowing. I had to talk to him and tell him that I knew, but I was very much afraid.
“As we came through the hall, Mr. Carroll said, ‘I’ve got a call to put through.’ He went into the study. Geoffrey looked dreadful. He left me and went upstairs. The others had gone already. I went to my room, but I felt I had to speak to him. I came out again and went round the gallery and down the other passage to his room, but he wasn’t there. I thought perhaps he had gone to the bathroom, and I waited. I left the door half open. Presently I heard a door open and I looked out. It was the door of Mr. Porlock’s room, and Geoffrey was coming out of it. I didn’t want him to see me watching him, so I drew back. He didn’t see me. He went past his own room and down the back stairs. I waited a little, and then I went down too. I thought perhaps it would be better if we had our talk downstairs where no one could hear us and wonder why we were talking. When I got down the billiard-room door was open and there was a cold draught blowing. It was all dark, but I felt my way in, and the window on the left was open. I stood there for quite a little time. I thought something bad was happening, but I didn’t know what it was. I was afraid to go on, and I was afraid to go back. Then all at once I heard footsteps outside in the court, and a pattering sound. One or two pebbles came in through the window. Then I heard Mr. Carroll open his window upstairs. He called out, ‘Is that you, Oakley?’ and I wondered what Mr. Oakley was doing there. I went behind a curtain and looked out. I could just see someone in the middle of the court. He said, ‘It might be worth your while to keep a still tongue. Suppose you come down and talk it over.’
“As soon as he spoke I knew that it was Geoffrey. He was talking in a sort of whispering way, but you can’t mistake your own brother’s voice. I stood behind the curtain. Mr. Carroll came down, feeling his way like I had done. He climbed out of the window and went to where Geoffrey was. Geoffrey said very quick, ‘What’s that behind you?’ Mr. Carroll turned round, and Geoffrey hit him. I couldn’t see what he had in his hand. He hit him, and Mr. Carroll fell down. He called out Mr. Oakley’s name and he fell down. After that he didn’t make a sound and he didn’t move. Geoffrey came running to the window and got in. He shut it, and he drew the curtain over it, all in the dark. I thought he would touch me, and then he would kill me too, but he just pulled the curtain and went out of the door and along the passage to the hall. I don’t know why he went there, because he came back almost at once. I heard him go up the back stairs. I didn’t move for a long time. I think I fainted, because when I began to think again I was half sitting, half kneeling on the window-seat and there was someone out in the court with a torch in his hand. I went along the passage to the hall and upstairs to my room. I took off my dress and put on my dressing-gown because it was warm-but I can’t get warm.”
Chapter XXXVll
The inquest was over. Verdict, wilful murder by Geoffrey Masterman. Dispersal of the guests at the Grange. Miss Masterman to a nursing-home. The Totes to the expensive and uncomfortable house in which she always felt a stranger. Moira Lane to the three-roomed flat which she shared with a friend. Miss Silver would stay to keep Dorinda company until after the funeral, when she too would return to town.
It was Dorinda’s destination which was in doubt. She could return to the Heather Club and look for another job. But on the other hand why should she? Two murders and a legacy which she had no intention of keeping didn’t really interfere with the fact that she was Mrs. Oakley’s secretary. She put the point to Moira Lane, and Moira blew a smoke-ring and said,
“Too right.” Then she laughed and said, “Ask Justin!”
Dorinda asked him. At least that is not quite the way to put it. She just said of course there wasn’t any reason why she shouldn’t go back to the Oakleys, and he said, “What a mind!” and walked out of the room. He didn’t slam the door, because Pearson was coming in with the tea-tray, but Dorinda got the impression that if it hadn’t been for that, he might have banged it quite hard.
After tea she walked up to the Mill House and was ushered by Doris into the pink boudoir, where the Oakleys had been having tea. Doris took the tray. Martin Oakley shook hands and edged out of the room. She was left with Linnet, in one of her rose-coloured negligées, reclining on the sofa propped up with pink and blue cushions. Dorinda thought she resembled a Dresden china figure, a little the worse for wear but obviously cheering up. The stamp of tragedy, so ill-suited to her type, was gone. The shadow under the forget-me-not blue eyes no longer suggested a bruise. Some slight natural colour was evident beneath a delicate artificial tint. She was affectionate to the point of warmth. She held Dorinda’s hand for quite a long time whilst she gazed at her with swimming eyes and said how dreadful it had all been.
Dorinda agreed, and came straight to the point.
“I could come back any day now-”
It was at this moment that her hand was released. A lace-bordered handkerchief came into play. Between dabs Mrs. Oakley murmured that it was all so difficult.
“You don’t want me to come?”
There were more dabs.
“Oh, it isn’t that-”