Buckingham Palace Gardens - Anne Perry [114]
Gracie’s eyes never moved from his face.
“The Prince had a bath to clean himself up,” he went on. “And maybe sober himself as well. That would explain why the Princess found the bathtub still warm, when she did not expect him to have used it. In the meantime Dunkeld cleaned up the room and had the remains of the broken ornament removed, and everything else tidied up. Then he made a pretense of finding the body himself, to ensure we were called and the evidence kept under some control.”
“Only Mrs. Sorokine got too clever, an’ worked it out?” she finished. “Did ’e kill ’is own daughter then, to ’ide it? That’s ’orrible! ’E don’t owe that kind o’ loyalty ter the Queen even, nor nobody! An’ din’t yer say as the way she were cut open were jus’ the same as the other poor cow…I mean woman?”
“Yes.”
“Then stands ter reason it were the Prince as done that too, don’t it?”
He felt helpless to deny it, and yet he could not bring himself to say so. “I don’t know.”
“D’yer still think Mr. Sorokine done it?” she asked.
“I suppose it’s possible,” Pitt said reluctantly. “I can’t see Dunkeld killing his own daughter. Killing a wife is different. Tragically, that happens often.”
“Ter protect ’Is Royal ’Ighness?” Gracie’s expression was one of disbelief mixed with a crowding, terrible fear. “I think ever so much o’ the Queen, but I couldn’t kill none o’ me own ter protect ’er, even if she never done a thing wrong in ’er life. An’ I wouldn’t put down a dog ter save ’Is Royal ’Ighness, if he done that ter Sadie. I don’t care wot ’appens ter the Crown, nor nothin’. I don’t want a Crown wot’s red wi’ blood.”
“No, Gracie, neither do I,” Pitt admitted. “I don’t know what I’m going to do, but I’ll do something, I promise you.”
Her face brightened.
“Yer’ll tell Mr. Narraway, when ’e comes back, won’t yer? Mebbe ’e’ll know wot ter do?”
“Maybe,” he agreed. “He’s looking to see if he can find anything in Sorokine’s past to show he’s done it before.”
Gracie gave a little sigh, puzzled and unhappy. “Yer gonna be all right?” she asked anxiously. “Yer in’t goin’ ter let anyone know wot yer think, are yer?”
He smiled. “No, of course not. And don’t you either! As far as we are concerned, the guilty man is Julius Sorokine. We are just tidying up the proof. That’s an order, Gracie.”
“Yer don’t ’ave ter order me.” She gave a shudder and pulled her apron straight so sharply that she undid one of the ties. She made a bow of it again, crookedly, then excused herself, closing the door with a snap behind her.
Pitt had not lied, yet he had not told Gracie the exact truth. He felt he had no choice but to speak to the Prince of Wales directly. It was an interview he was not looking forward to. The only thing worse would be to see Julius Sorokine condemned and still be uncertain if he were guilty.
This time he did not ask for Dunkeld’s assistance in obtaining an audience, or Mr. Tyndale’s either. He had no intention of allowing himself to be denied. He was obliged to wait for nearly forty-five minutes.
“Yes, Inspector?” the Prince said when he was finally shown in. “I have already been informed that Sorokine has been arrested and confined to his room. No doubt Mr. Narraway will bring men to remove him with all discretion. Will that be tonight? I can see that cover of darkness would be better. I thank you for your rapid and…and tactful conduct of the matter. I deeply regret that we could not bring it to a conclusion before Mrs. Sorokine also lost her life.”
In one sweeping statement he had thanked Pitt and condemned him for his failure to save Minnie, and concluded their business.