Buckingham Palace Gardens - Anne Perry [93]
He apologized for having to distress her. She dismissed it. “You have no choice,” she said. “We have to know who did this.”
He nodded slightly. “Did Mrs. Sorokine confide in you at all yesterday, or the day before, Mrs. Dunkeld? It seems she had a strong suspicion as to who had killed the woman found in the cupboard, and was asking a great many questions.”
Elsa was startled. She was about to deny it completely when she remembered how excited Minnie had been, and the way she had hinted at the dinner table that she had learned something no one else knew. She was showing off for her father. They had all heard her. Perhaps one of them had realized that she was on the brink of learning the whole truth, and exposing it.
Pitt was watching her. She must face him and reply.
“No. She made hints during dinner, but that’s all they were. I didn’t understand. It all sounded…” She was searching for the right word. “It sounded obscure to me. I thought she was just trying to be the center of attention. I’m…so sorry.” That was an admission of guilt. She was guilty of not listening, not judging more kindly, not even trying to love Minnie.
She met Pitt’s eyes, and saw more understanding in them than she wished to. She turned away, and realized that in doing so she was still betraying herself.
“Can you remember what she said?” he asked.
“It sounded like nonsense.” She tried to recall Minnie’s words. “It was something about china, a lot of cleaning up, and how much her father had helped the Prince of Wales. Do you think she really knew who killed the woman?” She hoped that was it, prayed that it was! Then it would be nothing to do with Julius, or Olga. Please God!
“Don’t you think so?” he asked softly.
“Well…yes. I suppose so…unless it is just…no, that seems to be it.” She was fumbling. She should be quiet. Why was she saying too much, like a fool?
“Did someone have another reason, Mrs. Dunkeld?”
She looked up at him quickly. There was compassion in his eyes. Chill struck her to the bone. Could he possibly know about Minnie and Simnel? Did he suspect Julius?
“Did they?” he repeated.
Could he already know about the affair? If she lied to conceal it, then he would know she was trying to protect Julius. It would seem extraordinary to him, suspicious. Minnie was her stepdaughter; that is where her loyalties should lie. At least she must pretend they did. And yet everyone knew of the affair. Someone would tell him, probably they already had. Pitt would know she was lying if she pretended not to know.
“From anger perhaps,” she suggested. “Mr. Marquand was…attracted to her. How far it went I can only surmise, but it was intense, at least for a while.” She made it sound so prosaic, reducing passion to a commonplace thing. “Regrettably, such things happen all the time,” she added. “People do not kill over it. They may weep, or even lash out in some way or other. It’s best to maintain all the dignity one can, and trust that it will pass. Regardless of that, Mr. Pitt, it was no reason to kill the prostitute who had nothing to do with our private affairs. None of us had ever seen or heard of her before. And you said that Minnie had been asking questions that led you to believe that she had some idea who killed the poor woman. Surely that is why she was also killed?”
“It does seem to be the case,” he agreed. “My own inquiries tell me that she spent most of yesterday asking questions of the servants, and she appeared to have discovered something that made her very excited, as if she had found the answer.”
“And…” Elsa gulped. “You think she confronted someone?”
“I think someone realized that she knew,” he amended.
“I don’t know who it was.” The moment she had said it she knew she had spoken too quickly. He had not asked her. She had already said she had no idea. She felt her face burn.
He was looking at her steadily. “Mr. Dunkeld has no doubt that it was