Death of a Gentle Lady - M. C. Beaton [60]
He was just leaving Scotland Yard when a familiar voice said, ‘Hamish!’
He turned round. Anna Krokovsky stood there, smiling at him. ‘We go for dinner,’ she said.
‘I’m rushing off to the airport to try to catch the plane,’ said Hamish.
‘Nonsense. You owe me dinner after all I have been doing for you.’
‘Oh, that’s why …You spoke up on my behalf.’
‘Of course I did. The fools. It would have taken them ages to find that body. There is a good Italian restaurant near here.’
Hamish gave in. It was turning out to be an expensive trip. In the short time between bouts of questioning, he had had to run out and buy a clean shirt and underwear. He had been lodged in a police flat with a large boozy constable who had a vehement hatred of the Scots and said so at great length.
‘Why are you still here?’ he asked Anna when they were seated in the restaurant.
‘I am nearly finished. I leave for Russia next week.’
‘Why did you go to the trouble of having Irena’s body flown home?’
‘That was on the instructions of Grigori Antonov, her former protector. Strangely enough, he still seemed to retain an affection for her. Odd. He could have bought any pretty female he wanted. Now, from your investigations, it seems that Mark found out something about Mrs Gentle that she did not want known.’
‘There was that “bastard in every family” remark,’ said Hamish. ‘Could it be that Mrs Gentle had had at one time an illegitimate child?’
‘They are still searching the records.’
‘The footprints in the flat were size seven,’ said Hamish, ‘or so they told me. That surprises me because I’m convinced our murderer is still in the north. How long had he been dead?’
‘A week. But you came down, planning to be here only for the day.’
They ordered their food.
‘I did not for a moment think I would find another dead body,’ said Hamish. ‘I was still looking for thon mysterious woman. I went to talk to Kylie Gentle again. She said something about Mark talking to Mrs Gentle about a bastard and a skeleton in the closet.’
‘So you think there might be some illegitimate member of the family lurking around?’
‘Maybe not. Maybe “bastard” was just a curse.’
‘I feel if you dropped the whole thing – you personally – then there would be no more threats on your life.’ Anna rolled a generous forkful of linguine and thrust it into her mouth. Tomato sauce rolled down her chin like blood.
‘I cannae do that!’ exclaimed Hamish. ‘Leave a murderer on the loose?’
‘Why not? Cases are unsolved every day.’
‘Is this what you do in Moscow? Have three murders and chust walk away?’
‘If my life was threatened, I might,’ said Anna. ‘You should be flattered. Our murderer obviously rates your intelligence highly.’
‘I think it’s because I put it about that Irena had told me something significant.’
‘And do you know anything?’
‘Not a thing,’ said Hamish. ‘You’ve got tomato sauce on your chin.’
‘But surely the murderer would expect you to convey any knowledge to the police.’
‘Not if he or she is a secretive plotting madman or woman. But it must be a woman. There are the footprints and the woman in the phone box.’
‘Could be an accomplice.’
They talked on, turning over ideas, until Hamish glanced at his watch. ‘If I hurry,’ he said, ‘I can catch the late-night flight to Inverness.’
‘Go on, then. I will pay for this meal and put it on expenses.’
Hamish thanked her and fled. He did not return to the police flat, considering that he was only sacrificing some dirty laundry and a disposable razor.
When he finally arrived at the police station in Lochdubh, it was to find a message from Jimmy telling him to send over a full report and take a few days off.
As he struggled along the waterfront the following morning, bending his lean form before a vicious gale, he decided to go to Patel’s and buy some groceries.
The shop was busy, and a poster behind the counter advertised the production of Macbeth. It was to be shown in two days’ time.
Hamish bought a ticket. ‘Eight pounds!’ he exclaimed.
‘A lot of money was spent on the costumes,