Murder on the Moor - C. S. Challinor [35]
Rex left the men to discuss the Moor murders and went to check on the women, who were bustling around in the kitchen, chatting nonstop as women do. However, the chatter ceased when he entered. Presumably they had been talking about Moira.
“Oh, hello, Rex,” Shona said in a fluster, drying a wine glass. “We’re reheating the venison stew for lunch. There are loads of leftovers from last night, so we won’t starve.”
“Did you pick up any groceries in the village?” Estelle Farquharson wanted to know. “We’re about to run out of milk.”
“It skipped my mind.” Rex glanced for assistance at Helen, who was preparing a green salad.
“I told you, Estelle,” she explained. “We went to find a phone and to get hold of the garage owner. Unfortunately, the villagers don’t seem to feel a pressing need to get anything done in a hurry. I suppose it would all be rather quaint if we weren’t in such a fix.”
“Well, when is the man with the tow truck due to arrive?” Estelle demanded.
“Soon,” Helen replied firmly.
Rex privately thought they might not see him until next week. Equipped with plaid pot holders, Estelle removed the casserole of stew from the Aga and proceeded out the door. “I’m setting up the food in the dining room, buffet-style like breakfast,” she called over her shoulder.
“She has completely taken over,” Helen remarked, following her out of the kitchen with the bowl of salad.
Flora brought up the rear with a basket of bread rolls.
“Any luck with your phone, Shona?” Rex asked.
Mrs. Allerdice shrugged helplessly. “I must have left it somewhere I can’t hear it. I’ve looked and looked. Well, I suppose it will turn up.”
Yes, but where? Rex asked himself. “Shona,” he began. “When I saw you standing by the front door last night as I was going down to the library with Alistair, you … well, you looked a wee bit suspicious.”
She dropped her eyes to the floor.
“Care to tell me what you were doing?”
“You won’t tell Hamish?”
“Tell him what?”
“I went outside for a puff.”
“What?”
“He doesn’t know I smoke. I have to sneak around and hide my cigarettes. I have breath mints so he won’t notice. It’s my one weakness.”
“Perhaps your husband could help you quit, if you’d just confess—”
“Not Hamish! He’d kill me. He’d say we cannot afford it, and he’s quite right.” Mrs. Allerdice wrung the dishtowel in her hands. “In fact, I’m getting a craving now.”
“Listen, Shona. The important thing right this minute is to remember what time it was when you went out for your smoke last night.”
“Oh, that’s easy. It was ten minutes past twelve. I looked at my watch. I time my smokes so Hamish doesn’t get suspicious. I told him I had to go to the loo.”
“How long where you outside?”
“Five minutes. I’d just stepped back inside when I saw you coming down the stairs with Alistair. A second before, I’d heard a very loud thud, like Rob Roy described, only I didn’t mention it earlier because I didn’t want Hamish to find out what I’d been up to. In fact, I thought at the time it might be him coming to catch me oot.”
“The time is very important,” Rex told her. “If you’re sure it was a quarter past twelve when you heard the sound …”
“I’m positive.”
Rex mentally drew up a timeline. Moira’s body had in all probability been dropped from the window at the time Shona stated. He had been in bed for a short while before Alistair came to find him to tell him the news of the latest moor victim. That would explain why Alistair had not heard the sound himself, which he would have done had he stayed in the library. “What you’ve just told me is vital information,” he told Shona frostily. “Now we can pinpoint more accurately the moment of Moira’s death.”
“Aye, I see. I’m so sorry.” Tears sprung to her eyes.
“There, there.” Rex handed her a paper towel. “I’m glad you came forward.”
Shona nodded, sniveling. “You won’t tell Hamish?”
“Not unless I absolutely have to.” Far be it for him to