Pocket Full of Rye - Agatha Christie [24]
“Certainly, Inspector. I heard from my father, let me see it must be about—yes, six months ago now. It was soon after my marriage. My father wrote and hinted that he would like to let bygones be bygones. He suggested that I should come home and enter the firm. He was rather vague in his terms and I wasn’t really sure that I wanted to do what he asked. Anyway, the upshot was that I came over to England last—yes, last August, just about three months ago. I went down to see him at Yewtree Lodge and he made me, I must say, a very advantageous offer. I told him that I’d have to think about it and I’d have to consult my wife. He quite understood that. I flew back to East Africa, talked it over with Pat. The upshot was that I decided to accept the old boy’s offer. I had to wind up my affairs there, but I agreed to do so before the end of last month. I told him I would wire to him the date of my actual arrival in England.”
Inspector Neele coughed.
“Your arrival back seems to have caused your brother some surprise.”
Lance gave a sudden grin. His rather attractive face lit up with the spirit of pure mischief.
“Don’t believe old Percy knew a thing about it,” he said. “He was away on his holiday in Norway at the time. If you ask me, the old man picked that particular time on purpose. He was going behind Percy’s back. In fact I’ve a very shrewd suspicion that my father’s offer to me was actuated by the fact that he had a blazing row with poor old Percy—or Val as he prefers to be called. Val, I think, had been more or less trying to run the old man. Well, the old man would never stand for anything of that kind. What the exact row was about I don’t know, but he was furious. And I think he thought it a jolly good idea to get me there and thereby spike poor old Val’s guns. For one thing he never liked Percy’s wife much and he was rather pleased, in a snobbish way, with my marriage. It would be just his idea of a good joke to get me home and suddenly confront Percy with the accomplished fact.”
“How long were you at Yewtree Lodge on this occasion?”
“Oh, not more than an hour or two. He didn’t ask me to stay the night. The whole idea, I’m sure, was a kind of secret offensive behind Percy’s back. I don’t think he even wanted the servants to report upon it. As I say, things were left that I’d think it over, talk about it to Pat and then write him my decision, which I did. I wrote giving him the approximate date of my arrival, and I finally sent him a telegram yesterday from Paris.”
Inspector Neele nodded.
“A telegram which surprised your brother very much.”
“I bet it did. However, as usual, Percy wins. I’ve arrived too late.”
“Yes,” said Inspector Neele thoughtfully, “you’ve arrived too late.” He went on briskly: “On the occasion of your visit last August, did you meet any other members of the family?”
“My stepmother was there at tea.”
“You had not met her previously?”
“No.” He grinned suddenly. “The old boy certainly knew how to pick them. She must be thirty years younger than him at least.”
“You will excuse my asking, but did you resent your father’s remarriage, or did your brother do so?”
Lance looked surprised.
“I certainly didn’t, and I shouldn’t think Percy did either. After all, our own mother died when we were about—oh, ten, twelve years old. What I’m really surprised at is that the old man didn’t marry again before.”
Inspector Neele murmured:
“It may be considered taking rather a risk to marry a woman very much younger than yourself.”
“Did my dear brother say that to you? It sounds rather like him. Percy is a great master of the art of insinuation. Is that the setup, Inspector? Is my stepmother suspected of poisoning my father?”
Inspector Neele’s face became blank.
“It’s early days to have any definite ideas about anything, Mr. Fortescue,” he said pleasantly. “Now, may I ask you what your plans are?”
“Plans?” Lance considered. “I shall have to make new plans, I suppose. Where is the family? All down