Spider's Web - Agatha Christie [57]
‘Yes, yes, I’m all right,’ Clarissa replied somewhat breathlessly.
‘I never meant to expose you to this,’ Sir Rowland said apologetically.
She looked at him shrewdly. ‘You knew it was Jeremy, didn’t you?’ she asked.
The Inspector added his voice. ‘But what made you think of the stamp, sir?’
Sir Rowland approached Inspector Lord and took the envelope from him. ‘Well, Inspector,’ he began, ‘it rang a bell when Pippa gave me the envelope this evening. Then, when I found from Who’s Who that young Warrender’s employer, Sir Kenneth Thomson, was a stamp collector, my suspicion developed, and just now, when he had the impertinence to pocket the envelope under my nose, I felt it was a certainty.’
He returned the envelope to the Inspector. ‘Take great care of this, Inspector. You’ll probably find it’s extremely valuable, besides being evidence.’
‘It’s evidence, all right,’ replied the Inspector. ‘A particularly vicious young criminal is going to get his deserts.’ Walking across to the hall door, he continued, ‘However, we’ve still got to find the body.’
‘Oh, that’s easy, Inspector,’ Clarissa assured him. ‘Look in the bed in the spare room.’
The Inspector turned and regarded her disapprovingly. ‘Now, really, Mrs Hailsham-Brown–’ he began.
He was interrupted by Clarissa. ‘Why does nobody ever believe me?’ she cried plaintively. ‘It is in the spare room bed. You go and look, Inspector. Across the bed, under the bolster. Miss Peake put it there, trying to be kind.’
‘Trying to be–?’ The Inspector broke off, clearly at a loss for words. He went to the door, turned, and said reproachfully, ‘You know, Mrs Hailsham-Brown, you haven’t made things easier for us tonight, telling us all these tall stories. I suppose you thought your husband had done it, and were lying to cover up for him. But you shouldn’t do it, madam. You really shouldn’t do it.’ With a final shake of his head, he left the room.
‘Well!’ Clarissa exclaimed indignantly. She turned towards the sofa. ‘Oh, Pippa–’ she remembered.
‘Better get her up to bed,’ Sir Rowland advised. ‘She’ll be safe now.’
Gently shaking the child, Clarissa said softly, ‘Come on, Pippa. Ups-a-daisy. Time you were in bed.’
Pippa got up, waveringly. ‘I’m hungry,’ she murmured.
‘Yes, yes, I’m sure you are,’ Clarissa assured her as she led her to the hall door. ‘Come on, we’ll see what we can find.’
‘Good night, Pippa,’ Sir Rowland called to her, and was rewarded with a yawned ‘Goo’ night’ as Clarissa and Pippa left the room. He sat down at the bridge table and had begun to put the playing cards in their boxes when Hugo came in from the hall.
‘God bless my soul,’ Hugo exclaimed. ‘I’d never have believed it. Young Warrender, of all people. He seemed a decent enough young fellow. Been to a good school. Knew all the right people.’
‘But was quite willing to commit murder for the sake of fourteen thousand pounds,’ Sir Rowland observed suavely. ‘It happens now and then, Hugo, in every class of society. An attractive personality, and no moral sense.’
Mrs Brown, the erstwhile Miss Peake, stuck her head around the hall door. ‘I thought I’d just tell you, Sir Rowland,’ she announced, reverting to her familiar booming voice, ‘I’ve got to go along to the police station. They want me to make a statement. They’re not too pleased at the trick I played on them. I’m in for a wigging, I’m afraid.’ She roared with laughter, withdrew, and slammed the door shut.
Hugo watched her go, then went over to join Sir Rowland at the bridge table. ‘You know, Roly, I still don’t quite get it,’ he admitted. ‘Was Miss Peake Mrs Sellon, or was Mr Sellon Mr Brown? Or the other way round?’
Sir Rowland was saved from having to reply by the return of the Inspector who came into the room to pick up his cap and gloves. ‘We’re removing the body now, gentlemen,’ he informed them both. He paused momentarily before adding, ‘Sir Rowland, would you mind advising Mrs Hailsham-Brown that, if she tells these fancy stories to the police, one day she’ll get into real trouble.’
‘She did actually tell you the truth once, you