The Deeds of the Disturber - Elizabeth Peters [144]
‘Yes, Ramses, I know. I sent her away. She left the house this morning.’
‘She left the house last night,’ said Ramses. ‘At least so I have been informed. And she left behind her clothing and other possessions.’
‘There is nothing strange about that, Ramses. She had with her, I suppose, only those articles a housemaid might be expected to possess. No doubt she abandoned them as worthless reminders of an action of contemptible treachery.’
‘No doubt,’ said Ramses. ‘However, it seemed to me that you might wish to be informed –’
‘And now you have informed me. Thank you. To your room, Ramses.’
‘Yes, Mama.’
I stood pondering for a moment. Then I rang the bell. When Gargery answered, I said, ‘I want a letter delivered at once, Gargery. Give the footman money for cab fare, and tell him to make haste.’
By the time the footman came, I had the note written. I instructed him to wait for an answer. Next I summoned Mrs Watson and told her I would have dinner on a tray in my room, since the professor would not be there for dinner. The good kind woman approved of my having a nice rest and an early night after all I had been through.
I could make no definite plans until I received the answer to my message. If it was not the one I expected . . . well, then there was a fatal flaw in my theory, and I would have to revise it. But I did not see how I could be mistaken. Why, oh why had I ignored that one significant statement? Being half-strangled was no excuse for such negligence.
I forced myself to remain calm. There was no hurry. If I was right, and if I had correctly estimated the eccentricities of the man I was after, nothing of importance would happen for a good many hours. I took out my list and went through it again. It was too late now to finish my inquiries, but the list raised another question. To call, or not to call, upon the police?
After weighing the pros and cons, I decided upon a compromise. There was only one police officer who might – and I stress the word ‘might’ – give credence to the admittedly bizarre solution I had arrived at. I could not fathom the behaviour of Inspector Cuff; was he shrewd and secretive, or only very stupid? In either case I had to assume he suffered from the same unaccountable prejudice towards the female sex that afflicted most men, and that he would therefore strenuously object to my taking part in the evening’s entertainment – even supposing he could be persuaded to participate himself. Cuff would have no compunctions about locking me in a cell, and keeping me there as long as he considered necessary.
Still, it seemed only fair to give him a chance to show his quality – and it was possible I might be in need of assistance if matters did not work out quite as I hoped. I sat down at my table and began to write. It proved to be a rather lengthy epistle, since I had to explain a lot of things in detail, in order to add verisimilitude to the narrative, and I had not finished when Gargery brought me the answer to my letter.
He waited while I read it, and then exclaimed, ‘Is it – I hope it is not bad news, madam.’
‘It was the answer I expected,’ I replied. ‘Thank you, Gargery.’
Miss Minton had not returned to her lodging. Her landlady had not seen her or heard from her since the preceding Friday.
So that was settled. It was not likely that she had set off for Northumberland dressed like a housemaid and without luggage or money. It was even more unlikely that she would have accepted the protection of Kevin or Mr Wilson. No; I knew where she was. It must be she to whom Ayesha had referred in that breathless and unfortunately neglected speech. ‘He’ had her now, and I knew where he had taken her – to the ruined wing of Mauldy Manor, behind that massive door whose lock had been so recently repaired that traces of oil had transferred themselves to my fingers when I tried the latch.
XIV
I WAITED until the servants were at their dinner