The Hippopotamus Pool - Elizabeth Peters [17]
Curled on Nefret’s lap, the cat Bastet purred hoarsely as the girl’s hand moved across her head. Nefret had not changed her dress; bright-eyed and alert, she demanded an account of what had happened.
‘Unless,’ she added, with a prettily curled lip and a flash of blue eyes, directed at Emerson, ‘you, sir, are of the school that believes females should be kept ignorant and out of harm’s way.’
‘Don’t play your little games with me, young lady,’ Emerson replied good-humouredly. ‘Even if I were of that opinion, experience has taught me the futility of insisting upon it.’ Sobering, he went on, ‘I had intended to tell you and Ramses the whole story, for I have a strange foreboding – er – that is to say, I have a feeling this evening’s adventure may presage danger to come.’
Whereupon he launched into his account. It was somewhat verbose but quite well-organized, so I did not interrupt.
Ramses did. ‘Hmmm,’ he said, stroking his chin. ‘Very interesting. May I ask, first, whether Mr Saleh’s fit was feigned? Was it he, or another person, who struck you? Where did –’
‘I don’t know,’ said Emerson loudly. ‘If you will allow me to finish, Ramses . . .’
‘I beg your pardon, Father. I was under the impression that you had finished; otherwise I would not have –’
‘Hmph,’ said Emerson. ‘The fact is, the fellow’s struggles, or fit, or feigned fit, ended shortly after you left, Peabody. He was limp and unresponsive, so I went to the sideboard to get him a glass of brandy. That is all I remember. It must have been Saleh who banged me on the head, though, since I only turned my back for a few seconds and I am sure I would have heard the door open.’
‘Not if another person was already in the room,’ I said, before Ramses could point this out. ‘In concealment, behind the draperies or on the balcony.’
‘Ridiculous,’ said Emerson, for he could see where this line of argument was heading. ‘How could another person have got in? The suffragi –’
‘Is susceptible to bribery. I suggest we interrogate him immediately.’
‘Out of the question, Peabody. Your theory is pure fantasy.’
‘Let us assume,’ said Ramses, ‘since there is no indication of another person being present, and since there are a number of logistical difficulties, such as how he could have got in without being observed by the suffragi, and how he could have departed, dragging an unconscious body –’
‘Oh, for pity’s sake, Ramses,’ I snapped. ‘Let someone else speak occasionally. Nefret has been trying to get a word in for the past five minutes. The points you have made are valid, though my initial suggestion, that the suffragi might have been bribed or temporarily absent from his post, would account for the seeming anomalies. Furthermore, I cannot conceive why Mr Saleh should come here for the admitted purpose of giving us information and then suddenly change his mind and resort to physical violence in order to get away, for if he had changed his mind, he had only to say so; there was no need, surely . . .’
My breath gave out. Nefret was first out of the starting gate this time.
‘Quite right, Aunt Amelia, that is just what I was going to say. It is much more likely that some unknown second party wanted to silence Mr Saleh before he could betray the secret. And that means . . . But you see what it means, Aunt Amelia!’
‘Oh, good Gad,’ Emerson groaned, taking his pipe from his mouth. ‘Nefret, don’t encourage her. You may consider that an order.’
‘He is just making one of his little jokes,’ I told Nefret.
Emerson said, ‘Damn,’ and banged his pipe against the ash receptacle.
I said, ‘Language, Emerson, please.’
Emerson said, ‘You drive me to it, Peabody.’
‘But Nefret is correct, Emerson. The fellow’s symptoms were consistent with those of strychnine poisoning, and I detected a distinct odour of bitter almonds.’
‘I beg your pardon, Mother,’ said Ramses – for his father had gone red in the face and was incapable of articulation. ‘But I fear you are confusing your poisons. Prussic acid is the one that smells like almond extract. Furthermore,