The Mystery of the Scar-faced Beggar - M. V. Carey [48]
h r-in-law? What
would sh
s e
h sa
s y if
i
f sh
s e
h lo
l o
o k
o ed ou
o t and sa
s w
a Er
E n
r ie
i and
n hi
h s
i
s fr
f ie
i nd lo
l u
o n
u gin
i g in
i
n he
h r
e of
o f
f i
f c
i e,
si
s t
i tin
i g on
o he
h r desk
s ? J
up
u e
p fe
f lt
l qu
q it
i e
t certa
t in
i t
ha
h t sh
s e
h wou
o ld
l be
b fu
f rio
i u
o s
u .
s
But the
h n Ju
J pe
p not
o ic
i ed
e tha
h t
t the
h ho
h u
o se
s ha
h d a vacan
a t air
i .
. The
h win
i dow
o s
s were clo
l s
o e
s d
and the
h dra
r pe
p s
s ha
h d be
b en draw
a n.
. As
s Jupe
p wo
w n
o dered,
, a
a car pu
p ll
l e
l d
d in
i to
o the
h dr
d iv
i e and
st
s op
o p
p e
p d by
b the
h ho
h u
o se
s .
. A whi
h t
i e-ha
h ir
i ed wom
o an got
o out,
, carryin
i g
n a li
l t
i tle
l pa
p ckage
wrapp
p e
p d in
i
n pi
p n
i k pa
p pe
p r.
. Jupe
p guess
s e
s d tha
h t sh
s e
h must
s be
b Mrs.
s
. Denic
i ol
o a
l ’s dinner guest.
He watche
h d
e he
h r rin
i g the
h doo
o r
o be
b ll
l of
o
f the Denicola
ho
h u
o se
s .
. No
o on
o e came,
, and aft
f er
r a
a min
i ute
t sh
s e
h rang
g
again
i .
. Stil
i l
l
l the
h re was
s no
n
o answ
s er.
. She
h walk
l ed acros
o s
s
to
o the
h of
o f
f i
f c
i e.
Er
E nie
i ha
h d be
b en watchi
h n
i g he
h r,
, and he
h got
o sl
s ow
o ly
l
to
o hi
h s
i
s fe
f et.
. His
i
s fr
f ie
i nd st
s il
i l
l
l sa
s t cros
o s
s -le
l gged on
o the
h
desk.
Er
E nie
i and the
h wom
o an
n excha
h nged
d a fe
f w wor
o ds.
s
.
The
h n sh
s e
h wrot
o e so
s m
o ethi
h n
i g on
o
n a pa
p pe
p r,
, fo
f l
o d
l ed it
i ,
,
and ha
h nd
n ed
e it
i to
o Er
E nie
i .
. Whe
h n sh
s e
h returne
n d to
o he
h r
car,
, he
h r fa
f ce
c was
s se
s t
e in
i
n angry
y li
l n
i es.
s
Er
E nie
i sa
s t dow
o n aft
f er sh
s e
h drov
o e away.
. He pu
p t hi
h s
i
s
fe
f et ba
b ck on
o the
h desk
s ,
, and fl
f i
l p
i p
p e
p d the
h no
n t
o e the
h
wom
o an ha
h d
d giv
i en hi
h m
i in
i to
o the
h
e wast
s eba
b sk
s et.
Er
E nie
i ’s
s fr
f ie
i nd la
l u
a ghe
h d.
d
Now
o Jupe
p was
s tho
h r
o ou
o ghl
h y
l ala
l rmed.
. He turn
r ed
away and
n
d walk
l ed up
p the
h hi
h g
i hw
h ay unt
n i
t l
i
l the
h
Denic
i ol
o a
l ho
h u
o se
s was
s between
e hi
h m
i se
s lf
l
f and the
h men
n
in
i the
h of
o f
f i
f ce.
. The
h n he
h cros
o s
s e
s d the
h roa
o d to
o the
h
house.
The
h re was
s an un
u lo
l c
o ked
e win
i d
n ow
o in
i the
h
e rear
r of
o
f the
h pl
p a
l ce
c ,
, next
t to
o th
t e
h kit
i che
h n
n doo
o r.
Whe
h n Jupe
p
e got
o the
h win
i dow
o op
o e
p n,
n
, he
h reache
h d thr
h ou
o gh
h and tu
t rned
e
d the
h lo
l c
o k on
o the
h
in
i si
s d
i e of
o
f the
h doo
o r
o .
. He went in
i t
n o
o th
t e
h kit
i che
h n and clo
l s
o e
s d the
h doo
o r
o be
b hi
h n
i d hi
h m
i ,
, bu
b t did
not
o lo
l c
o k it
i a
gain
i .
. He m
ig
i ht
h ha
h ve t
o
o le
l ave in
i a
hu
h rry.
The kitchen was warm, and the air was heavy with the smell of food. But the sauce for pasta was congealing in a kettle on the stove, and a roast was cooling in the oven while greens for salad grew warm in a colander. Old Mrs. Denicola must have left in a hurry.
Jupe moved silently into the dining room, where the table had been set for three.
The room was gloomy with the drapes drawn, and so was the living room where he had sat with Mrs. Denicola only an hour or two earlier. In the living room there was now an unpleasant tang in the air that almost overcame the odour of food from the kitchen. Jupe saw that someone had dropped a cigarette on Mrs. Denicola’s hearth, and had stepped on it to put it out.
Jupe went to the foot