The Sins of the Wolf - Anne Perry [110]
“That’s marvelous!” Monk shouted with such exuberance two passersby pulled faces and shook their heads, supposing him intoxicated. “That’s brilliant of you … it’s …”
“Thank you. We have established that physically any member of the household could have killed Mary Farraline. What about motive?”
The elation vanished from Monk’s face. “I thought I had two….”
“You didn’t tell me!”
“They disappeared on examination.”
“Are you sure?”
“Perfectly. Alastair’s wife is extravagant, and goes out at night to meet a scruffy-looking individual dressed in working clothes and carrying a pocket watch.”
Rathbone stopped in disbelief. “And that’s not a motive?”
Monk snorted. “She’s building a flying machine.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“She is building a large machine, big enough to carry a passenger, which she hopes will fly,” Monk elaborated. “In an old warehouse in the slum quarter. All right, she’s eccentric….”
“Eccentric? Is that what you call it? I would have said insane.”
“Most inventors are a trifle strange.”
“A trifle? A flying machine?” Rathbone pulled a face. “Come on, man, she’ll be locked up if anyone finds out.”
“Probably that is why she does it in secret, and at midnight,” Monk agreed, beginning to walk again. “But from what I’ve heard of Mary Farraline, she’d have been entertained by it. She certainly wouldn’t have had her committed.”
Rathbone said nothing.
“The other one is the middle daughter, Eilish,” Monk resumed. “She also goes out at night, secretly, but alone. I followed her.” He omitted mentioning that twice he had been knocked senseless for his pains. “And I found where she goes: down in Cowgate, which is a slum tenement area.”
“Not another fantastical machine?” Rathbone said wryly.
“No, something far more elementary,” Monk replied with a tone of surprise in his voice. “She is conducting her own ragged school for adults.”
Rathbone frowned. “Why in the middle of the night? That seems a highly honorable thing to do!”
“Because presumably her pupils are at their labors during the day,” Monk said waspishly. “Added to which, she has coerced her brother-in-law, who is in love with her, into giving her books from the family company for her pupils’ use.”
“You mean pilfering?” Rathbone chose to ignore the sarcasm.
“If you like. But again, I’m damned sure Mary would have approved heartily had she known. And she might have.”
Rathbone raised his eyebrows. “You didn’t think to ask?”
“Ask whom?” Monk inquired. “Eilish would have said yes, if it mattered and she hadn’t…. The only other person to ask would have been Mary.”
“And is that all?”
“The only other thing is the company books.”
“We’ve no evidence to raise it,” Rathbone pointed out. “You said Hector Farraline is as tight as a newt most of the time. His drunken ramblings, even if he’s right, won’t be enough to demand an audit. Is he fit to put in the witness-box?”
“God knows.”
They had stopped, having reached the building where James Argyll had his offices.
“I’m coming in,” Monk stated.
“I really don’t think …” Rathbone began, but Monk had marched ahead of him through the doors and up the stairs and there was nothing for him to do but follow.
The office was quite small, and not nearly as imposing as Rathbone had expected, being lined with shabby books on three sides, the fourth having a small fireplace with a hotly burning fire and paneled in wood of some African origin.
But the man himself was an entirely different matter. He was tall with powerful shoulders and muscular body, but it was his face which commanded attention. In his youth he must have been very dark, what was referred to as a black Celt, with fine eyes and olive complexion. Now what was left of his hair was grizzled gray, and his deeply lined face was full of humor and intelligence. When he smiled he had marvelous teeth.
“You must be Mr. Oliver Rathbone,” he said, looking past Monk. His voice was deep and his accent was savored with relish, as if he were proud of being a Scot. He held out his hand. “James Argyll at your service, sir. I feel we have a great challenge in front of us.