The Sittaford Mystery - Agatha Christie [26]
‘Not that I know of,’ the nurse looked somewhat surprised.
‘You were with him all the afternoon?’
‘I intended to be, but, well—as a matter of fact, Captain Gardner was very anxious for me to change two books for him at the library. He had forgotten to ask his wife before she went out. So, to oblige him I went out with them, and he asked me at the same time to get one or two little things for him—presents for his wife as a matter of fact. Very nice about it he was, and told me I was to have tea at his expense at Boots. He said nurses never liked missing their tea. His little joke, you know. I didn’t get out until past four, and what with the shops being so full just before Christmas, and one thing and another, I didn’t get back until after six, but the poor fellow had been quite comfortable. In fact, he told me he had been asleep most of the time.’
‘Mrs Gardner was back by then?’
‘Yes, I believe she was lying down.’
‘She’s very devoted to her husband, isn’t she?’
‘She worships him. I really do believe that woman would do anything in the world for him. Quite touching, and very different from some of the cases I have attended. Why, only last month—’
But Inspector Narracott fended off the impending scandal of last month with considerable skill. He glanced at his watch and gave a loud exclamation.
‘Goodness gracious,’ he cried, ‘I shall miss my train. The station is not far away, is it?’
‘St David’s is only three minutes’ walk, if it’s St David’s you want, or did you mean Queen Street?’
‘I must run,’ said the Inspector, ‘tell Mrs Gardner I am sorry not to have seen her to say goodbye. Very pleased to have had this little chat with you, nurse.’
The nurse bridled ever so slightly.
‘Rather a good-looking man,’ she said to herself as the front door shut after the Inspector. ‘Really quite good-looking. Such a nice sympathetic manner.’
And with a slight sigh she went upstairs to her patient.
Chapter 10
The Pearson Family
Inspector Narracott’s next move was to report to his superior, Superintendent Maxwell.
The latter listened with interest to the Inspector’s narrative.
‘It’s going to be a big case,’ he said thoughtfully. ‘There’ll be headlines in the papers over this.’
‘I agree with you, sir.’
‘We’ve got to be careful. We don’t want to make any mistake. But I think you’re on the right track. You must get after this James Pearson as soon as possible—find out where he was yesterday afternoon. As you say, it’s a common enough name, but there’s the Christian name as well. Of course, his signing his own name openly like that shows there wasn’t any premeditation about it. He’d hardly have been such a fool otherwise. It looks to me like a quarrel and a sudden blow. If it is the man, he must have heard of his uncle’s death that night. And if so, why did he sneak off by the six train in the morning without a word to anyone? No, it looks bad. Always granting that the whole thing’s not a coincidence. You must clear that up as quickly as possible.’
‘That’s what I thought, sir. I’d better take the 1.45 to town. Some time or other I want to have a word with this Willett woman who rented the Captain’s house. There’s something fishy there. But I can’t get to Sittaford at present, the roads are impassable with snow. And anyway, she can’t have any direct connection with the crime. She and her daughter were actually—well—table-turning at the time the crime was committed. And, by the way, rather a queer thing happened—’
The Inspector narrated the story he had heard from Major Burnaby.
‘That’s a rum go,’ ejaculated the Superintendent. ‘Think this old fellow was telling the truth? That’s the sort of story that gets cooked up afterwards by those believers in spooks and things of that kind.’
‘I fancy it’s true all right,’ said Narracott with a grin. ‘I had a lot of difficulty getting it out of him. He’s not a believer—just the opposite—old soldier, all damned nonsense attitude.’
The Superintendent nodded his comprehension.
‘Well, it’s odd, but it doesn