Death at Dinner Read online

  I fussed with my cup to give myself a chance to think. “They have to follow the clues to their logical conclusions. The pills might be their only clue.”

  “And it leads straight to me.”

  “Inspector Hamilton is a good investigator. He’ll see that you’re innocent.” The last thing I needed after Mrs. Albright and Mrs. Pomeroy was for Mrs. Delford to panic. “Who else could have tampered with the pills?”

  Mrs. Delford sighed. “Anyone who had been here. The bottle is kept in the study. When the pillbox was empty, I would refill it from that bottle.”

  “So anyone who had been in the study had access. Could I see where you keep them?”

  “Of course. Come along.”

  Mrs. Delford led me down the hallway to a small study, with one wall of bookshelves, another of files, and three armchairs arranged by the fire.

  “So Mr. Ainsworth worked here as well as at the office?”

  “That's right. We got into the habit when my husband was still with the firm, so many of his old cases and books are kept here. It's just easier. But clients like an office. And he employed several clerks, too many to work here.”

  “Did he receive guests in here too?”

  “If it was a business discussion, sometimes. There were a few clients who could not meet with him during business hours for whatever reason. He kept any files he brought home locked in the desk drawers or in the boxes behind the desk.”

  “So people would be left in here while the maid summoned him?”

  “It would have been me getting him, but yes, in here or in the sitting room. Oh, I see what you’re saying. If they were alone in here, they could have tampered with the pills.”

  “And where are the pills?”

  “Right over there.”

  The pill bottle was kept on a shelf in plain sight between a tobacco jar and a pipe rack. “So anyone could see them there. They’d just need a minute alone.”

  “Precisely.”

  I leaned in to look at the bottle. It was almost full. “When did you last refill the pillbox?”

  “The day before he— The day before the dinner party.”

  “And you said the box was empty when you did?”

  “Exactly.”

  “So all the pills were from this bottle. It looks new.”

  “It was delivered last Monday.”

  “You’re certain?”

  “Yes. I was worried we would run out on Sunday, and the chemist wouldn’t be available. I can check the household accounts to be certain if you’d like.”

  “I’m sure you’re right, but Inspector Hamilton might need the proof.”

  “Why?”

  “Once he rules you out, he’ll see that anyone with access to the study had access to the pill bottle. Since this one was delivered on Monday—”

  “I see. It limits it to people who were here between Monday and the party.”

  “Try to think of anyone who had access then. Servants?”

  “Just a girl who comes on Thursdays to clean.”

  “What about the maid who let me in?”

  “She’s temporary. The executor thought I’d need someone to help with all the callers. And since it was in the papers, he was concerned about the possibility of house breakers.”

  “So she’s new? She wasn’t here before the murder?”

  “That’s right. So I suppose she’s not a good suspect.”

  “What about a cook?

  “He doesn’t—didn’t—have one. He ate at the pub more often than not. Sometimes, if he was seeing clients late in the evening, I’d make him a fry-up before I left.”

  “All right, then what about visitors? Who did he see in the study?”

  “I’ll get the appointment book. It’s in the office upstairs with his papers.”

  I followed Mrs. Delford into the corridor. We’d barely made it out the door when the doorbell jangled. Mrs. Delford looked up.

  “I wasn’t expecting anyone. Would you excuse me for a moment? The maid should be inventorying the kitchen, so I don’t want to bother her again.”

  “Of course.”

  “The front parlor is through there.”

  I smiled, but I didn’t go into the door she indicated. I waited in the hall instead, watching the front door as Mrs. Delford opened it. “May I help you?” She sounded confused. Whoever it was, she definitely wasn’t expecting them.

  “May I come in?”

  “Inspector Hamilton?” I said without thinking.

  “Miss Pengear?” He leaned around Mrs. Delford to look for me. “Why are you here?”

  He didn’t seem upset, so I said, “Just a social call. I wanted to see how Mrs. Delford was doing after the dinner party.”

  “I see. Fulton, take Mrs. Delford into the sitting room. Miss Pengear, if you would join me in the dining room?”

  I didn’t think it was a request, so I followed him through the nearest door. “You realize this isn’t the dining room.”

  Inspector Hamilton looked around the front parlor. “Well, there’s a chair, and there’s a table. It might be on the small side, but it will do. If you would like to sit.”

  I debated whether it would be better to stand or sit. If I really wasn’t worried, then I would have no reason to stand. I sat.

  Inspector Hamilton leaned on the fireplace mantle. “When did you arrive here?”

  I noticed the question was “when” not “why” and wondered about that. “Around three.”

  “Can you be any more specific?”

  I leaned back in the chair. “When I left Scotland Yard, I stopped at a tea shop and had a bite. That took about half an hour. Then I went to Mr. Ainsworth’s office, looking for Mrs. Delford. The clerks offered me tea. Then I took the Underground here and found Mrs. Delford’s house, well, Mr. Ainsworth’s, so yes, right about three o’clock.”

  “Then you are certain you were here at three thirty?”

  “Yes, definitely.”

  “You couldn’t have gone to the shops or investigated some little area you don’t want to tell me about?” He leaned in, studying my face as I answered.

  “Positive.” I tried to think of something that would convince him. “In fact, I heard the children from the primary school outside. Lots of them. The school must have had some kind of outing while I was waiting at the front door.”

  “And Mrs. Delford has been with you the whole time?”

  “Yes. We’ve been talking the whole time. The maid saw us when she served the tea. Why do I need an alibi?”

  “I never said you did.”

  “Then why — Mrs. Delford? Does she need an alibi?”

  “Come along. I’ll tell you both at once.”

  I wasn’t going to let that offer get away, so I followed him quickly to the sitting room.

  Mrs. Delford was sitting on the settee. Inspector Hamilton pointed me towards the armchair then went to stand by the fireplace.

  Constable Fulton handed Inspector Hamilton his page of notes. “Thank you, Constable. Please go check at the primary school around the corner. See if there was an event today and what time it let out.”

  “Right, sir.”

  Inspector Hamilton read the notes in silence, then looked up. “You’ll be relieved to know that I consider your alibis to be sound. I’m sure you’re wondering why you need them. I’m sorry to tell you that Mr. Warland was killed today at three thirty in his flat.”

  “Oh my,” Mrs. Delford gasped and covered her mouth.

  My mind was already racing. “That seems very specific.”

  Inspector Hamilton looked at me for a moment, probably deciding if I would give up easily. “His neighbors heard the shots. Two sets of them, neighbors, I mean, not shots, and both recognized them for what they were and noted the time. Also, the pneumatic tube registered a visitor sending up a card at 3:22, but no card was found.”

  “Shot? So you don’t think it’s related to Mr. Ainsworth’s poisoning then? But then why are you here?”

>   Inspector Hamilton slitted his eyes and glared at me, then he sighed. “We found a broken glass of wine near the body, but no bottle in the flat.” I kept staring until he added, “And there was a dead mouse beside it.” He sighed. “And the smell of bitter almonds.”

  “Cyanide again.” I leaned back in my chair. “So you think his killer was going to poison him, but he got wise and broke the glass, so the killer shot him.”

  Inspector Hamilton made a sound rather like a groan. “Something like that, yes.”

  “Oh, Cassie, show him the pill bottle.”

  “Pill bottle?”

  “Something we were discussing before you came.” I stood and went to the door. Inspector Hamilton sighed and followed me to the study.

  As we entered the study, I could see Inspector Hamilton was scanning the room, taking in as many details as he could. I gave him a moment to gather what clues there were, then went to the shelf. “Here they are.” I pointed to the bottle but was careful to avoid touching it. “Mrs. Delford said this is where they’re always stored, in plain sight. Easy for him to get to if he needed them, I suppose.”

  “These are the same pills he had on him? Well, she had on her for him.”

  “That’s right. She filled the box from this bottle.”

  “I see.” Inspector Hamilton pulled out his handkerchief and wrapped the bottle. “What else did she tell you about it?”

  So we weren’t pretending that I wasn’t investigating anymore. “It was delivered on Monday. She refilled the empty pillbox from it sometime on Tuesday.”

  Inspector Hamilton grasped the importance immediately. “So I should add anyone who called between the delivery on Monday and might as well make it all of Tuesday.”

  “She said the appointment book is on the desk in the office. I’ll get it.”

  I’d hoped to have a moment alone with the book, but Inspector Hamilton followed me upstairs and watched as I tried the doors until I found the one leading to the office. He kept standing beside me as I poked around the desk. I had to settle for being the first to pick up the appointment book and holding it so I would get the first look at whatever was there as I turned back to the beginning of the week. “Mr. Avery Williamson was here Monday afternoon and Mr. Joseph Lynvale came Tuesday morning. No one else in the book.”

  Inspector Hamilton held out his hand, and I handed over the book. While he studied the entries, I studied the desk.

  I noticed a small copper box, just the size for calling cards. I tried to open it, but it was stuck. I picked the box up and turned it in my hand. There was engraving on the side, like the keys of my typewriter. I pressed down on “L” then “Y” and a card popped out. Joseph Lynvale and an address for a paper shop in Chelsea. I tried again, and after pressing “W”, “I”, “L”, “L”, “I”, “A” another card popped out. Not very efficient I decided. He was a banker near Mayfair. On an impulse, I typed in “KURTF” and a card for Mary Kurtfield, Bookkeeper popped out. I tried “GARLAND” but got nothing. I made certain I would remember the addresses of the first two cards, then handed them to Inspector Hamilton. I let the third one fall on the table.

  Inspector Hamilton looked at the cards. “I’ll check both of them out. Is there anyone else I should be looking at?” He looked up and saw my expression. “If you’re going to interfere, I may as well use you to save time.”

  I smiled. “We couldn’t think of anyone else.”

  “What about servants?”

  “The girl who does for him only comes on Thursday.”

  “And his cook?”

  “He doesn’t have one. He ate at a pub near his club or had food brought in. There’s a maid now, I think she’s living in, but she was hired after the murder to deal with the people paying their condolences.”

  “Is there anything else I should know about?”

  I was feeling friendlier towards him now that he was taking me seriously. “We hadn’t gotten father than that when you turned up. But Mrs. Pomeroy mentioned there were two guests who were supposed to be at the dinner party but canceled, Miss Kurtfield and Mr. Garland. I thought they could be candidates for the embezzler. She said they worked for Mr. Carrollton.”

  “All right. I’ll see if Mrs. Delford has anything else relevant to add.”

  He didn’t tell me not to, so I followed him into the sitting room.

  Mrs. Delford was still on the settee with her tea. She seemed calmer now.

  Inspector Hamilton sat across from her. “I just have a few more questions; then I’ll leave you in peace for a little while at least.”

  Mrs. Delford nodded and sat a little straighter.

  “There were two appointments listed in his calendar. Did anyone else call?”

  “Just Mr. Lynvale and Mr. Williamson.”

  “And who is Mr. Lynvale?”

  “A merchant in Chelsea. Mr. Ainsworth purchased his stationary from him.”

  “Was it normal for him to come in the house personally?”

  “He wanted to consult Mr. Carrollton on a business matter. I think someone made an offer to purchase his business, and he wanted advice from Mr. Ainsworth on how to approach him. At least that was the impression I had.”

  “He didn’t ask you to write up any notes, do any billing, any research, any questions of law?”

  “No.”

  “Was that unusual?”

  “I thought so at the time, but I supposed they were friendlier than I knew, and it was an informal visit.”

  “And what about Mr. Williamson?”

  Mrs. Delford poured herself another cup. “That was strange.”

  “How so?”

  “He’s a banker, but not with Mr. Ainsworth’s bank.”

  “Did he say why he called?”

  “No, neither did Mr. Ainsworth.”

  “Did you have an impression?”

  Inspector Hamilton waited quietly, letting Mrs. Delford think. I thought he was handling her quite well.

  “At first I thought he was trying to get Mr. Ainsworth’s business, but I didn’t have the impression that they were discussing that.”

  “Why would he have been interested in Mr. Ainsworth’s business?”

  “I thought he must have heard about him through Mr. Carrollton. He was Mr. Carrollton’s banker. But Mr. Ainsworth would have considered it a conflict of interest if he used the same banker. Surely he would have told Mr. Williamson when he wrote for the appointment if that was the subject.”

  “Did you get any impression of what the subject was?”

  She shook her head. “He didn’t give me any notes, so I don’t know.”

  “A social call, then?”

  “I didn’t think they knew each other socially, but I suppose that could have been it.”

  “And how long will you be staying here?”

  “At least until the estate is settled. The heirs live in Wales, so they may wish to sell up, and I’ve been asked to stay on and make an inventory until they’ve decided and possibly help with the sale.”

  “Asked by whom?”

  “Arthur Johnston-Garber. He’s the executor. He works at the law firm.”

  Inspector Hamilton made a final note, then tore out the page and put his notebook away. “Thank you for you assistance, ladies. I will be taking the pill bottle with me. Here is a receipt for it. I will probably need to call again, but for now you’re rid of me. Good afternoon. Constable, would you get the carriage?”

  We could hear Constable Fulton go out, then Inspector Hamilton go into the study. He was only there for a moment, just long enough to glance around and not long enough for me to decide whether or not to spy on him. Then we heard his footsteps in the hall and the front door open and close.

  Mrs. Delford poured herself another cup of cold tea. “You don’t suppose I’m in any danger, do you? I was at the party.”

  “I wouldn’t think so. Just beware of anything that smells of bitter almonds.”

  “Would you like to stay for dinner? It’s just me
, I’m afraid.”

  “I have another call to make.” If Inspector Hamilton dropped the pill bottle off for analysis, I should be able to beat him to the bank and Mr. Williamson. “I will call again though, if you don’t mind.”

  “I would like that.” She looked ready to exchange pleasantries for another hour, so I gathered up my things and made for the door.

  Chapter 18

  THE FIRST THING I DID when I got to Mr. Williamson’s bank was to look for Inspector Hamilton, but there was no sign of him. So I’d been right; he’d gone straight to Scotland Yard with the pills. Now who would be the most likely to help me?

  There was a young man with horn-rimmed glasses and an eyeshade clearly trying a little too hard to be taken seriously. He noticed me standing in the door. I smiled at him and crossed over to his desk. He straightened up as I approached and fixed his tie. “May I be of assistance, madam?”

  “I hope so. I was supposed to meet with Mr. Williamson. Could you point him out to me?”

  His face fell. “I’d like to be able to help you, but he isn’t here.”

  “Oh dear, did I mistake the day?”

  “Probably not. He was here this morning, but he was feeling poorly and went home.”

  It couldn’t be that easy could it? “When did he leave?”

  “Just before three.”

  So enough time to make it to Mr. Warland’s flat. “Perhaps I could call on him at home.”

  “I’m afraid I couldn’t give you the address even if it wasn’t against our policy. I don’t have access to the personnel files, and I’m not friendly enough with him to have been invited there. He only spends time with senior staff. Perhaps I could help you though. I am also a banker here.”

  I hated to disappoint him, but if I wanted to find Mr. Williamson before Inspector Hamilton arrived, it had to be now. “I’ll call back tomorrow. Thank you anyway.”

  Outside the bank, I scanned the street. There was a post office with a public phone box two doors down. I started there. The phone directory was two years out of date, but I flipped through it to the “W” section. Four pages of “Williamson”s, twelve of them Avery, and a column and a half of “A. Williamson.” I’d never make it through the list before Inspector Hamilton finished at the Yard, and then my best chance of proving Mrs. Pomeroy innocent would be to stay with her and hope another murder was committed so I could alibi her like I had Mrs. Delford.