The Catherine Wheel

Randal March hadn’t asked him. He said in his pleasant voice, “All the same, you know, Crisp, I think we’d better find him.”

CHAPTER 30

Miss Silver sat in a corner of the lounge, to all appearance quite taken up with her knitting. Not very far away from her Marian Thorpe-E

Mildred Taverner was undoubtedly fascinated. Her Venetian beads clashed against her gold chain as she shuddered, her pale eyes remained fixed upon Lady Marian’s beautiful face, her pale lips parted upon a hardly intermittent “Oh!”

Miss Silver continued to knit in a very thoughtful ma

“If you can spare the time, I should be glad of a few moments, Inspector.”

He held open the door into Castell’s office.

“I shall be delighted.”

When he had shut it behind them she went across to the window and stood there looking at the room. There did not appear to be very much to look at, and with what there was she must by this time have surely been familiar, yet she continued to gaze in a rather abstracted ma

“I ought to know by now when you’ve got something up your sleeve. What is it?”

“My dear Frank!”

He returned her reproving glance with a smile.

“Come-out with it!”

She shook her head very slightly, came over to the low chair which she had occupied before, turned it round to the fire, and having seated herself, took up her knitting, observing,

“There is really a good deal that I would like to say, and if you can spare the time I should like to say it now.”

He pulled up another chair and stretched out his feet to the comfortable blaze.

“ ‘Time spared is time saved,’ as the proverb says-and as you know, I am very much at your service.”

Miss Silver’s eyes dwelt upon him indulgently, her voice only mildly critical as she said,

“I do not recall any such proverb.”

“Perhaps not. It’s an impromptu contribution of my own. After all, they have to be started by someone. I dedicate it-without permission-to you.”

“My dear Frank, when will you learn not to talk so much nonsense?”

His hands were deep in his pockets. He looked at her lazily through his fair lashes.

“I don’t know. But I’m finished for now. What did you want to talk to me about?”

Her needles clicked briskly.

“Our own particular co

“Interesting thesis. Go on.”

She gave a slight cough.

“We came down here to investigate certain vague rumours with regard to the Catherine-Wheel. These involved the possibility that it was being used as a place of call by smugglers, by persons engaged in the illicit drug trade, or by jewel thieves. Chief Inspector Lamb pointed out that this family reunion organized by Mr. Jacob Taverner might be intended to cover some special activity co

Frank nodded.

“That means that you reject the case against John Higgins. His motive would be a strictly private one-jealousy over Eily Fogarty.”

She inclined her head.

“It was not John Higgins who murdered Luke White.”

The light eyebrows were raised.

“Sure as all that? All right, exit John. What about Florence Duke? Her motive would be a private one too-unless Crisp digs up evidence to co

Miss Silver gave a hortatory cough.

“My dear Frank, pray recall the undisputed evidence of the position of the body and the position of the wound. If Luke White was killed where he was found, the murderer was immediately behind him on the bottom step. No one has yet supplied any theory which makes this intelligible if Florence Duke is supposed to have committed the murder. On the other hand, if he was not killed where he was found, what possible motive could she have for dragging him there? It could not have been done by one person without making enough noise to run the risk of bringing someone down to investigate. We have been over all this before, and I do not see my way to supporting a case against Florence Duke.”

“Well, what do you support?”

Her needles clicked.

“I have come to certain conclusions. They are these. The murder greatly deepens the suspicions attaching to the i

He looked at her keenly.

“Two people?”

“It would have required two people to carry the body to the place where it was found, if this was to be accomplished without risk.”

Frank was regarding her with a slightly quizzical air.

“Is that all?”

“I have reached no definite conclusions beyond these. But I have some observations to offer on the subject of Mr. Jacob Taverner and his party.”

“What are they?”

“These, Frank. I have had opportunities of conversing with several of the Taverner cousins. All of them have been extremely communicative. They are, Captain Jeremy Taverner and Miss Jane Heron-friendly likeable young people-Lady Marian Thorpe-E