Despite my revulsion, once Eve had left, I went back inside the house. I opened the bedroom door, taking care to use my handkerchief, and stepped cautiously past Armstrong’s body. The second victim, a young woman who I guessed to be in either her late twenties or early thirties, was as naked as Armstrong. Her body was equally bloodstained and it was obvious that she was equally dead. I concentrated on her face, but didn’t recognize her. I turned and glanced out of the window, across the broad shimmering water of Thorsgill Beck towards the narrow ribbon of tarmac beyond. As I looked, I remembered what the stable lad had told us. From this viewpoint I could clearly see the churned-up grass on the verge where the recovery vehicle had removed Lewis’s Mercedes. I inched my way from the room, closing the door behind me. There was nothing more to be done for the victims. They were long past help.
Eve returned a few minutes later. She still looked extremely distressed. I was concerned, but when she asked me if I was all right, I realized I must also be showing signs of the terrible sight we had just seen. ‘John said he was going to try to get hold of Ogden first. As soon as he’s spoken to him, he’ll set off for here. He said we hadn’t to touch anything; or even go back inside the house.’
‘I wasn’t planning on it,’ I said, the vision of those two bodies still far too fresh in my mind.
‘What should we do now? I feel so helpless.’
‘Apart from waiting around to ensure that nobody rushes in and disturbs vital evidence, there’s absolutely nothing we can do until someone arrives to take charge.’
Eve looked around. The village street stretched for almost a mile towards the imposing entrance gates that marked the boundary of Rowandale Hall. There was absolutely no one in sight. ‘I don’t think we’re going to get bowled over in the rush.’
I turned to face the cottage. ‘I wonder if by any chance that Stag is unlocked. I don’t suppose so; even out here nobody would be willing to take the chance with such an expensive piece of kit. I’ll just go try the doors.’
Sure enough, the car was secure. ‘Did you think there might be a clue as to the owner’s identity inside?’ Eve asked.
‘Something of the sort, yes.’
‘If the owner is security conscious enough to keep it locked even in such a safe place, I very much doubt whether they would leave personal details lying around inside for every potential car thief to find.’
‘Was,’ I corrected her.
‘What?’
‘You said, “if the owner is security conscious”.’
‘Oh, all right, but you’re assuming the woman in the bedroom is the owner. Who do you think killed them? A jealous husband or lover, perhaps?’
‘I might have gone along with that idea, but for seeing Charles Lewis’s body last week. I’m by no means an expert, but I reckon the stab wounds on these bodies were made by the same knife that killed Barbara’s ex-husband.’
There was a moment’s silence before Eve spoke. ‘Hang on, Adam, you said “the stab wounds on these bodies”, but we could only see Armstrong. All that was visible of the other victim from the door was part of their foot.’
I realized suddenly how easy it is for someone to make an elementary mistake that could prove highly incriminating. I might as well own up. ‘I went back inside and took a closer look. I thought I ought to, in case the second victim was only wounded. It would have been terrible to find out later that we could have helped them.’
‘I actually knew you’d gone back into the cottage. Eve pointed down the street. ‘’You can see the front door from the phone box. I take it the woman was also dead?’
‘Extremely dead; I think she’d been stabbed as many times as Armstrong, although I didn’t stop to count the wounds.’
‘Was she also naked?’
‘Yes, her clothing was strewn on the carpet. At a guess I’d say it was a case of coitus extremely interruptus.’
‘Did you recognize her face, or were you to preoccupied staring at her…wounds to look elsewhere.’
Eve’s momentary hesitation and the slight extra emphasis on the word ‘wounds’, made me smile, in spite of the grim situation. ‘What sort of pervert do you take me for?’
I saw Eve open her mouth to reply so I lifted a warning hand. ‘No, don’t bother to answer that, I can imagine. The woman was around thirty years of age, quite attractive, with long dark hair that appeared to be natural, and a decent enough figure, although some of the sand in the hourglass had trickled through to the bottom. I’m certain I’ve never seen her before, but then I don’t mingle with the Stag-driving set.’
At that moment we saw Pickersgill’s patrol car hurtling along the village street towards us at a pace far in excess of the speed limit. He brought it to a shuddering halt only inches from the back bumper of my car and leapt out. ‘There’s no rush, John, they aren’t going anywhere,’ I told him. ‘Well, only to the mortuary, I guess.’
‘Did anyone ever tell you what a sick sense of humour you have?’ Eve enquired.
I ignored the snide remark. ‘Did you manage to get hold of Ogden?’
‘I did, eventually, but it took some doing. Inspector High-and-Mighty was interviewing Mrs Lewis and gave strict instructions that he wasn’t to be disturbed by anyone below the rank of chief constable.’
‘How did you get round that?’
‘I phoned the chief constable, of course, and asked him to intercede.’ Pickersgill smiled wickedly. ‘I’d have liked to have eavesdropped on the call he made to Ogden. The outcome is that Ogden will be here in about an hour, together with a full team of experts. I’m not going to vouch for what his temper will be like, though. In the meantime I have to secure the crime scene, keep you here, and ensure the onlookers don’t disturb the area.’
I glanced down the village street, which was still empty. ‘Another tough assignment for you.’
‘Why does he want us to stay?’ Eve asked. ‘Is he frightened we might run away, or fly off to Brazil at a moment’s notice?’
Pickersgill shook his head gravely, responding to Eve’s sarcasm in like vein. ‘It isn’t for us lesser mortals to attempt to understand the workings of a fine mind like Ogden’s. All we can do is stand by, proud to be onlookers witnessing such genius at close quarters.’
His expression changed. ‘Are you both OK?’ He looked from Eve to me and then back again. ‘It must have been terrible for you, finding the bodies.’
‘It wasn’t pleasant,’ Eve agreed. ‘I was upset at the time, but I’m all right now. I think Adam was upset too. He didn’t speak for almost five minutes, which shows he was in shock.’
‘You said on the phone that Armstrong was one of the victims.’ Pickersgill concentrated his attention on Eve. ‘Have you any idea who the other one was?’
‘I didn’t actually see her body, only part of one foot. Adam went back into the room to make sure she was dead.’ Eve paused, realizing at once what she’d said. ‘I didn’t mean that the way it came out. I meant that he went to check for any sign of life in case he could help.’
‘I understand; very wise, too. I take it she was dead?’ He looked at me.
‘Well and truly. I didn’t touch either of the corpses, but I’d guess they’ve been dead some time. I didn’t count the wounds, but I reckon she was stabbed just as many times as he was.’
I described the woman, but Pickersgill couldn’t place her from my brief account. ‘There is one way we might be able to get her name. If I get the station to find out who the owner of the car is, that should do it.’ He smiled. ‘Promise you won’t elope to Gretna Green whilst I’m on the radio.’
‘Will it be OK to go sit in my car if I promise not to switch the engine on? It’s a bit chilly out here.’
‘I don’t have a problem with that.’
It was almost half an hour later before Pickersgill returned with news of what his colleagues back at headquarters had discovered. During his absence, as much to take our minds off the tragic events nearby, we discussed our plans for Dene Cottage.
‘I think we should change its name once we’ve added the extension,’ Eve told me.
‘What to?’
She grinned mischievously. ‘I think Eden House would be appropriate, don’t you? As long as we don’t have a son and call him Cain, or Abel.’
I stared at her in surprise. ‘That’s spooky. I had the same idea the other day. Not only is it apt, but it has a real ring to it. I’m not sure if you’re allowed to rename houses though, we’ll have to check with the post office.’
Pickersgill knocked on the driver’s window. I’d been looking at Eve at the time, admiring her beauty, and his tap startled me.
‘The Triumph’s registered keeper is a company in Leeds called MPD Ltd. That doesn’t mean anything to me, how about you?’
I shook my head, but Eve said, ‘How about that man from the shoot? Matthews, I mean. Isn’t he something to do with property? I seem to remember you saying that at the Nelson. Couldn’t MPD stand for Matthews Property Development?’
‘Eve’s right,’ I told him. ‘She’s also something of a genius.’
‘That makes sense, but who was the woman?’
‘I don’t know if Matthews was married or not, but if he was, perhaps Mrs Matthews decided she wanted someone else to make the earth move for her.’ I grinned as I heard Eve groan. ‘I can’t see the attraction myself; I certainly wouldn’t have Armstrong down as the Oliver Mellors type.’
Eve and Pickersgill both looked baffled. ‘Lady Chatterley’s Lover,’ I explained.
‘You did tell us the reason he was sacked from his previous job was because he’d been having an affair with a married woman,’ Eve pointed out. ‘Maybe he prefers them with a wedding ring on.’
‘You may be right, and if the dead woman is Mrs Matthews, it will give Ogden a ready-made suspect. It will be interesting to see if Matthews can account for his movements around the time of the deaths.’
Witnessing the arrival of Ogden, his CID officers, their uniformed colleagues, the pathologist, and sundry forensic scientists, was rather like watching a parade, or a royal procession. The long straight main street of Rowandale village was transformed momentarily in my imagination to Pall Mall, or Horse Guards Parade.
I watched with interest as Ogden emerged from the lead vehicle, to see if his attitude had been affected by the chief constable’s intervention. I have to say I was unable to detect the slightest alteration. I wondered what it would take to dent the man’s pompous arrogance. He scarcely acknowledged Pickersgill and paid little heed to Eve’s presence. The focus of his attention was on me, although I couldn’t for the life of me work out what I’d done to deserve it. However, Ogden soon put me right on that score.
‘You seem to be making quite a habit of being first on the scene whenever a murder’s been committed, Bailey. Some people would regard that as suspicious; highly suspicious.’
‘By “some people” I take it you are referring to yourself, Ogden. Are you working on the principle that the person who finds the body must be the killer? It’s an extremely interesting concept, and I can see that it would have several advantages. No murder would go unsolved; you’d have someone locked up for every crime, no matter whether they were guilty or innocent. Unfortunately for you, Ogden, that theory is about as flawed as the rest of your detective work. I ought to point out that it wasn’t actually me who discovered Lewis’s body. It was Mrs Price. I only became involved because I happened to be passing by when she needed to raise the alarm, but don’t let that trivial detail spoil your reasoning.’
He turned to walk away, his whole demeanour one of anger, but I wasn’t prepared to let him off the hook yet. ‘I have two other matters to raise with you, Ogden.’
He whipped round and snarled, ‘It’s Inspector Ogden.’
‘Yes, I know, so perhaps you will do me the courtesy of addressing me as Mr Bailey in future. That was one of the matters. The other was a request.’
‘What request?’
‘I wanted to ask you to contact your office and give them instructions to release Barbara Lewis immediately.’
‘Are you mad? If it hadn’t been for these killings, I’d have charged her with her husband’s murder by now. I shall rectify that as soon as I’ve finished here.’
‘OK, go ahead.’ I paused, before adding, ‘Go ahead and make an even bigger fool of yourself than you already have done.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘I mean that if you charge Barbara you’ll be the laughing stock of the county within days, hours even.’
‘Oh yes, and why is that?’ he sneered.
‘Because Barbara couldn’t have killed Charles Lewis. At the time he was murdered she was over thirty miles away.’
‘How do you know what time Lewis was murdered?’
‘One of your officers told me the pathologist had set the time of death as sometime between late morning and evening on Thursday of last week, and I happen to know Barbara was nowhere near Rowandale during that time.’
‘Oh yes, and who is going to give her an alibi? You, I suppose. Do you honestly think I’m going to fall for such a lame story?’
‘No, not me, but there must be quite a lot of people who will be able to confirm the facts.’
‘What people? Give me names.’
‘I can’t possibly do that. What I can do, is tell you where Mrs Lewis was and what she was doing. According to her stable lad, she set off in the horsebox with him and Blenheim Boy to Wetherby racecourse around nine that morning. The horse won the most prestigious hurdle race of the day, and afterwards, Barbara was interviewed in the winner’s enclosure for the benefit of several million people who were watching on television. Later, as they were driving back from Wetherby, the horsebox broke down. Because the horse is so valuable, they couldn’t risk having the vehicle towed to a garage, so they had to wait until a mechanic completed the repair at the roadside. This resulted in them not returning to Linden House until just before midnight.’
Before I began my story, Ogden’s face had been almost puce with anger, now it was ashen pale. ‘All these facts will have to be checked before I can authorize Mrs Lewis’s release. In the meantime, I’ve two other murders to investigate.’
As he walked away, Eve said, ‘Oh dear, Adam, I think you’ve ruined the inspector’s day. He looked quite upset.’
‘Not likely, it would take a guided missile up his backside to upset him.’
‘Now there’s a sight we’d all like to see.’
‘Unfortunately, there’s a flaw in Adam’s reasoning,’ Pickersgill told her. ‘Ogden is that thick-skinned the missile probably wouldn’t penetrate his self-esteem. However, I definitely think you’re off his Christmas card list, as well as me.’
‘That won’t cause me any lost sleep. He was never on mine.’ I gestured to the milling throng of officialdom that was congregating by Armstrong’s front door. ‘Anyway, what’s your contribution to this circus going to be?’
‘Not so much a circus, more of a pantomime, or French farce, I’d say, considering Ogden’s in charge of proceedings. I have no role, I’m not important enough, so I’ll have to await instructions and hope against hope I get selected even for a walk-on part, or as an extra. Looking at that lot, it will probably entail crowd control or car parking, just like last time.’
‘One good thing, though. It looks as if Zeke Calvert will be getting his job back.’
Eve shook her head despairingly. ‘I suppose I’m going to have to get used to your sick sense of humour.’
Eventually, the young DC, whose name I still didn’t know, came over to take our statements. We told him why we had come to see Armstrong, which seemed to go right over his head, and how we’d found the house door ajar on our arrival. In the middle of our explanation, I suddenly realized that I might have the answer to the question that had been troubling me for a week. And, if that was the case, I might also have a shrewd idea as to a possible motive for Armstrong’s murder. In all this speculation, I could not be sure whether the gamekeeper’s companion had been an intended victim, or whether she had merely been unlucky enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Once he’d reported back to Ogden, giving him chapter and verse on what we’d told him, the DC returned and confirmed that it would now be in order for us to leave. Although I realized there were procedures to be observed, I doubted whether what we had told the detectives would advance their search for the person responsible for the murders at all. As we drove back to Laithbrigg, Eve noticed my silence, and remarked on it. ‘What are you thinking about, Adam? You suddenly went quiet as we were telling that detective our story and I realized then your mind was elsewhere. Would you care to share your thoughts with your beloved?’
I smiled. ‘You have no idea how great that sounds, Evie.’ I told her the idea that had suddenly come to me. ‘If I’m right, it goes some way to explaining why Armstrong was killed. However, that still doesn’t provide us with a motive for Lewis’s murder.’ I paused; then changed the subject. ‘Do you fancy dining out again tonight?’
‘Where have you in mind?’
‘The Admiral Nelson.’
‘Have you a specific reason for wanting to go there? Not that I object. Quite the opposite, I’m starting to enjoy the lifestyle, although I’m not sure it’s good for my waistline.’
‘I simply wanted to ask one or two questions about local history; that was all.’ I leered at her. ‘And, if you’re really concerned about your weight, I could suggest some intense physical activity for when we return from the pub, to burn some calories off.’
‘You’ve got a point, Adam. The way you’ve been going on, I need have no fear of getting fat, so the Nelson it is then, and then back home for some aerobics.’