Chapter 26 – The Body

Lucas Haley stared down at the body of Dominic Winfield.

“How did this happen?”

The constable standing behind Haley heard him mutter the question. He was about to attempt some kind of an answer, but then he felt a hand on his shoulder. When the constable looked up, Sergeant Ellsworth shook his head.

Haley checked the scene to make sure he wouldn’t ruin anything, then knelt down to get a better look at the corpse.

There were blood splatters along the wall, and a few smears on the floor, but the majority of it was pooled around the man’s head.

Haley thought to himself, with grim humor, that if Mr. Winfield hadn’t died from the head wound, he might have drowned in it.

But there was no chance of that. The wound was so deep, it looked like a crater in his skull.

The inspector stood up and turned to the constable and Ellsworth.

“The scene is exactly as it was found?”

“None of our boys touched it, sir,” the constable said. “I asked the manservant—he’s the one who found the body—but he said he got close enough to see the head, then he ran.”

“He threw up,” Haley said. He could smell it.

“The hall,” Ellsworth said.

“I can’t say I blame him,” the constable added.

Haley said to Ellsworth, “Has this been officially assigned to me?”

The sergeant nodded.

Haley tried to think how he could frame the question, but Ellsworth, seeing his face, guessed what his superior was thinking.

“It’s about Lady Serrs.”

Haley’s eyes flew to him. “You know this?”

“You need to talk to the manservant, sir.”

“I think I do. Is he still here?”

“He’s in his bedroom. He said he wanted to wait there.”

Haley turned to the constable. “No one comes in this apartment except for the doctor and the photographer. Tell Gibb to watch himself this time. I still need to look over the scene, and I’d like it to be intact.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Please stay by the door yourself. If you have to leave, grab a man you trust. I hope I won’t be long.”

“Yes, sir.”

As Haley followed Ellsworth out of the room, the inspector said, “Did you do the initial interview?”

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“I did—but it’s a little complicated, Lucas. The man that got the call was Joss.”

“Joss. Do I know him?”

“No, but I do. He’s very reliable. And discreet.”

Haley stopped where he was. “Oh, no.”

“He was tailing Fitzmon before we called him away to help with the raid, but he remembered that Winfield was one of the men we were watching.”

“And that’s why he called you.”

Ellsworth grabbed Haley’s shoulder to get him moving again. “When I told Millward it was about Lady Serrs, he turned it over to you—”

“So he doesn’t know about Joss?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Good.” Haley took a deep breath. “If it comes to it, I want it understood I gave the orders. You didn’t know better.”

“So you can enjoy taking the fall all by yourself?”

“‘Wish not one man more,’ Ellsworth.”

“You’re dribbling again, sir.”

“It’s Shakespeare!”

“It’s stupid! You think Millward would believe me?”