Chapter 27 – Why Did You Refuse Them

It was late before Haley finally made it back to the hospital. As he approached Eleanor’s room, he saw two men in uniform. One was Constable Braddock. The constable put a finger to his lips.

Haley scowled and jerked his head back to indicate that the constable should come to him.

Braddock frowned, but he obeyed the silent order.

“Come on, Inspector!” Braddock whispered. “We were at the best part.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Super’s in there, getting the lady’s statement.”

“Millward?”

“It’s been a joy to listen to. I think she’s having fun.”

“Has he said anything about the murder?”

Braddock’s brow creased. “Murder?”

“Millward knows. Has he mentioned it to her?”

“Wha—uh, no, sir. What murder?”

Haley looked back toward the room. “You’ll find out soon enough. Why is the door open?”

“Room gets stuffy. They have the door and window open, trying to get a cross breeze.”

Haley led the way back to the door. The other constable’s smile disappeared when he saw the inspector, but Braddock waved away his concern.

Would they get in trouble for listening in? Not likely. Haley took the best place for himself.

He could hear Eleanor’s voice: “—don’t know what happened after that. Remember, I was trying to stay calm—”

“Trying to stay—listen, Lady Serrs, you’re telling me that you had a battle going on behind you, and all you did was sit there and breathe?”

“One would hate to fall prey to the hysterical female stereotype. Staying calm seemed like a worthy focus.”

“All the same—”

“Superintendent Millward, what exactly is it that you want me to say?”

“Fine. You breathed. What happened next?”

“Penn helped me to my feet. Those two ruffians were gone—”

“I told you, Lady Serrs, those were our officers.”

“How were we supposed to know that?”

“Then what happened?”

“He walked me over to the street lamp. We waited there. I think he wanted to make sure that the police would find me.”

“Why didn’t you go to them yourself?”

“I wasn’t feeling well.”

“Err, right. Sorry. Go on.”

“Inspector Haley found us—”

“Us?”

“Yes. Mr. Penn stayed with me.”

“That sounds risky, now doesn’t it?”

“Very risky. The man’s a bit of a fool that way.”

“And then Haley let him go, didn’t he?”

“Inspector Haley took charge of me and brought me to the hospital.”

“Letting Penn go in the process.”

“Well, yes, I suppose the inspector could have left me bleeding on the street in order to pursue Mr. Penn, but for whatever unfathomable reason, he didn’t. I’m sorry if that disappoints you, Superintendent, but at the time, all I felt was grateful.”

“And that’s everything you know?”

“I’ve finished telling you what happened yesterday, yes.”

“That’s an oddly specific answer.”

“It was an unfortunately vague question. I doubt you actually want me to try to recite the contents of every book I’ve ever read.”

Haley smiled, but he also felt a twinge of sympathy for his superior. This was Eleanor Serrs, the Great and Terrible, at her finest. She would never lie to him, but she certainly wasn’t going to tell him the truth.

The inspector stepped away from the wall and knocked on the door frame so the two people inside would know he was there.

Eleanor was sitting on the edge of the bed. She was back in her own clothes, but the cuffs of her shirt had been opened and folded up to her elbow. When she saw him, she managed not to smile, but Haley recognized the laughter in her eyes. His heart sank.

“Good evening, Inspector,” she said.

“Good evening, Lady Serrs.”

Millward got to his feet. He was an older man. He had the slight pudge of someone who had married a good cook, but he did his best to keep fit. He wore his spectacles as little as possible; they often hung around his neck or were perched on his head. Right now, they were hanging from his jacket’s breast pocket.

On the whole, Haley thought he was a good man. He had often wondered how things would have been between them if his father had never intervened.

“Haley,” Millward said.

“Sir, I understand you’re here to get Lady Serrs’ statement?”

“I am.”

“I apologize for intruding, but I wanted you to know that I’m here, and I need to talk to her about that other matter.”

Millward scowled and nodded.

“Do you need more time?” Haley asked. “I can leave and come back.”

“No, Inspector. I think I’m done here.” He eyed Haley, perhaps hoping to read the truth in the inspector’s face, but then he looked away and grumbled under his breath. “I don’t envy you this case, Haley. Let me know if you need help.”

“Thank you, sir.”

The superintendent turned. “Goodbye, Lady Serrs. Please be careful with yourself. Doubly so wherever Ryce Penn is concerned.”

“Thank you, Superintendent. I’ll be careful.”

When Millward left, Haley shut the door. He was moving slower than usual, but Eleanor failed to notice.

“I’m glad you caught me,” she said. “I was about to leave.”

“They’re letting you go?”

“The chauffeur arrived right before Superintendent Millward did. Why does he have it in for you so badly?”

“You think he does?” Haley sat down on the chair his superior had vacated.

“You could tell by his questions. It’d be hard for me to say which person he wants to catch more, you or Penn. Does he dislike you?”

“Maybe I’m not very likable.”

Eleanor gave him a look. “I find that hard to believe.”

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Haley’s heart dropped another fathom. Just wait.

He said, “Miss Serrs, I’m sorry to delay your return home, but I have to talk to you. I have some bad news, then I have to ask you a few questions.”

Haley found it hard to look directly at her, but he watched her face from the corner of his eye, and he saw it instantly fill with tension.

“What is it?”

“Dominic Winfield is dead.” He saw the shock hit her. “He was murdered last night around nine or ten o’clock.” He watched the color drain from her face and the pain enter her eyes. “We have reason to believe it has something to do with you.”

Eleanor buried her face in her hands.

Haley had done many difficult things as a policeman, but saying that to her was one of the worst.

She’d had enough. So had he. He sat there and said nothing.

“How was he killed?”

Eleanor had spoken into her hands. Haley only caught what she’d said because he was sitting so close and the room was quiet.

“Miss Serrs…”

“Please.”

He didn’t have the heart to refuse her. It had fallen into some oceanic abyss by then. “He was hit on the left side of his head with a blunt object.”

“The murder weapon?”

“We suspect it was a collector’s egg—a large mineral rock—he had on his mantle as a decoration—”

“The malachite.”

Haley brought his hand up to his mouth. At some level, he knew Eleanor had known Winfield, but he hadn’t expected her to know that kind of a detail. A deep unease settled around him.

The inspector lowered his hand to the arm of the chair. “Have you seen it?”

“No.” Eleanor moved her hands, but she wouldn’t look at him. “He described it to me once. He called it his one folly. He kept it, even though it was useless, because he fell in love with the pattern.” She paused. “Why do you think it was the murder weapon?”

“We can’t find it. Nothing else was taken, and little else was disturbed.”

“He didn’t fight?”

“It’s hard to tell. The objects in the room were sparse. If the fight was short or there wasn’t much of a struggle, there’d be no sign.”

“But the egg was taken?”

“And his manservant says that it wasn’t particularly valuable.”

“So it was most likely removed because it was the murder weapon.” Eleanor had to struggle for the next words: “Why do you think it has to do with me?”

“Noah Jeffery was Dominic Winfield’s manservant. Winfield had him place the order for your wedding invitations with Mr. Russel.”