She found herself blushing hotly.
“You are impertinent!” she snapped.
His smile broadened; he was looking straight at her.
“If you didn’t wish to know what I thought of you, why did you ask?”
She could think of no answer to that. Instead she summoned all the dignity she could and faced him squarely.
“I believe it is quite possible Maddock was fond of Lily, but you surely cannot imagine he held the same regard for the Hiltons’ maid, and still less for Chloe Abernathy. Therefore, to suppose that he might have killed them all is faulty reasoning in the extreme, if you attribute his motive to fondness. If not, then you have no motive at all. I think perhaps you had better begin again, on a more promising line of enquiry.” She intended it as a dismissal.
He did not move.
“You were the only one here at the time?” he asked.
“Apart from Mrs. Dunphy, and Dora, of course. Why?”
“Your mother and sisters were at some church function. Where were your father and Mr. Corde?”
“Ask them.”
“You don’t know?”
“No, I don’t.”
“But they came home passing close to Cater Street, if not actually through it?”
“If they had seen anything, I’m sure they would have told you.”
“Possibly.”
“Of course they would! Whyever not?” A terrible thought hit her like a blow. “You can’t-you can’t imagine that one of them would-”
“I imagine everything, Miss Ellison, and believe nothing until there is proof. But I admit, there is no cause to suppose-,” he left it hanging a second. “But someone did. I would like to have another talk with Maddock-undisturbed.”
That evening everyone was at home, even Emily. They sat with the French windows open onto the lawn and the late sun in the garden, but instead of the balmy air of evening, filled with the scents of the day, it seemed only heavy with oppression.
It was Sarah who said what they were all thinking, or something close to it.
“Well, I’m not worried,” she lifted her chin a little. “Inspector Pitt seems a sensible man to me. He’ll soon discover that Maddock is as innocent as the rest of us. I dare say he’ll even decide so tomorrow.”
Charlotte spoke her thoughts, as usual, before she considered.
“I have no faith at all in his good sense. He is not like us.”
“We all know he is a different class of person,” Sarah said quickly. “But he is used to dealing with criminals. He must know the difference between a perfectly respectable servant like Maddock, and the kind of ruffian who goes around strangling girls.”
“Garotting,” Charlotte corrected. “And there is a lot of difference between ruffians, as you put it, who attack and rob people, and the sort of person who garottes women, especially servant girls who have nothing worth stealing.”
Dominic smiled widely.
“And how would you know, Charlotte? Have you become an expert on crimes of passion?”
“She doesn’t know!” Edward said very sharply. “She is being contrary, as usual.”
“Oh, I don’t agree,” Dominic was still smiling. “Charlotte’s not contrary; she’s just forthright. And she has been spending a lot of time lately with that police fellow. Perhaps she’s learned something?”
“She could hardly learn anything of value, or suitable for a lady to know, from such a person,” Edward said with a frown. He turned to her. “Charlotte, is this true? Have you been seeing this person?”
Charlotte found herself colouring with confusion and anger.
“Only when he called here on police business, Papa. Unfortunately he has come on two occasions when no one else was in.”
“And what have you been saying to him?”
“Answering his questions, of course. We hardly have social conversations.”
“Don’t be impertinent! I meant, what has he asked you?”
“Not a great deal.” Now that she came to think of it, their conversations had been of no immediate relevance to his investigations. “He asked me a little about Lily, and about Maddock.”
“He’s a perfectly awful man,” Sarah shivered. “It really is appalling that we should have to have him in the house. And I think we should be very careful about letting Charlotte talk to him. You never know what she may forget herself and say.”
“Do you suggest we should stand in the street and answer his questions?” Charlotte lost her temper completely. “And if you don’t let him speak to me, he will suspect I know something shameful that you are afraid I will let slip.”
“Charlotte,” Caroline’s voice was quite soft, but there was an edge of firmness in it that had the desired effect.
“I don’t think he’s awful,” Dominic said casually. “In fact, I rather like him.”
“You what?” Sarah was incredulous.
“I rather like him,” Dominic repeated. “He has a dry sense of humour, which must be difficult enough in his job. Or perhaps it’s the only way to retain his sanity.”
“You have a peculiar taste in friends, Dominic,” Emily said tartly. “I should be obliged if you didn’t entertain him at home.”
“It would seem redundant at present,” Dominic said pleasantly. “Charlotte appears to be doing very well. I doubt he has time to spare.”
Charlotte was about to reply, when she realized he was teasing. She blushed with confusion. Her heart was beating so violently she worried in case someone else noticed it.
“Dominic, this is not a suitable occasion,” Caroline said clearly. “It seems this person really does consider that Maddock might be involved.”
“More than involved,” Edward was totally serious now. “I gather he actually thinks he might have killed Lily.”
“But that’s ridiculous.” Sarah was not yet more than superficially worried. Her concern was still only a matter of social inconvenience, a stigma to be circumvented with care, to be talked away. “He couldn’t have.”
Emily was thinking hard, frowning.
Edward folded his hands together, staring at them. “Why not?”
Sarah looked up, startled, but no one else spoke.
“After all,” Edward went on, “it is inescapable that someone did. It would also appear that it might well be someone who lives around this area, which precludes the sort of criminal who ordinarily attacks people in the street, robbers and so forth. And no robber of any efficiency attacks a servant girl out late, such as Lily. She could have nothing worth taking, poor child. Perhaps Maddock became infatuated with her, and when she rejected him for this young Brody, he lost his head. We have to consider that that may be the truth, however disagreeable.”
“Papa, how can you?” Sarah burst out. “Maddock is our butler! He has been for years! We know him!”
“He is still a human being, my dear,” Edward said gently, “and subject to human passions and weaknesses. We must face the truth. Denying it will not alter it, nor can it help anyone, not even Maddock; and we have to consider the safety of others, especially Dora and Mrs. Dunphy.”
Sarah’s face dropped.
“You don’t think-”
“I don’t know, my dear. It is for the police to decide, not us.”
“I don’t think we should leap to conclusions.” Caroline was obviously unhappy. “But we must be prepared to face the truth, when it becomes inevitable.”
Charlotte could no longer keep silent.
“We don’t know that it is the truth! She was garotted, not strangled: killed with a wire. If Maddock suddenly lost his temper, why did he have a wire with him? He doesn’t walk around carrying a garotting wire!”
“My dear, it’s quite possible he lost his temper before he left the house,” Edward said quietly. She was not looking at them. “Refusing to face it will not help.”
“Face what?” Charlotte demanded. “That Maddock could have killed Lily? Of course he could! He was out in the street at the right time. So were you, Papa. So was Dominic. I dare say there were a hundred other men who were, and we shall never know three-quarters of them. Any one of them could have killed her.”