“All right. Now, did you hear his lordship call out after he went out on the lift landing?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Where were you?”
“In the passage, sir, in the flat, I’d been helping Master Michael with his train, sir.”
“Was Master Michael with you?”
“No, sir.”
“Do you know where he was?”
Giggle shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “Well, sir, we was in the passage outside her ladyship’s room and Master Michael saw a parcel in her ladyship’s room and said something about giving it to his lordship. I mean his late lordship, sir.”
“Did Master Michael get this parcel?”
“Yes, sir.”
“And went away with it?”
“Yes, sir.”
Lord Charles cleared his throat and uttered a small deprecating sound. Alleyn turned to him.
“I’m so sorry, Alleyn. I quite forgot to tell you. Not that I imagine it can have the smallest bearing on anything. Michael had planned to give my brother a little present and actually came in here with it just before my brother went out.”
“I see, sir. There was no parcel in the lift.”
“No.” Lord Charles touched his moustache. “No. Actually he didn’t — he must have forgotten to take it.”
“Then it’s still here?”
“I suppose so. I—”
“There it is,” said Frid. She went to the far end of the room and returned with a square brown-paper parcel. “Do you want to see it, Mr. Alleyn? Routine and all that.”
“Yes, please.” Alleyn took the parcel in his long hands. “So he didn’t open it?”
“Well — well, no,” said Lord Charles. “Actually I was talking to my brother and told Michael to put the parcel down. I didn’t want to be interrupted.”
“I see, sir.” Alleyn turned the parcel over in his hand.
“Please, Mr. Alleyn!” said Lady Charles suddenly. “It’s rather precious and terribly breakable.”
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize. May I ask what it is?”
“A piece of Chinese pottery. As old as the hills and perfectly hideous I think.”
“Good heavens!” Alleyn put the parcel delicately on the table. “Am I in a muddle,” he asked, “or was Lord Wutherwood a collector? I seem to remember a loan exhibition—”
“That’s right,” said Frid. “There’s a Ming or Ho or something gallery at Deepacres. All horses and smug goddesses, you know.”
“Well, Giggle,” said Alleyn, “Master Michael got this parcel and went away with it. What did you do?”
“I waited for a while, sir, and then I heard his lordship call for her ladyship so I came along to this flat and got my coat and cap, sir, from the staff sitting-room and I looked in at the door to say I was going. Then I went downstairs, sir. Master Michael came as far as the landing.”
“I see. In coming across to this flat you used the landing?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Where was Lord Wutherwood?”
“His lordship was in the lift, sir.”
“Were the doors shut?”
“Yes, sir. I think they were.”
“Did he speak to you?”
“He told me to go down to the car, sir.”
“So you fetched your coat and hat, spoke to Master Michael, and returned to the landing?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Did you hear his lordship call a second time?”
“I can’t say I remember, sir. I don’t think so, sir.”
“Were the lift doors still shut when you returned?”
“I can’t say, sir. I hurried downstairs, sir, without looking at the lift.”
“Yes, I see. What did you do then?”
“I went straight to the car, sir.”
“Meet anybody?”
“Beg pardon, sir? Yes, I did pass the commissionaire, sir.”
“Speak to him?”
Giggle turned a deep crimson. “I just mentioned his lordship seemed to be in a bit of a hurry, sir.”
“How long were you in the car?”
“I couldn’t rightly say, sir. Not long before Miss Tinkerton came down. She’s her ladyship’s maid, sir. She came downstairs and sat with me.”
“And then?”
Giggle looked towards Roberta. “The young lady came and fetched us, sir.”
“You did, Miss Grey?”
“Yes.”
“We thought they might be wanted,” said Henry.
“Oh, yes. Thank you, Giggle, that’ll do for the moment. I may want to see you later.”
“Thank you, sir.”
Giggle went away. Alleyn looked round that circle of politely attentive faces. “That carries us to the time when Lord Wutherwood first called out and, rather patchily, a little way beyond it. There’s one small point we may as well clear up. I should like to know who wiped away the marks on the lift wall?”
“What marks?” asked Lord Charles while Roberta’s heart sank into a chasm. “I didn’t notice any marks.”
“I did,” said Roberta, in a much louder voice than she intended. “I wiped them off.”
“Why did you do this, Miss Grey?”
“I don’t quite know.” Why had she wiped away the marks? “I think it was because they looked so beastly. And I thought if other people used the lift — the lift was still working.”
“I see.” He was smiling at her. “Just tidying up?”
“Yes.”
“You shouldn’t, you know,” said Alleyn, dismissing it. “Well,” he said, “I don’t think any purpose can be served by keeping you all together. I’m so sorry, Lady Charles, but I’m afraid I ought to see your small son.” Alleyn looked deprecatingly at Nanny. “I know it’s all against nursery law,” he said.
“The boy’s worn out already, sir,” said Nanny.
“Oh, Nanny, he isn’t,” said Patch.
“That will do, Patricia.”
“Well, anyway—”
“It’ll be a very nasty shock for him, m’lady,” said Nanny. “Waking him up in the middle of the night and telling him his uncle’s been done away with.”
“I’ll explain, Nanny,” said Lady Charles.
“You needn’t bother, Mummy,” said Patch. “When I came out Mike was looking in the playbox for that magnifying glass you gave him. We guessed it was a murder and he thought he’d like to do some private detection.”
“Honestly!” said Frid, and burst out laughing.
“Look here, Nanny,” said Alleyn. “Suppose you take me along to the nursery and stand by. If you think I’m exciting him you can order me out.”
Nanny pulled down the corners of her mouth. “It’s for his mother to say, sir,” she said.
“I think I’ll just explain and bring him here to see you, Mr. Alleyn.”
Alleyn stood up. The movement had the effect of calling them all to attention. Lady Charles rose and the men with her. She faced Alleyn. There was a brief silence.
Alleyn said: “I think, if you don’t mind, I’ll go with Nanny. Of course if they think it would be advisable, his parents may be present while I speak to him.” Some shade of inflection in his voice seemed to catch the attention of the parents. Lady Charles said: “Yes, I think I’d rather…” hesitated, and glanced at her husband.
“I’m sure Mr. Alleyn will be very considerate with Mike,” he said and, behind the somewhat stylized courtesy which he was beginning to recognize as a characteristic of Lord Charles’s, Alleyn thought he heard a note of warning. Perhaps Lady Charles heard it too for she said quickly: “Yes, of course. I expect Mike will be too thrilled. Nanny, will you wake him and explain?”
Alleyn went to the door and opened it. “I don’t expect we shall be very long,” he said.
Henry laughed unpleasantly: Frid said: “When you’ve met Mike, Mr. Alleyn, you’ll realize that no one on earth could prime him with any story.”
“Don’t be an ass, Frid,” said Colin.