“I simply must know!” Aubrey said, in an anguished voice. “I shan’t be able to bear it if I don’t, and we all know what repressions do to one! What are they, Uncle Phineas?”
“Ah, my boy!” said Phineas, reflecting that Aubrey had always been an objectionable young detrimental. “There are many questions upon which an older head can come to the help of a young one.”
“Uncle’s mixed his dates,” remarked Conrad. “Ray’s going on for forty. Incidentally, he’s been managing the estate for the past ten years.”
“Try again, Uncle,” recommended Eugene, with drawling insolence. “We wouldn’t know why you want to see Ray, of course.”
Chairman fixed her uncle with a penetrating gaze. “Come now!” she said briskly. “I don’t believe in beating about the bush! Just what brought you up here yesterday to see Father, Uncle? That’s a question which is interesting us a good deal.”
Delia made an inarticulate sound, and looked imploringly towards her brother. He pressed his fingertips together, perhaps to control their slight unsteadiness, and replied smilingly: “I am afraid my errand to your dear father was sadly unexciting. Tut, tut! You silly child, have you been picturing a mystery? The influence of the modern crime novel!”
“I never read them.”
He passed his tongue between his lips. “Well, well! And so you want to know why I came to see my old friend! My dear, if it interests you so much, of course you may know: I came to seek his advice in the matter of a little land deal which I have in contemplation. Now you will all say how dull!”
“I wasn’t going to,” said Aubrey. “I mean, dull isn’t the word that actually leaped to my tongue. But perhaps I’d better not say what that was.”
“Mendacious,” suggested Eugene. “No, adroit.”
Phineas decided to remain deaf to this. Still smiling, he said: “And did you foolish young people really think that I might have had something to do with your father’s death? I ought to be cross with you, but I know so well what tricks overwrought nerves can play with one that I can forgive you.”
“That’s all very well,” said Ingrain bluntly, “but if your visit to Father was so damned innocent, why did Raymond deny that he’d seen you here?”
Phineas’s eyes snapped, and a muscle quivered in his cheek. “The foolish fellow! Now, why should he do that. I wonder? Can he have thought that I didn’t want my little project to leak out? No doubt that would be it!”
“You know, I do feel that we’ve all under-rated Uncle Phin!” said Aubrey, looking round appealingly.
Happily for Phineas, Raymond chose this moment to walk into the room. He checked at sight of the visitors. and his brow began to lower. “What the devil… ?” he demanded, in anything but a welcoming tone.
Delia got up, dropping her handbag, and moved towards him, her eyes suffused suddenly with tears, and her lower lip quivering. “Ray, dear! I — we had to come to tell you how sorry — see if there is anything — I mean, if we could be of the least help in this sad time...”
“Very kind of you, but there’s nothing you can do, thanks. You’d have done better to have stayed away.”
She whitened, and her hand fell from his sleeve. Aubrey said brightly: “Isn’t it strange, Eugene dear, how often quite unintelligent persons, like Ray, manage to put into clear, concise language what others, like you and me, who are much cleverer, don’t you agree, feel to be the inexpressible?”
“That’ll be all from you, thanks!” said Raymond harshly.
“Ray, dear old fellow!” said Phineas, rising from his chair, and advancing towards his nephew. “I have just been learning from your brothers of your absurdly quixotic behaviour in regard to my stupid affairs! Did I say that I was anxious my little deal should not be noised abroad? I did not mean by requesting your silence to embroil you with the police, my boy!”
“Oh!” said Raymond, glancing round the room. “Pity some of you can’t think of something better to do than to poke your noses into my affairs! I’ll have a word with you about that little deal of yours, Uncle, if you’ve no objection.”
"Just what is this so-called deal?” demanded Ingrain.
“You’d better tell him, Uncle,” recommended Raymond sardonically.
“My dear boy, I’ve already told you that all I wanted was your father’s advice on a certain piece of land.”
“Well, it seems a damned queer business to me!” Ingrain said.
Raymond shrugged, and held the door for his uncle to pass out of the room. He conducted him to his office, remarking that since the house appeared to be full of busybodies there only could they be sure of any privacy.
Once in that austere apartment he shut the door and turned to confront Phineas. “What the devil did you mean by dragging me into yesterday’s business?” he asked fiercely.
“My dear Raymond, I could hardly be expected to guess that you had been foolish enough to deny having seen me when I was here,” Phineas returned. “Really. I can’t imagine what possessed you!”
“God’s teeth, don’t you suppose I’ve got enough to contend with without getting embroiled in that? What’s this cock-and-bull story you’ve hatched up about a land deal? If you’re going to tell the police I can corroborate your stories I’ll thank you to let me know first what they are!”
“There is no point in losing our tempers, my boy." Phineas said smoothly. “We shall say that I have it in mind to buy up Leason Pastures.”
“You can say what you dam’ well please, but you won’t lug me into it. I’ve told Logan I know nothing about your business with Father, and I’m sticking to that.”
Phineas sat down in a chair by the desk, and began to drum his soft white fingers on the arm of it. “In view of the — er — very equivocal position in which you stand. Ray, do you feel that you are wise to take up this unhelpful attitude?” he inquired.
Raymond looked contemptuously down at him. “You must think I’m a fool if you imagine I don’t know that you’re quite as anxious to keep my secret as I am myself!” he said. “You’d have to leave the neighbourhood, if that got out, wouldn’t you?”
Phineas went on smiling, but the expression in his eyes was hardly in keeping with the benevolent curl of his lips.
“We won’t go into that. A most unfortunate affair, which we must, I agree, do our utmost to conceal. It was for that reason that I came up to see you today. I must know how matters now stand.”
“They don’t stand in any better shape for this precious visit! Already the others are beginning to smell a rat.”
“Then you must have been singularly clumsy, my dear Ray. I thought I could rely on you to present my call upon your father in satisfactory colours. However, there is no profit in repining now that the mischief is done. I have no intention of inquiring into the circumstances of your father’s untimely death, and I beg you will not seek to take me into your confidence. What is done cannot be undone...”
“It wasn’t done by me,” interrupted Raymond.
Phineas bowed his head in polite acceptance of this statement. “That, as I have said, is a matter in which I do not propose to interest myself. My sole concern is to keep my sister’s name unsullied. To this end I must request you to tell me what steps you have taken in regard to the woman, Martha Bugle?”
Raymond answered curtly: “None.”
Phineas raised his brows. “Indeed! Then may I suggest that you give your serious attention to this question?”
Raymond strode over to the window, and stood staring out, his hands thrust into his pockets. After a short pause, he said: “I gather that you believe I murdered Father. I didn’t, but it’s quite likely others will share your belief. If Martha thought it, there’s no bribe I could offer her that would induce her to keep her mouth shut.” He paused. A bleak look came into his face; his mouth twitched as though from a twinge of pain. “You’re wasting your time. I don’t know what I’m going to do yet. Martha isn’t the only one who knows.”