I thought of the sailor . of Cosmo . of Simon . and now I was the one.
“You’ve none but yourself to blame,” he said.
“I don’t want to do this. I hate doing it to you. Kate will grieve .. Why couldn’t you let sleeping dogs lie?”
A wild hope came to me. If he were going to kill me why didn’t he do it? Why did he talk like this? It was almost as though he were putting it off. He was speaking the truth when he said he didn’t want to do it. He was doing it because he thought he must . it was necessary because he was already caught up in a maze of murder.
I said: “You are planning to do to me what you did to the sailor … you’ll kill me and throw me over the cliff. Kate told me … about the sailor … I understand now.”
“You understand … you understand too much. I know what’s happened.
It was Harry Tench, wasn’t it? He’s talked. Oh, Miss Cranleigh, why did you have to meddle? “
I was suddenly aware that Goldie was walking away. I felt desperately frightened. He seemed to realize that he was wasting time. He might be thinking of Lucas who could come to the inn and wait in vain.
With a deft movement he released his hand. He needed them both to strangle me with the tie. I attempted to dodge away . but he was watchful of me.
Any minute now . It must not be. I had found the murderer. I had succeeded. I would not die and let the secret die with me. I must make a super-human effort to break away . to get to Lucas.
I was praying silently to Lucas . to Simon . to God.
I had to tell them. I had to save Simon . and Lucas was waiting for me.
He had the tie round my throat. Somehow I managed to get my two thumbs under it which relieved the pressure. I lifted my leg and kicked backwards.
Luck was with me. He was not expecting that. He let out a cry of pain; the tie fell from his hands. I had a second or two in which to act; and I did. I broke away. I was agile and I was fighting for my life.
I had to get out of the copse before he caught me. Instinctively I knew he would not dare attack me in the open country. Someone could easily come into view.
Through the trees I dashed. He was after me, fully aware of the necessity to catch me before I emerged into the open.
I could hear him close on my heels. The branches caught at me, but somehow I managed to keep a step or two ahead of him, just out of his reach. If only Goldie were here . if only I could mount her.
The trees were thinning. There was not far to go. I was going to make it.
I could hear him close behind me, breathing heavily. He was not a young man, I thought exultantly. I had the advantage of youth.
I was thinking: Lucas! How right you were. I should have been more careful. I had had a warning with the wine. Of course, he was going to drug me . and then throw me over the cliff . just as he must have done in the case of the sailor, Mirabel’s husband. I had had a warning and I had been too blind to see. But . I had found my murderer. Success had been thrust upon me and it had nearly cost me my life.
I was out in the open. I dare not stop. I went on running as fast as I could. Cautiously I glanced over my shoulder.
He was no longer there. I had escaped. And suddenly I saw Lucas galloping towards me.
“Lucas!” I panted.
“Lucas!”
He leaped from his horse. He took me in his arms and held me tightly.
“Rosetta … my love … what happened?”
“I’ve found him, Lucas … I’ve found him. He was going to kill me.”
“Rosetta … what… ?”
“He followed me into the copse. He was going to strangle me … and then he would have thrown me over the cliff … as he did the sailor.”
“You’d better tell me all about it. I thought you’d had an accident when Goldie arrived at the inn without you.”
“Goldie … yes, she wandered off.”
“I was looking out for you when I saw her trotting along. She came straight to the stables.”
“Oh … good old Goldie …”
“I’d better take you home with me.”
“No … no, I must tell you. There isn’t much time … or there may not be …”
“You’re distraught … I want to know everything that happened. Who . ?”
“Let’s go into the inn. Tell them I took a toss. I can’t let them know what really happened yet.”
“Who was it, Rosetta?”
“It was Major Durrell.”
“What?”
I put my hand to my throat.
“He had a tie … he was going to strangle me. It was round my throat. I thought I couldn’t stop him. But I … managed … somehow … and I got away. He couldn’t catch me. I ran faster than he did.”
He stared at my throat.
“There are bruises,” he said.
“Rosetta … what in God’s name is this all about?”
“I want to talk to you, Lucas. I’ve got the answer … I think. It hasn’t been in vain.”
I got up behind him and we rode back to the inn. My thoughts were in such a jumble that I did not know where to begin. I was deeply shocked, trembling violently, but I
knew that something had to be done . quickly. And I had to get Lucas’s help.
“Don’t talk till we get to the inn,” he said.
“A good strong brandy would be the thing for you. You are shaking, Rosetta.”
“I don’t get nearly murdered every day,” I said with an attempt at humour.
The innkeeper’s wife came running out, followed by her husband.
“My patience me!” she cried.
“When I saw that horse coming without you . well, I was in a shocking state really!”
“Thank you,” I said.
“I wasn’t badly hurt.”
“Let’s get Miss Cranleigh inside,” said Lucas.
“And I think some brandy, please. That’s the best for her.”
“Right away, sir,” said the host.
“I’m glad to see you in one piece. Miss,” said his wife.
“I shouldn’t have thought that Goldie would have played tricks like that … and then to come walking back, meek as you like.”
“I’m glad she came here,” said Lucas.
“A real bit of luck.”
I was in the inn parlour, the brandy was brought, and at last I was alone with Lucas.
“I’ll begin at the beginning. I’ve been careless. I ought to have guessed something …”
I told him about the wine.
“You see, he intended to drug me and throw me over the cliff, as he did in the case of the sailor who was without doubt Mirabel’s husband and had come back to spoil her chances at Perrivale. But Kate came and foiled his plan and at Perrivale this morning when your groom came over he heard me make arrangements to come here this afternoon. So he waylaid me.”
“That was a daring thing to do.”
“Yes, it would have been so much easier with the wine,
but I think he thought he had to act quickly. He was annoyed, I realize now, when Kate spoiled that plan which would have been so much easier to carry out. “
I told him about our visit to Ada Ferrers and what we had discovered through her.
“But,” I said, ‘it was the visit to the nursing home which betrayed me. You see, I mentioned Mrs. Parry . “
Lucas caught his breath, “I knew it was foolish, as soon as I said it. But I was caught up … and so embarrassed. I had only meant to look at the place. I made such a mess of it. But he must have known her fairly well and that was why he sent Mirabel there … and she described me and then he knew that I was on the track and he planned to get rid of me … just as he had the sailor.”
“So you think he killed Cosmo?”
“Yes.”
“I thought you’d selected Tristan for that.”
“I don’t know whether he was concerned in it, too. Oh … by the way, he said something about Harry Tench. He said I’d been talking to him or something like that. He was the one who came under suspicion in the beginning and was quickly dismissed by the police. He’s the farm hand who lost his cottage because of Cosmo and hated him for it. He could of course have witnessed the murder.”