Henry said, ‘Why wasn’t it all right?’ and Miss Silver gazed at her expectantly.
‘Oh, it wasn’t, because she said, and stuck to it like a leech, that that blighted clock was a good ten minutes out, and that it must have been “getting on for the half hour” when she reached the house.’
‘She said the clock was slow?’ said Miss Silver.
‘She said everyone in the house knew it was slow.’
‘Clocks,’ said Miss Silver, ‘are extremely unreliable as evidence. You are quite, quite sure that she said the clock was slow?’
‘I asked her, and asked her, and asked her,’ said Hilary in a wretched voice. ‘She said she was always talking about it to Mrs. Mercer. She said it used to give her a turn coming in the morning.’
‘Why?’ Miss Silver shot the word out short and sharp.
‘It made her think she was late when she wasn’t.’ Hilary’s eyes widened suddenly. ‘Oh!’
‘But then it was fast,’ said Henry. He took her by the arm and shook her. ‘I say, Hilary, wake up! Use the head – it’s meant to think with! The clock would have to be fast to make her afraid she was late, not slow.’
Hilary’s eyes got rounder and rounder. She said ‘Golly!’ in a hushed whisper.
Miss Silver said, ‘Exactly.’
‘How could you be such an ass?’ said Henry Cunningham.
‘Golly!’ said Hilary again. ‘She said it just like I told you, and I just gulped it down! And she must have said it to Marion, and Marion swallowed it too, and made her promise not to tell. And if she had told, – Miss Silver, it would have cleared Geoff-oh, it would!’
Miss Silver coughed.
‘Do not build on it too much. The facts must be verified – and fifteen months have elapsed. But if it can be proved that this church clock was ten minutes fast in the July of last year, it would seem that the shot which killed Mr. Everton was fired at somewhere very near to eight o’clock.’
‘Oh, Miss Silver!’
Miss Silver nodded.
‘Then with regard to the words which Mrs. Ashley overheard, they are’ -she gave her little dry cough – ‘well, they are certainly capable of more than one construction. She appears to have considered, and Mrs. Grey appears to have considered, that those words “My own nephew!” indicated that Mr. Everton was at that moment addressing his nephew Geoffrey Grey. You appear to have taken the same view. But it really doesn’t follow, you know. He may have been addressing Mr. Geoffrey Grey, but the words which you have quoted by no means prove that he was doing so. For instance, he may have been replying to some accusation or slander against Mr. Grey, and the words “My own nephew!” might be construed as an indignant denial. Further, Mr. Everton had three nephews. The words may have had no reference at all to Geoffrey Grey.’
‘It’s the time that matters,’ said Hilary. ‘If we can only prove that the clock was fast – oh, Miss Silver, we must be able to prove it! Because if James was shot at eight, Geoff couldn’t possibly have done it.’
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Miss Silver produced a copybook and wrote down Mrs. Ashley’s address, after which she wrote, ‘Church clock, Oakley Road.’ Under this she put the word ‘Nephew’. Then she turned back to the file.
‘There are a number of points on which I should like a little more information. Do you know either of Mr. Everton’s other two nephews, Captain Cunningham?’
‘I met Bertie Everton the other day for the first time,’ said Henry.
‘An accidental meeting?’
‘No – he came to my shop. I told you I’d had an antique shop left me. Well, he came in there and talked about china.’
Hilary sat up bright-eyed.
‘Henry, he came there on purpose to tell you Mrs. Mercer was mad. You know he did!’
‘Well, I don’t know it,’ said Henry. ‘He did talk about china.’
‘And he did say Mrs. Mercer was mad – and that’s what he came there for. And that’s what Mercer followed me for, tagging after me all round Putney and telling me his poor wife wasn’t right in her head till I was ready to scream. And if you can believe it all happened by accident the very morning after Mrs. Mercer talked to me in the train, well, I can’t, and that’s all about it!’
Miss Silver coughed.
‘Will you tell me the whole thing from the beginning? I have heard Captain Cunningham’s version of it, and I would like to hear it from yourself.’
Hilary began at the beginning and went right through to the end. She told about Mrs. Mercer in the train, and she told about everything that had happened since. She enjoyed telling it, and she told it very well. She made Miss Silver see the people. When she had finished she said, ‘There!’ and Miss Silver wrote in her copybook for a minute or two.
‘And now,’ she said – ‘now, Captain Cunningham, I would like to know what impression Mr. Bertie Everton made on you.’
Henry looked puzzled.
‘I’ve heard such a lot about him-over the case, I mean. If I hadn’t, I don’t know that I should have thought anything about him at all. He’s not my sort of chap, you know- a bit finicky, a bit mincing in his talk.’
‘He’s got red hair and foxy eyes,’ said Hilary in a tone of warm dislike.
‘Thank you, Miss Carew,’ said Maud Silver. She wrote in her copybook. ‘And the other nephew, Francis Everton – what about him?’
‘Bad hat,’ said Henry. ‘Remittance man. Old Everton paid him to keep away. Glasgow was a safe distance – he could soak quietly in the cheaper brands of alcohol without any danger of getting into the London papers. That was about the size of it, wasn’t it, Hilary?’
Hilary nodded.
‘Very interesting,’ said Miss Silver – ‘very, very interesting. And has he also got red hair?’
‘I’ve never set eyes on him,’ said Henry.
‘Nor have I,’ said Hilary. ‘But he hasn’t, Miss Silver, because I remember Marion and Geoff talking about him. At least what they were really talking about was red hair. Marion said she hated it, and that she’d never have married Geoff if she’d known it was in the family – because of not having gingery babies, you know. They were chaffing, of course. And Geoff said she needn’t worry, because Bertie was the only one, and he got it from his mother. And she said hadn’t Frank got it too, and he said no, he hadn’t, he’d come out black, and that all his Aunt Henrietta’s family were either black or red. So you see – ’
‘Yes,’ said Miss Silver, in rather an abstracted tone, ‘I see.’ She turned the pages of the file and read in them here and there. Then she said, ‘Would you care to go to Edinburgh, Captain Cunningham?’
‘No,’ said Henry, with the utmost decision.
‘May I enquire why?’
‘I think Hilary wants someone to look after her.’ The fact that he used the Christian name was a tribute to Miss Silver’s success in creating the impression that she was some kind of semi-professional aunt.
‘Quite so. I was thinking that it might be as well if Miss Hilary could go, too. So many people have relations in Edinburgh. It occurred to me to wonder whether a short visit – ’
‘There’s Cousin Selina,’ said Hilary in rather a gloomy voice.
‘Yes?’ said Miss Silver brightly. That sounds very suitable.’
Hilary made a face.
‘She’s Marion ’s cousin as well as mine. And she thinks Geoffrey did it, so Marion won’t go near her, but she has asked Henry and me to stay – at least she did before we broke off our engagement.’
‘It’s on again,’ said Henry firmly. After a moment’s pause he added, ‘It wasn’t ever off.’
Hilary cocked an eyebrow, and Miss Silver said,
‘Nothing could be better. You have a most admirable excuse for going to Edinburgh – a delightful city, and one of the most beautiful in Europe, so I am told. I think it very advisable indeed that Miss Carew should not be exposed to the risk of any more motor accidents. Edinburgh has an exceedingly good record in that respect, I believe – the Scotch are a careful people. It will be an excellent place for you to visit, and while you are there you can interview Annie Robertson whose statement we have here, and Captain Cunningham can make some enquiries at the local garages. I should be glad also if he would run over to Glasgow. You could accompany him if your cousin did not object. Some enquiries about Mr. Francis Everton. I will make a few notes which will indicate the line I should advise you to take in each case.’