No Wind of Blame

‘Yes, you’ve got a lot of old-fashioned ideas,’ said the Inspector. ‘They’re a handicap to you.’

‘Well, what’s in your mind, sir?’ demanded Wake. ‘What are we going to do next?’

‘You’re going to do a bit of nosing around,’ replied Hemingway. ‘You can put young Jupp on to it, too. I’ve noticed he’s got quite a gift for getting people to open their hearts to him. Reminds me of what I was at his age, except that he isn’t as bright. Find out all you can about Carter. It strikes me he was the sort of chap that might have made a whole lot more enemies than we’ve yet seen. Meanwhile, I’m going to go into the question of this rifle, and who could have pinched it. I’ll see you later.’

When he reached Palings, the Inspector found that Dr Chester was with Ermyntrude, and that Vicky had not returned from Fritton. Mary received him, and upon his disclosing his errand to her, said frankly: ‘I’ve been thinking over that question, and going over in my mind who could have taken the rifle out of the case, and walked off with it. And I do think that I ought, in fairness, to tell you that when the Prince left for Dr Chester’s house on Sunday, I saw him go, and he had nothing at all in his hands. Of course, I quite see that he might have taken the rifle earlier in the day, and hidden it somewhere on the way to the garage, but I don’t honestly see when he got the chance. I mean, it would surely have been taking the most frightful risk to have removed it from the gun-room during the morning, with all the servants about, not to speak of ourselves.’

‘Can you remember, miss, when you last saw the rifle in the gun-case?’

‘No, that’s the trouble: I can’t! I doubt if any of us could, because naturally we none of us have ever used Mr Fanshawe’s rifles. One just doesn’t notice things one isn’t interested in.’

The Inspector nodded. ‘Well, casting your mind over young Baker’s visits to the house, could he have had the opportunity to take the rifle?’

‘No, I don’t think so. Certainly not, when he called the second time. I wasn’t here when he called earlier in the day, but could he have carried off a rifle on his motor-cycle?’

‘Not without its being noticed, he couldn’t. I’m not setting much store by that first visit of his, I don’t mind telling you, miss. Stands to reason he wouldn’t have come up to the house again to see Mr Carter if he’d already made up his mind to shoot him, and pinched the weapon he meant to use. The question is, could he have known that there were rifles in the house?’

Mary wrinkled her brow. ‘I shouldn’t think so. According to Miss Fanshawe, he didn’t even know that my cousin was married, so it doesn’t look as though he could have had any knowledge of the house, does it?’ She looked the Inspector in the eyes, ‘I could have taken the gun at any time; so could Miss Fanshawe. I shan’t say we didn’t, because you wouldn’t believe me. But I can tell you one thing: Mr Steel didn’t take the gun when he was here on Sunday, because I saw him when he came out of the drawing-room, where he’d been talking to Mrs Carter, and I was with him until he left the house, and drove off.’

‘For the sake of argument, miss, he could have come back while you were all at lunch, couldn’t he?’

‘I don’t think so. Mrs Carter had her lunch in the drawing-room, so that the butler was continually passing through the hall, to wait on her.’

‘No other way he could have got into the house than by the front-door?’

‘Well, yes, he could have entered through the garden-hall, or the morning-room, or the library. They both have French windows. But he’d still have run the risk of walking into one of the servants.’

‘Then it boils down to this, miss: you can’t think of anyone other than yourself or Miss Fanshawe who could have taken the rifle.’

‘Not on Sunday,’ Mary said. ‘And there’s no point in going back farther than that, is there?’

‘Have you got something in your mind, miss?’ said Hemingway, watching her.

‘No, not really. Only that I do know of one person who was in the gun-room on Saturday morning. But it isn’t helpful, I’m afraid.’

‘You never know. Who was it, miss?’

‘Mr White. My cousin had lent him a shot-gun, and he brought it back on his way to work on Saturday. I didn’t see him myself, but Mrs Carter told me about it.’

‘Did Mr White go into the gun-room, then?’

‘Yes, he did.’

‘Alone, miss?’

‘Yes. Mrs Carter said she didn’t see why she should bother to put the gun back in its place for him.’

‘And you don’t know of anyone else who went to the gun-room?’

‘No, but I quite see that almost anyone could have. The front-door is always open during the summer, and any number of people must know that Mrs Carter kept all her first husband’s rifles.’ She turned, for the morning-room door had opened, and Dr Chester had come out into the hall.

Chester glanced from her to Hemingway. ‘Good morning, Inspector,’ he said. ‘I hope you haven’t come to upset my patient again?’

‘Oh no, I don’t think so, sir!’ replied Hemingway. ‘Very sorry Mrs Carter was upset yesterday, but if you don’t mind my saying so, you’d bett

er speak to Miss Fanshawe about that. That was her little show, not mine. Any objection to my seeing Mrs Carter?’

‘No,’ Chester said, re-opening the morning-room door. ‘None at all.’