Died in the Wool (30 page)

‘He doesn't take whisky, thank you,' said his father, with uncomfortable emphasis.

‘I think you ought to get to bed, Fab,' fussed Douglas. ‘Don't you agree, Mr Alleyn?'

‘We'll drink to your recovery when we've finished the job,' Alleyn said.

‘I'm not going to be carried upstairs and don't you think it.'

‘Well, then, you shall walk, and Grace and I will see you up.'

‘OK,' said Douglas amiably.

‘One's enough,' Fabian said peevishly. ‘I tell you, I'm all right. You give these poor swine a drink, Douglas. Mr Alleyn started the rescue squad, didn't he? He may like to finish the job.'

He sat up and grimaced. He was very white and his hands trembled.

‘Please, Fab, go slow,' said Ursula. ‘I'll come and see you.'

‘Come on,' Fabian said to Alleyn. He grinned at Ursula. ‘Thank you, darling,' he said. ‘I'd like you to come, but not just yet, please.'

When they were outside in the hall, Fabian took Alleyn's arm. ‘Sorry to appear churlish,' he said. ‘I wanted to talk to you. God, I do feel sick.'

Alleyn got him to bed. He was very docile. Remembering Markins' story of the medicine cupboard in the bathroom, Alleyn raided it and found dressings. He clipped away the thick hair. The wound, a depression, swollen at the margin and broken only at the top, was seen to be clearly defined. He cleaned it and was about to put on a dressing when Fabian, who was lying face downwards on his pillow, said, ‘I didn't get that by falling, did I? Some expert's had a crack at me, hasn't he?'

‘What makes you think so?' said Alleyn, pausing with the lint in his fingers.

‘After a fashion, I can remember. I was on my feet when I got it. Where the main track branches off to the wool-shed. It felt just like the bump I got at Dunkirk, only, thank the Lord, it's not on the same spot. I think I called out. You needn't bother to deny it. Somebody cracked me.'

‘Any more ideas?'

‘It was where that bank with a bit of scrub on it overhangs the track. I was coming back from the annexe. There's always water or ice lying about on the far side so I walked close into the bank. Whoever it was must have been lying up there, waiting. But why? Why me?'

Alleyn dropped the lint over the wound and took up a length of strapping. ‘You were wearing my coat,' he said.

‘Stay me with flagons!' Fabian whispered. ‘So I was.' And he was silent while Alleyn finished his dressing. He was comfortable enough lying on his side with a thick pad of cotton-wool under his head. Alleyn tidied his room and when he turned back to the bed Fabian was already dozing. He slipped out.

Before going downstairs he visited the other bedrooms. There were no damp shoes in any of them. Douglas's and Fabian's working boots were evidently kept downstairs. ‘But it was something quieter than working boots,' Alleyn muttered, and returned to the drawing-room.

He found the two Johns on the point of departure and Markins about to remove the tray. Douglas, lying back in an armchair with his feet in the hearth and a pipe in his mouth, glanced up with evident relief. Terence Lynne had unearthed her inevitable knitting and, erect on the sofa, her feet to the fire, flashed her needles composedly. Ursula, who was speaking to Tommy Johns, went quickly to Alleyn.

‘Is he all right? May I go up?'

‘He's comfortably asleep. I think it will be best to leave him. You may listen at his door presently.'

‘We'll be going,' said Tommy Johns. ‘Goodnight, all.'

‘Just a moment,' said Alleyn.

‘Hallo!' Douglas looked up quickly. ‘What's up now?' And before Alleyn could answer, he added sharply, ‘He is all right, isn't he? I mean, shall I go down-country for a doctor? I could get back inside four hours if I stepped on it. We don't want to take any risks with an injury to the head.'

‘No,' Alleyn agreed, ‘we don't. If you feel you want to do something of the sort, of course you may, but I fancy he'll do very well. I'm sure his skull is not injured. It seems to have been a glancing blow.'

‘A blow?' Terence Lynne's voice struck harshly. Her mouth was open. The muscle of the upper lip was contracted, showing her teeth in the parody of a smile.

‘But didn't he fall on his head?' Douglas shouted.

‘He fell on his face because he'd been struck on the back of the skull.'

‘D'you mean someone attacked him?'

‘I do.'

‘Good God,' Douglas whispered.

Ursula stood before Alleyn, her hands jammed down in the pockets of her dressing-gown. Her voice shook, but she held her chin up and looked squarely at him. ‘Does that mean somebody wanted to kill Fabian?' she said.

‘It was a dangerous assault,' Alleyn said.

‘But—' She moved quickly to the door. ‘I'm going to him,' she said. ‘He mustn't be left alone.'

‘Please stay here, Miss Harme. The house is locked up and I have the key of his door in my pocket. You see,' Alleyn said, ‘we are all in here, so he is quite safe.'

It was at this point that Terence Lynne, winding her hands in her scarlet knitting, broke into a fit of screaming hysteria.

Police officers are not unfamiliar with hysteria. Alleyn dealt crisply with Miss Lynne. While Tommy Johns and Douglas turned their backs, Cliff looked sick, and Markins interested; Ursula, with considerable aplomb, offered to fetch a jug of cold water and pour it over the patient. This suggestion, combined with Alleyn's less drastic treatment, had its effect. Miss Lynne grew quieter, rose, and walking to the far end of the room, seemed to fight down savagely her own incontinence.

‘Really, Terry!' Ursula said, ‘you of all people!'

‘Shut up, Ursy,' said Douglas.

‘Well, after all, Douglas darling, he's my young man.'

Douglas glared at her and, after a moment's hesitation, went to Terence Lynne and spoke to her in a low voice. Alleyn heard her say, ‘No! Please leave me alone. I'm all right. Please go away.' He returned, looking discomforted and portentous.

‘I think Terence should be let off,' he said to Alleyn.

‘I'm extremely sorry,' Alleyn returned, ‘but I'm afraid that's impossible.' He moved to the fireplace and stood with his back to it, collecting their attention. It was an unpleasantly familiar moment and he was struck by the resemblance of all frightened people to each other. There was always a kind of blankness in their faces. They always watched him carefully, yet turned aside their gaze when he looked directly at them. There was always a tendency to draw together, to make a wary little mob of themselves, leaving him isolated.

He was isolated now, a tall figure, authoritative and watchful, unaware of himself, closely attentive to their self-consciousness.

‘I'm afraid,' he said, ‘that I can't let anybody off. I should tell you that at the moment it seems unlikely that this attack was made by one of the outside men. Each of you, therefore, will be well advised, in your own interest, to give an account of your movements since I left this room to go up to the annexe for my cigarette case.'

‘I can't believe this is true,' said Ursula. ‘You sound exactly like a detective. For the first time.'

‘I'm afraid I must behave like one. Will you all sit down? Suppose we start with you, Captain Grace.'

‘Me? I say, look here, sir…'

‘What did you do when I left the room?'

‘Yes, well, what did I do? I was sitting here reading the paper when you came in, wasn't I? Yes, well, you went out and I said, “D'you think I ought to go up with him,” meaning you, “and help him look for his blasted case,” and nobody answered, and I said, “Oh, well, how about a bit of shut-eye,” and I wound up my watch and everybody pushed off. I went out on the side lawn here and had a squint at the sky. I always do that, last thing. Freshens you up. I think I heard you bang the back door.' Douglas paused and looked baffled. ‘At least, I suppose it was really Fabian, wasn't it, because you say he went. Well, I mean he must have gone if you found him up there, mustn't he? Someone was moving up the track beyond the side fence. I thought it was probably one of the men. I called out, “Goodnight,” but they didn't answer. Well, I just came in and the others had gone, so I put the screen in front of the fire, got my candle and went upstairs. I tapped on Terry's door and said goodnight. I had a bath and went to my room, and then I heard you snooping about the passage and I wondered what was up because I've been a bit jumpy about people in the passage ever since…'

Here Douglas paused and glanced at Markins. ‘However!' he said. ‘I called out, “Is that you, Fab?” and you answered, you'll remember, and I went to bed.'

‘Any witnesses?' asked Alleyn.

‘Terence. I told you I tapped on her door.'

‘Did you hear him?' Alleyn asked Ursula.

‘Yes. I heard,' she said. ‘I heard other people come upstairs, too, and move about after I went to bed, but I didn't take any particular notice. I heard the pipes gurgle. I went to sleep almost at once. I was awakened by the sound of voices and boots downstairs, and I sort of knew something was wrong and came out on the landing where I met you.'

‘Did you all go up together? You and Miss Lynne and Mrs Aceworthy?'

‘No, we straggled. The Acepot went first, and I know she had a bath because she was in it when I wanted to brush my teeth. I remember hearing the telephone give our ring just before I came out of this room and I was going to answer it when I heard Fabian speaking. At least, I thought it was Fabian. You see, I saw—I thought I saw you whisk out-of-doors.'

‘You saw my overcoat whisk out.'

‘Well,' said Ursula, ‘it's very dark in the hall.'

She looked fixedly at Alleyn. ‘You swear he's all right?'

‘He was perfectly comfortable and sound asleep when I left him and he's safe from any further assault. You can ring up a doctor when the bureau opens in the morning, indeed I should like to get a medical opinion myself, or—is there any one near the Pass on your party line?'

‘Four miles,' said Douglas.

‘If you're anxious, couldn't you get these people to drive over the Pass and ring up a doctor? I don't think it's necessary, but isn't it possible?'

‘Yes, I suppose it is,' said Ursula. ‘If I could just see him,' she added.

‘Very well. When I've finished, you may go in with me, wake him up, and ask him if he's all right.'

‘You can be rather a pig,' said Ursula, ‘can't you?'

‘This is a serious matter,' said Alleyn without emphasis.

She flushed delicately and he thought she was startled and bewildered by his disregard of her small attempt at lightness. ‘I know it is,' she said.

‘You heard me answer the telephone, didn't you, and thought I was Losse? You caught sight of him going out and mistook him for me. What did you do then?'

‘I called out, “Goodnight” to Terry, lit my candle, and went upstairs. I undressed and when the Acepot came out of the bathroom I washed and brushed my teeth and went to bed.'

‘Seeing nobody?'

‘Only her—Mrs Aceworthy.'

‘And you, Miss Lynne? You were after Miss Harme?'

She had moved forward and stood behind Ursula. Douglas was close beside her but she seemed to be unaware of him. When he slipped his hand under her arm she freed herself, but with a slight movement as if she loosed a sleeve that had caught on a piece of furniture. She answered Alleyn rapidly, looking straight before her, ‘It was cold. Douglas had left the french window open. He was on the lawn. I said goodnight to him and asked him to put the screen in front of the fire. He called out that he would. I went into the hall and lit my candle. I heard a voice in the study and was not sure if it was yours or Fabian's. I went up to my room. Douglas came upstairs and tapped on my door. He said goodnight. I put away some things I had been mending and then undressed. I heard someone come out of the bathroom, it was Mrs Aceworthy's step. Ursula said something to her. I—I read for a minute or two and then I went to the bathroom and returned and got into bed.'

‘Did you go to sleep?'

‘Not at once.'

‘You read, perhaps?'

‘Yes. For a—yes, I read.'

‘What was your book?'

‘Really,' said Ursula impatiently, ‘can it possibly matter?'

‘It was some novel,' said Terence. ‘I've forgotten the title. Some spy story, I think it is.'

‘And you were still awake when I came upstairs and spoke to Miss Harme?'

‘I was still awake.'

‘Yes, your candles were alight. Were you still reading?'

‘Yes,' she said, after a pause.

‘The spy story must have had some merit,' Alleyn said with a smile. She ran her tongue over her lips.

‘Did you hear any one other than Mrs Aceworthy and Miss Harme come upstairs?'