The White Cottage Mystery (18 page)

‘And that convinced you?' said Norah.

W.T. shook his head.

‘Not quite. I took it to Cellini. He recognized it.'

His voice died away into silence, and Jerry spoke.

‘Then you decided to throw up the case?'

The old detective nodded.

‘Yes,' he said. ‘Estah was guilty of the thought, but the child was the actual firer of the shot.'

‘So you risked your reputation,' said Norah, ‘and put up with all that rubbish from Deadwood and Co. – '

W.T. smiled.

‘My dear,' he said, ‘my reputation had at most only another few years to run. Hers has to stand a lifetime.'

There was silence after he had spoken. Suddenly Norah rose to her feet. Jerry looked up at her. ‘Where are you off to, dear?'

The woman glanced over her shoulder; she was already halfway across the lawn.

‘I'm going to the nursery,' she said. ‘I want to tell my Bill how – how
good
everybody is, and get it well into his mind.'

This electronic edition published in 2011 by Bloomsbury Reader

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Copyright © P & M Youngman Carter Ltd, 1928 and 1975

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eISBN: 9781448206865

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