Chapter 19 #2
“There, what did I tell you?” Duggan chuckled, giving Alec a manto-man wink. “The little woman would have it that you were coming with handcuffs to haul me off to prison.”
Daisy would have hit the roof if Alec had called her “the little woman.” But then, if she’d thought someone was coming to arrest him, she’d probably manage to smuggle him out of the country.
At least Duggan was more affectionate than patronizing.
To all appearances, as he had claimed, he hadn’t married just for his bride’s money.
“All I came for,” said Alec, “is to advise the colonel that I’m going to be holding second interviews with a couple of Hotspur officers. I would politely say to ask your permission, sir, but it wouldn’t be true.”
Duggan frowned. “No, no, quite. You must see whom you will. But I’m not very clear at what point military law might insist on taking over. Court-martials and so on, you know. I’ll have to consult my adjutant.”
“I hope it won’t come to that, but by all means find out your position.”
“Which officers, Mr. Fletcher?” asked Mrs. Duggan apprehensively.
“Captain Devereux and Lieutenant Jardyne.”
“Dev? Oh dear! Brenda will be so upset.”
“I’m not about to arrest him, Mrs. Duggan.”
“No, but . . . If Dev seems rather brash and care-for-nobody, it’s because he lost so many friends in the War, and several family members, I believe. You won’t take offence at his manner, will you? He’s not at all like that underneath.”
The colonel muttered “Tosh” or “Pish,” or something of the sort.
“I frequently have to deal with far worse manners than I’ve encountered from Captain Devereux,” said Alec. “It’s my job not to let such things influence me.” He noted that Mrs. Duggan expressed no concern about Jardyne’s interrogation.
Belatedly recalling her duties as a hostess, she offered Alec coffee.
“Thanks, but no. I must be on my way.”
Duggan accompanied him to the door. “I appreciate your notifying me of which way you’re looking. Don’t need to tell you, I have absolute confidence in all my officers.”
“Naturally. As I told Mrs. Duggan, I’m not on the point of arresting either of them.”
“Good. Excellent.” The colonel shook Alec’s hand heartily. “When this is all over, I hope you and Mrs. Fletcher will dine with us one evening. Delightful young lady.”
“Isn’t she?” Alec agreed, wondering whether Daisy had taken herself home to the twins after lunch or was lingering at the Tower to continue meddling in his investigation.
“Lieutenant Jardyne is in the bar, Chief,” Piper greeted him. In a low voice, he added, “Two cocktails before lunch, wine with, and several brandies since.”
“Good work. How did you get that out of them?”
“One of the mess orderlies is a Private Piper, born and bred in Norfolk, which is where my grandfather came from. So we reckon we’re prob’ly some kind of cousins.”
“I see.” Alec knew perfectly well that Ernie’s paternal grandfather had been a born and bred Cockney, a rag and bone man who prospered at his trade and rose to be a costermonger. “How nice to find a longlost relative.”
“Isn’t it?” Ernie said straight-faced. “It helped that the lieutenant isn’t too popular with the ranks. Apt to go off half-cocked, Cousin Bert says. I don’t know what we’re going to do with him. Proper sozzled, he is, according to Cousin Bert.”
“In vino veritas, let’s hope. I wonder if he’s trying to drown a guilty conscience or merely his sorrows? As long as he’s not under the table, we’ll manage, but we’ll have to get him out of there. One doesn’t lightly walk into an officers’ mess without an invitation.”
“Not to worry, Chief. Cousin Bert’s arranged it all. I’ll just give him the nod, and we’ll go into the orderly room, and a couple of the lieutenant’s pals will bring him to us.”
“Great Scott, Ernie, how . . . No, I’d rather not know.”
“Least said, soonest mended,” said DC Piper smugly, and went to give Private Piper the nod.
A couple of white-jacketed orderlies, forewarned by Cousin Bert, cleared out of their room. It resembled a butler’s pantry, with a deal table at which they had been polishing silver and glassware.
Alec had no sooner seated himself than three young Hotspurs entered the room, two hauling between them a drunkenly protesting third. Piper had a chair ready. He pushed it in behind Jardyne’s knees so that he involuntarily sat down.
“I say, fellows . . .” he mumbled.
The others guffawed. Alec had met both but couldn’t bring to mind their names, one Guards lieutenant being very like another.
The shorter of the two patted Jardyne on the shoulder. “You should be glad she’s not here,” he said severely. “You wouldn’t really want her to see you in this state. All present and correct, Chief Inspector.”
The pair saluted and departed.
“Coffee,” Alec said to Piper. “Black.”
On the sideboard was a coffeepot keeping warm over a spirit lamp. While Piper found a cup and poured, Alec regarded Jardyne in silence.
The lieutenant shifted uneasily, then said in a belligerent voice, “You’re the ’tective. Talked t’you yes’day. Where’s Fay? Fellows said Fay’s here.”
“I’m afraid the fellows misunderstood. I want to talk to you about Miss Fay.”
Jardyne shook his head, and once started, he seemed unable to stop shaking it. “Mustn’t bandy ’bout lady’s name in mess. Damn bad form. She doesn’ love me.”
Piper set the cup of coffee in front of him. His head stopped moving as he reached for it hungrily and took a gulp. He almost spat it out.
“Coffee! Ordered brandy!”
“You’ve had enough,” Alec said briskly. “More than enough. Drink the coffee and let’s see if we can get some sense out of you.”
Sullen but obedient, Jardyne drank. Piper refilled the cup, then sat down with his notebook at the ready.
“Tell me again about the night you and Captain Devereux escorted Miss Carradine and Miss Fay home to the King’s House from here.”
“Foggy.”
“That’s right.” Alec switched to an encouraging tone.
“Colonel didn’ want the girls t’walk alone, ’cause of fog. Brenda took Dev’s arm, but Fay wou’n’t take mine. Girls!”
Alec was amazed that Fay had had so much sense. “You left them at their front door. What next?”
“Went for a walk. A’ready told you.” He sipped the fresh coffee. “Dunno what Dev did.”
“Where did you walk, Lieutenant?”
“Ri’ round the bloody walls. Some of it you can walk on top of the walls.”
“Starting from the King’s House, which direction did you take?”
Jardyne blinked as if he couldn’t work out the answer. He took a deep swig of coffee. “Round . . . round the Green? Opp’site way from Captain Dev’reux. Past the scaffold site. Behin’ the chapel. Behin’—”
“All right. So you went all the way round and back to the King’s House.”
The head shaking started again, but this time he managed to stop it. “No. No use. What’s the good of throwing gravel at a girl’s window if she won’t talk to you when she looks out?”
“Where did you end your walk, then?”
“Mess. Here. Officers’ Quarters. Went to bed.”
Alec glanced at Piper, who nodded. It was the same story Jardyne had told yesterday.
“What time did you get in?”
“No idea. Didn’t look.” A moment’s hard thought produced “After ten. Must’ve been ’cause the girls watched that Keys business.”
“While you were out, did you see anyone?”
“No. Dark. Foggy.”
“Miss Fay—”
“Damn it, don’t want to talk about her!”
“Miss Fay,” Alec persisted, “told you about some dealings she had with the Yeoman Gaoler, Rumford.”
Jardyne scowled. “Told her I’d take care of the sod. She wouldn’t let me. Said Rumford’d go straight to the general, and if she wanted him to know, she’d tell him herself.”
“But with Rumford dead, he couldn’t tell tales. White knight slays dragon. Maiden is duly grateful.”
“No! Over a few cigarettes? You must be out of your mind!”
“After a few drinks—”
“I’d been drinking cocoa, devil take it! Oooh,” Jardyne groaned, turning greenish, “I think I’m going to be sick.”
Piper was very prompt with a nice silver soup tureen emblazoned with the emblem of the Hotspur Guards.
Once the worst was over, Alec let the lieutenant go.
“Cigarettes and cocoa,” said Piper, “the very thought of ’em was too much for him. I don’t think he did it, do you?”
“No, I’m inclined to think not. I don’t believe the young idiot would attack without warning, and he’d only to say a word or two to Crabtree to know he’d got the wrong man. Where’s Devereux?”
“Supposed to be over at the barracks, doing something military. D’you want to go over there, Chief, or send for him to come here?”
“We’d better not keep your ‘cousin Bert’ from his silver polishing any longer. I leave you to apologize for the tureen.”
“Chief!”
“I dare say anyone working in a mess bar has similar messes to deal with not infrequently. Come after me when the family reunion is over. You’ll find me if you don’t catch up before I get to the barracks.”