Dead and Buried Read Online Free PDF Page B

gazing out into the feverish sunlight.
    Impatiently, Foxford said, ‘Sir, Patrick never—’
    ‘Are you saying your cousin couldn’t wait to turn libertine on his own?’ demanded Mr Stuart mournfully. ‘Thank you, dear boy, thank you very much.’
    ‘Uncle, you know I didn’t mean that—’
    ‘What happened to my son was Derryhick’s doing.’ The elderly diplomat’s eyes glittered dangerously. ‘Left to his own devices, Theo would never have come to the end that he did. Nor would—’
    ‘Is he over there now, Mr Shaw?’ Foxford broke in deliberately on his uncle’s words. ‘That is – you said he had been taken to an undertaker’s . . .’
    ‘He’s over there.’ Shaw glanced at January, then began to gather up the small impedimenta from the table with swift deftness that belied his earlier deliberation. ‘Mr Quennell lays ’em out right pretty, an’ for a fair price.’
    ‘That remains to be seen.’ Droudge sniffed and rose to fetch his extremely old-fashioned hat. ‘My understanding has been that everything in the French Town costs between ten and forty percent more than the identical goods and services available in the American sector – identical – simply for the “cach-et”, as they call it –’ he mispronounced ‘cachet’ – ‘of being French! And this Mr Quennell had better not believe that, just because you deposited his body there temporarily, I will not have Mr Derryhick’s remains moved to another establishment if I find one less exorbitant. If you’ll excuse me, gentlemen – though I suppose it’s too much to expect that Mr Derryhick will have left so much as twenty shillings in the desk . . .’
    ‘’Scuse me ,’ said Shaw, intercepting the business manager on his way to the connecting door without the slightest appearance of hurry. ‘But ’fore we goes, the Maestro here –’ he nodded to January – ‘an’ I would like to have a look at Mr Derryhick’s room.’
    ‘Whatever for?’ Stuart made a move as if to place himself in the doorway that opened from the parlor into his chamber, then stopped himself. ‘It’s clear as daylight what happened. Poor Patrick returned to his room and encountered a thief there.’
    ‘Nonsense,’ snapped Droudge. ‘He quarreled with the man – I heard him. At least, I heard someone on the floor shouting—’
    ‘An’ you was here?’
    ‘I was in my room – trying to get some sleep.’ Droudge glared at the other two with weak, pale-blue eyes. ‘I sleep most poorly, Lieutenant, and I must admit that with cotton wool stuffed into my ears – an habitual precaution in places of public resort – it wasn’t easy to tell who was making such a ruckus, or where.’
    ‘Patrick would quarrel with any stranger he found in his room!’ added Stuart peevishly. ‘He was a damned shanty Irishman and would quarrel with anyone when in his cups.’
    ‘Uncle, that isn’t tr—’
    ‘Don’t you contradict me, Gerry, you know it is. And furthermore, you know it’s he who spoiled my poor son’s temper with drink and God knows what else, until he’d react to the smallest provocation in the same way.’
    ‘That’s as may be,’ remarked Shaw. ‘’Ceptin’ that wouldn’t explain why he went dashin’ up the stairs yelling “I’m gonna kill that bastard”.’
    ‘Good Lord, I assume he’d just learned about another of old Droudge’s damned “economies,” like his attempt to sell my poor valet—!’
    ‘Really, sir!’ protested the business manager. ‘A good Negro brings fifteen hundred dollars in this town, and I resent your implication that Mr Derryhick would use such language to me.’
    ‘So he comes up here half-drunk, in a deuce of a temper, finds old Droudge asleep and some total stranger in his room . . .’
    ‘Then if’n that stranger left his callin’ card on the floor, accidental like, now’s the time to find it.’
    Droudge led Shaw to the connecting door of the Viscount’s room, glancing at