Mrs. Jeffries Defends Her Own Read Online Free PDF Page A

midst and show his true colors. He was an incompetent bully who’d only made it up the chain of command because of his family’s social status and political connections.
    For a brief moment, she was tempted to tell her sister-in-law that it was all a silly mistake and that Nivens was a jealous fool who couldn’t accept that another policeman was better at solving crimes. She owed Fiona nothing.
    She looked up and studied her guest’s face. Fiona was staring at her with an expression of mingled hope and fear. “Fiona, perhaps it would be better if—”
    Fiona interrupted. “I know that you’ve no reason to help me, Hepzibah.” Her eyes filled with tears. “I know I’ve treated you shamefully, and I’m deeply sorry for it.”
    “It wasn’t me you treated shamefully, it was your brother,” Mrs. Jeffries snapped. A wave of anger washed over her. “He loved you, but once you ‘married up’ as the locals in Yorkshire called it, you didn’t have much time for him, did you? You knew how much he loved you, you knew how much he cared about you, but you were so hell-bent on moving up in life that you pretended he didn’t even exist. You were his baby sister, and he worshipped the very ground you walked on, but did that matter to you? Not in the least.”
    “Please, Hepzibah, stop.”
    “No, I won’t stop. I’ve held this inside for years, and now you’ve the nerve to come here and ask for my help? When I think of all the times David made me send you notes inviting you and your new husband to dinner, I get sick to my stomach. If you could have seen the disappointment in his eyes when you never came. You never once set foot in our house after you married, and that cut him to the quick. For goodness’ sake, we weren’t half-wits that you needed to be ashamed about. We were both perfectly respectable people. We just didn’t happen to be rich.”
    Fiona was out and out crying now. “Dear God, have pity. Ever since his funeral I’ve been haunted by how badly I behaved. I didn’t mean to push the two of you aside. It simply happened that way, and then when John moved the company to London, I thought I’d have plenty of time to go back to Yorkshire on visits and make it up to him. I thought the two of you would live there forever. I didn’t expect him to die so young.”
    “Fifty-two isn’t so young,” Mrs. Jeffries said archly. She took another sip from her glass, and then a great sense of weariness came over her. She closed her eyes and an image of David’s face flashed into her mind. Her beloved husband had been gone for years now, and in that instant she realized that no matter how hurt he’d been by his sister’s behavior, he’d have wanted her to help. Mrs. Jeffries opened her eyes.
    Fiona’s sobs had subsided into a sniffle. She’d pulled a handkerchief out of her mantle pocket and was dabbing at her eyes. She took a deep breath and got up. “Apparently, my coming here wasn’t a good idea. I’m sorry to have bothered you …”
    “Sit down, Fiona,” Mrs. Jeffries ordered. “And while you’re at it, take off your wrap. I apologize for not taking it earlier and for losing my temper.”
    “You have a right to be angry.” Fiona sat back in her seat.
    “I know I do, but the past is the past and David would want me to do whatever I could to help you. Now, tell me what happened and why you’re so very frightened about this man’s death.”
    Fiona began to unbutton her mantle. “Thank you, Hepzibah. I’ll never forget this.”
    “I’m not making any promises, and I’m certainly not admitting that Inspector Nivens was right. Inspector Witherspoon is a very talented detective, and his success isn’t necessarily because of me or anyone else in his household. Now, how was Ronald Dearman killed and when? I need details, and don’t leave anything out, no matter how insignificant.”
    “He was shot.” She slipped the garment off her shoulder and tossed it over the back of the settee, waving