Mrs. Jeffries Stands Corrected Read Online Free PDF Page B

his gaze noting the pale rose wallpaper, the heavy green velvet curtains at the windows, the intricate wood carving on the top of the mantelpiece and the opulent furnishings. The green-and-rose-striped settee and the contrasting balloon-backed chairs would be worth more than six months of his salary.
    “Well,” Barnes said softly, “he does own three pubs. But even so, this is a right posh place.”
    “I think we’re in the wrong business,” Witherspoon joked.
    “Good morning, gentlemen,” Moira Dapeers said as she swept into the room. “I’m so sorry to have kept you waiting. Please sit down, gentlemen.” She motioned them toward the settee. “That’ll be all, Perkins,” she said, dismissing the servant.
    Witherspoon and Barnes both sat down. Moira Dapeers, wearing a stiff, black bombazine dress, sank down in a chair opposite them. “The household is in a bit of a statethis morning,” she said, smiling apologetically. “It’s not my habit to keep people waiting. Haydon couldn’t stand to be kept waiting.”
    “We’re sorry to intrude upon your grief, madam,” Witherspoon said formally, “but we’ve no choice in the matter. We really must ask you a few questions.”
    She waved a hand in the air. “Oh, that’s all right. Now that I’ve gotten over the shock of Haydon’s death, I’m quite able to talk about it.”
    The inspector studied her thoughtfully. She did, indeed, appear to have recovered from the shock. Her gaze was honest and direct, her color excellent, and if he wasn’t mistaken, she was wearing just the smallest amount of lip rouge. “Could you please tell us everything that happened last night?”
    “That shouldn’t be too difficult,” she said brightly. “As you know, we had the opening of the Gilded Lily scheduled to coincide with Haydon’s birthday. That was his idea, naturally. Personally, I thought it a bit common. Rather like asking everyone you know to drop in to wish you many happy returns and then forcing them to hang about and buy their own drinks.”
    “Was the Gilded Lily your husband’s only business?” Constable Barnes asked.
    Witherspoon gave him a sharp look, wondering why he asked a question they already knew the answer to.
    “Oh no.” She laughed. “We own two other pubs. They’re doing quite well too. Mind you, neither of them is near as fancy as the Gilded Lily, but they’re decent places and they do us well enough. But Haydon wanted to make the new pub absolutely spectacular. He poured ever so much money into it. Brass fittings, velvet benches, etched windows. Oh my, yes, he was determined to make it a showplace.”
    “Mrs. Dapeers,” the inspector said. “About last evening?”
    “Oh yes, well, as I was saying, the pub was scheduled to open on Haydon’s birthday. He claimed he wanted to make a celebration of it, you see. So he invited some friends and acquaintances to come round. He said he was going to make a bit of a party of the whole thing. But I noticed he didn’t give them free beer. Everyone was paying for what they drank.”
    Witherspoon tried to be patient. He didn’t want to have to interrupt a lady, but goodness, how long was she going to harp on her late husband’s boorish behavior?
    “My sister-in-law and I arrived a little after five o’clock,” she continued. “No, that’s wrong. We didn’t get there until twenty past; it took some time before we were able to get a hansom.”
    “And who else was there when you arrived?” Witherspoon asked. He’d no idea what he was trying to find out, but he decided to plunge right on in anyway. After all, Mrs. Jeffries was always telling him to trust his “inner voice.” Right now that voice was telling him to learn as much as he could and sort it out later. Perhaps he’d oughtn’t to be so impatient with the lady. Perhaps if he allowed her to ramble on, she might tell him more than she intended.
    “Let me see.…” She paused again, her forehead wrinkling in concentration.