Mrs. Pargeter's Pound of Flesh Read Online Free PDF

searched him out before breakfast on the Tuesday morning and asked about the body, but he'd been evasive. Pleading pressures of other business, he'd said he couldn't talk about it then; but if she came to his office at half-past eleven, he'd be free for a short while.
    This was unlike the Ankle-Deep Arkwright Mrs Pargeter remembered – indeed, it was unlike the Ankle-Deep Arkwright she had seen up until that moment at Brotherton Hall. His outgoing helpfulness had vanished; he seemed shifty, preoccupied, almost afraid.
    'Look, Ank . . .' she'd said, always believing in the direct approach, 'is there something funny going on here?'
    He'd jumped like a cat attacked by a water-pistol. 'Funny? No, why should there be? I'm just busy, that's all. Look, we'll talk at half-past eleven. Everything will be a lot clearer then.'
    Though whether everything would be a lot clearer for her or for him, Ankle-Deep Arkwright didn't say.
    Now that the eleven-thirty meeting had arrived, however, he didn't seem any more relaxed or forthcoming.
    'But, Ank,' Mrs Pargeter persisted, 'why on earth didn't Dr Potter spot what was wrong with the girl?'
    ' 'Cause he didn't see her until after she was dead. Then of course he knew what was wrong instantly. Said he knew the hospital would come up with the same diagnosis.'
    'So did Dr Potter sign the death certificate?'
    'No. He said it would be more ethical for the hospital to do that.'
    Why this sudden concern with ethics, Mrs Pargeter wondered, as Ankle-Deep Arkwright went on, 'Look, the kid only arrived yesterday. She would have weighed in and that this morning; then obviously someone would've seen there was something wrong and called Dr Potter. She just didn't give us the chance.'
    'But why was she allowed to check in in that condition?'
    'We didn't know she was in that condition!' Ankle-Deep Arkwright replied testily. 'Look, someone makes a reservation on the phone, you accept it in good faith. You don't say, "Oh, by the way, you aren't by any chance about to die of anorexia nervosa, are you?" You just don't do that, do you, Mrs P?' he concluded on a note of pleading.
    She wasn't about to let him off the hook that easily. 'Surely whoever checked her in at Reception must've thought she looked odd?'
    He gave another of his shifty shrugs. 'If a girl arrives in a big baggy coat, and she's got a hat on so you can't see her hair's falling out . . . come on, who's to notice? It's not our business to be nosy.' His voice took on a note of piety. 'Here at Brotherton Hall we pride ourselves on respecting our guests' privacy, you know.'
    Mrs Pargeter snorted. 'There's a difference between respecting your guests' privacy and letting them die for lack of medical attention.'
    He was angry now. 'Look, I told you – the girl only arrived yesterday!'
    'Are you sure about that?' Mrs Pargeter asked gently. She could not remove from her memory the words she had heard at five o'clock the previous morning; nor could she help feeling they were linked to the girl's death.
    'Of course I'm bloody sure!'
    'So who checked her in yesterday?'
    He was momentarily confused. 'Well, I can't remember who was on duty . . . There are rosters and things that we could have a look at . . . Oh, just a minute, though . . . Yes, it was Lindy Galton. Lindy Galton was on Reception four to eight yesterday afternoon.'
    'Oh well, I could check it out with her then,' said Mrs Pargeter casually.
    'You could, yes. But not today. Lindy's day off.'
    'That's a pity . . .'
    'Yes.' But he didn't seem to think it was as much of a pity as she did.
    '. . . because Kim and me're off tomorrow.'
    He shrugged in satisfied helplessness, then changed tack and tried an appeal for sympathy. 'Look, you must realize, Mrs P, that this, er . . . incident is extremely embarrassing. I mean, particularly embarrassing given the nature of the business I'm running here. A death from anorexia at a health spa – just think what kind of a meal the tabloids could make of that