Murder by Appointment: Inspector Faro No.10 Read Online Free PDF Page A

care to court. I can fill my concert halls adequately without that kind of notoriety, thank you.'
    But Faro's mind was racing ahead. He was thinking of that other murder carriage in the Mound. And the dead woman who had begged for his assistance. Was this another, less successful attempt by the same assassins? And if so what was the connection between a poor serving woman and Lachlan Brown?
    'Tell me, did anything strange—I mean out of the ordinary routine—happen that night before you left the theatre?'
    Lachlan thought for a moment. 'Nothing important. As you can imagine, I am exhausted, pretty shattered by the end of a performance. I give it all I've got, my entire being, all my concentration as well as tremendous physical effort. I had also been working on a new piece—my own composition. I was very excited about it as I'd just thought of the last few bars, how exactly it should end, that very morning walking in Princes Street Gardens. With the recital over, I was longing to work on it. That was why I stayed on.'
    'Did anyone know of your plan?'
    'No. It was quite spontaneous. Spur-of-the-moment decision.'
    How then had the assassins known? Had they been lying in wait for his eventual emergence from the Assembly Rooms? That would not have been difficult as there were always carriages waiting for fares in George Street late at night.
    'I frequently get supper invitations,' Lachlan continued 'but I prefer to go back first to my hotel for a wash and a change of linen.' He frowned and then exclaimed! 'Now I remember! There was something different last night.' At Faro's hopeful expression he sighed, 'Not very helpful and not in the least sinister, I assure you.'
    'No matter,' said Faro. 'Please go on.' There was always the possibility of a lead, no matter how improbable the circumstances.
    'Well, I was about to leave when an oldish man popped his head round the dressing-room door. A fan, it seemed, who had got past the attendants.'
    He smiled. 'But this one was from long ago. He introduced himself, but I didn't get his name. Davy Mac-something or other. But it seemed he was a great friend of Uncle John's. They had grown up together in Glen Gairn and he had known me when I was a wee lad. Did I not remember him? he asked. He had carved a wee boat for me to sail in the burn. I remembered the boat clearly but not the giver, alas. You know how it is with young children,' he added apologetically.
    'I felt particularly ungrateful because he was obviously on hard times. He said he was living in Edinburgh now and when he saw my name on the board outside, he felt impelled to look in for auld lang syne. As he was talking I saw how shabby he was, a thin worn jacket two sizes too small for him, obviously a hand-down, a threadbare muffler round his neck. Frankly, he looked like a frail old beggarman you'd meet any day on the High Street.'
    He shrugged. 'He showed no signs of leaving and in one of those rather long and embarrassing silences when neither of us could think what to say next, I asked politely if he was a music lover—presuming, of course, that he had been at the performance. The poor old chap blushed, studied the floor intently and mumbled that a shilling was more than he could afford and even if he understood music, the fiddle was as far as it went with him. As for a shilling, well, that would buy him food for a week.
    'I knew I had guessed right, and the real reason for his visit was obvious. He was hoping I might give him some money. That was what he was leading around to, but too proud to do more than hint. I was damned sorry for poor old Davy. I had a jacket hanging on the back of the door, one of these horse-blanket things, violent red and yellow checks, I was given in America by a fan. I only brought it with me because I know from bitter experience that hotel bedrooms and empty concert halls, when I'm rehearsing, can be very chilly.
    'I saw him eyeing it. It was thick and warm and I knew I'd never have a better reason