Off the Record Read Online Free PDF Page A

stretched out in the green glory of a spring day. She knew there was an avalanche of voices round her, a meaningless torrent of noise. A blackbird hopped across the grass and Molly stared at it, trying to see anything but that grotesque thing on the rug, the thing that had been her father. The blackbird pecked a worm from the grass, snapping at it with its beak. Molly gave a little cry as this innocent violence seemed suddenly too much to bear.
    She felt her maid, Susan, put her hand on her arm. ‘Come with me, m’am. You shouldn’t be in here. It’s not right.’ Susan’s voice was kindly but Molly didn’t want to go. Mr Dunbar was still kneeling beside her father. It was hard to take in how quickly everything had happened.
    Dunbar looked up, his face grave. ‘He’s dead, all right,’ he said, looking to where Professor Carrington stood, Gerry beside him. ‘You did this, sir?’
    ‘No, I damn well didn’t,’ said the Professor testily. ‘Gerry, for heaven’s sake, can we go?’ He ran a shaky hand through his hair. ‘There’s no point staying here any longer. We’ll have to get my machine packed up, I know, but then I really think we should leave.’ His gaze slid past the body on the rug. ‘It’s obvious that Mr Otterbourne can’t help us any more and we have no further business here.’
    Gerry’s grip tightened on his arm. ‘Dad, shut up!’ He looked at Molly, his face harried. ‘I’m sorry. It’s just his way of talking.’ He turned to Hamilton and Eckersley. ‘Is there anywhere I can take my father? Somewhere we can stay until the police arrive?’
    ‘The police?’ broke in Professor Carrington. ‘Bless my soul, boy, what do you want the police for?’
    Dunbar stood up, his hands behind his back, his chin thrust forward. ‘There is a man lying dead, sir, and you have to account for it.’
    The Professor flinched back as if he had been struck a physical blow.
    ‘For God’s sake,’ said Gerry desperately, ‘will you leave this to me?’ He looked at Hamilton and Eckersley once more. ‘Is there anywhere?’
    Molly found her voice. ‘You’d better go into the library,’ she said shakily. ‘It’s across the hall.’ She shook off Susan’s hand. ‘Don’t worry. It’s all right. I’ll be all right.’
    In a ghastly parody of his usual manner, Hamilton showed them across the hall into the library. With Gerry beside him, Professor Carrington sat bolt upright on the leather sofa.
    ‘The police,’ said Molly to Hamilton. ‘Please phone the police.’
    Inspector Gibson paused by the open door of the library where Sergeant Atterby was solidly keeping guard. ‘Is he in here?’ he asked in an undertone.
    ‘Yes, sir,’ said the sergeant quietly. ‘Him and his son, Gerard Carrington.’
    ‘Has he said anything?’
    Sergeant Atterby puffed out his cheeks in wry agreement. ‘He’s done nothing but talk, sir,’ he said in low voice. ‘I’m beginning to wonder if he’s all there. He hasn’t mentioned Mr Otterbourne but he’s gone on and on about a lecture he’s supposed to be giving tonight.’ Sergeant Atterby shrugged. ‘I couldn’t understand a word of it. He’s not shut up.’ He cast a glance back into the room. ‘I know he’s a professor, sir. I reckon we might have a real mad scientist on our hands.’
    ‘You mustn’t believe what you read in magazines about scientists, Sergeant,’ said Gibson, uneasily aware that the Sergeant was voicing his own thoughts.
    ‘He’s not normal, sir,’ said Atterby with conviction. ‘That young chap, Mr Carrington, he’s all right. He’s worried, I can tell. He knows what’s happened. He’s tried to get his father to talk about it, but the Professor just ignores him.’
    This, thought Inspector Gibson, was going to be difficult. On the face of it, there didn’t seem to be much doubt about what had happened, certainly not in view of the menservants’ evidence.
    He had been shown the study first where Charles Otterbourne