Stone Barrington 36 - Scandalous Behavior Read Online Free PDF Page B

with you. The British upper class tends to view Americans as noisy people with cameras, until they are shown something different. They will like you for your phraseology, because they will understand you the first time you say something.”
    “I draw the line at ‘shedule’ instead of ‘skedule.’”
    They were having coffee on a sofa before the fireplace when there was a sharp knock on the door. Stone turned to see a small man in a tweed suit, who was dabbing at his face with a handkerchief.
    “Filthy weather,” he said. “I beg your pardon, Mr. Barrington?”
    Stone rose. “Yes.”
    “I am Deputy Chief Inspector Holmes,” he said, “as in Sherlock.”
    “I hope that is not your Christian name,” Stone said.
    “Fortunately not, but I’m often called that anyway, by those who are out of reach of my authority.”
    “This is Ms. Susan Blackburn, who is the designer in charge of redoing the interior of the house.”
    “I would like to ask you a few questions, perhaps both of you.”
    “Of course, please sit.”
    Holmes took an armchair next to the sofa. “Damned good idea, a mudroom,” he said, inspecting his shoes. “Saves tracking in the weather.”
    “We ran into the weather on the motorway,” Stone said. “When did the rain start here?”
    “Sometime last evening, according to the staff. I’d like very much to know more precisely. It is my understanding that you are buying this property from Sir Charles Bourne.”
    “I bought it from him this morning, in London.”
    “He was there for the completion?”
    “Yes.”
    “When did he come up to London?”
    “I think yesterday sometime, but I’m not certain. It appears that we have a homicide on my front lawn.”
    Holmes looked at him sharply. “Why do you say that?”
    “You’ve pitched a tent over the corpse to preserve the crime scene,” Stone said. “And there are the vehicles.”
    “You’re very observant,” Holmes said.
    “It was hard to miss, and I was once a homicide detective, in New York City.”
    “You were?” Susan asked, surprised.
    “You were?” Holmes echoed.
    “I was. Fourteen years on the NYPD, twelve of them in Homicide.”
    “You made detective in two years?”
    “It was easier then. We had more than four thousand homicides in the city the year I was promoted, as compared to a littleover three hundred last year. Somebody had to investigate them, and there weren’t enough seasoned men per corpse.”
    “Quite,” Holmes said.
    Stone made a mental note not to say “quite” when speaking to Englishmen; they would think he was trying too hard, something the British abhorred.
    “Had you visited this house before the closing?” Holmes asked, taking out a notebook and pen.
    “Yes, I arrived in England three days ago, and I was staying with a friend across the river.”
    “And who might he be?”
    “She. Dame Felicity Devonshire.”
    Holmes nodded. “Quite.”
    “She showed me the house and introduced me to Ms. Blackburn, on my first day here.”
    “And when did you meet Sir Charles for the first time?”
    “At dinner that evening.”
    “Dinner here?”
    “No, in Cowes.”
    “Where in Cowes?”
    “At the Royal Yacht Squadron.”
    “Just the two of you?”
    “No, in the company of Dame Felicity. It was at that dinner that I offered to buy this property.”
    “Having seen it only once?”
    “I had two very good guides earlier that day.”
    “Did you come to England specifically to buy the property?”
    “Yes, but I didn’t know it until after I arrived.”
    Holmes looked at him sharply. “Explain, please.”
    “I was in Rome. Dame Felicity called and insisted I come to England, saying she had a surprise for me. The surprise turned out to be this house. I wrote a check for it that evening.”
    “Then you must be a very wealthy man, Mr. Barrington.”
    Stone smiled. “You are a detective, aren’t you?”
    Holmes permitted himself a small smile. “Quite. And when did you depart London to return