The Price of Murder Read Online Free PDF Page B

last begin to master her emotions. Then did I lead her forth from the room. Gabriel Donnelly followed, closing doors after us.
    “Well,” said he, “I daresay we can now consider Margaret Plummer properly identified.”
    “It was her, all right,” said Katy Tiddle. “But one thing I want you to know, both of you.” We stopped to listen to her in the empty waiting room, just at the door to the hall.
    “And what is that, Miss Tiddle?”
    “Alice thought she was doing Maggie a good turn, sending her off with that man. She may have sold her, right enough, but the way he told it to her, Maggie would be ever so much better off with these rich folks who couldn’t have childrens of their own. But—”
    “But what?” I asked.
    “But I guess he lied.”
     
It was not until into the evening that I recalled that I had been carrying about a pistol in my pocket for most of the afternoon. What was I to do with it? True, I’d taken it from Katy Tiddle; nevertheless, she’d doubtless stolen it from someone. I’d bring it to Mr. Baker, I decided, for he was the proper armorer for the Bow Street Runners. He could check the stolen property list and tell me what ought to be done with it. I’d abide by his decision.
    Whilst attending to these matters, Constable Patley happened by, and we talked at some length of Alice Plummer, and little Maggie, as well as Katy Tiddle. I gave to Mr. Patley essentially the same report I had given earlier to Sir John.
    “Well, I ain’t surprised to hear it, any of it. There’s a lot of kidnapping and child-buying goes on in this town of London,” said he. “And it ain’t for any good purpose.”
    “You said, didn’t you, that you were suspicious of that woman Plummer right from the start.”
    “Something didn’t seem right.”
    “Sir John’s told me to bring in that Tiddle person. He thinks he might be able to get a bit more out of her.”
    “If anyone can, it’s him.”
    ’Twas just about then that Mr. Baker came over, and in a teasing way, he said to me, “Jeremy, you ought to tell a fellow when you’re handing over a loaded pistol. You handle them a little different, you know.”
    “Why, I didn’t think for a moment that it was loaded,” said I, much embarrassed. “Sorry, Mr. Baker.”
    “I’ve not found it on the stolen property list, but I can tell you this—it’s a fine and expensive piece of gunsmithing you lifted off that woman. Could be one of a set of two. It looks French to me.”
    That left me with something to think about, so it did. As I drifted away and up the stairs, I considered the matter further, wondering as I did, how and from whom Katy Tiddle had acquired that remarkable pistol.
    And—let me see—just to bring things to a proper conclusion, I shall add one final note to this first chapter. The dinner of pot roast, which Clarissa prepared for the family that evening, was as good as any ever done for us by Molly—or, for that matter, by Annie, who preceded her. Clarissa would make a fine cook. There could be no question of it.

TWO
    In which a startling discovery is made by none but me
     
 
 
 
My arrival at Katy Tiddle’s door was delayed until the middle of the next morning. Saturday it was, and the darkest day in the church’s calendar. Yet one would not know it from the crowds upon the street. They were boisterous and jolly, most of them women out to buy for the great holiday next day. Mr. Tolliver’s warning to Clarissa, that she had best do her buying early, was well given and taken to heart by her; she was out to Covent Garden and back, begging me to look upon the prizes she had made off with. True enough, she had done well for herself. Yet by that time, spurred to action by Sir John, I was pulling on my coat and making ready to go.
    “Duty calls,” said I, heading for the door.
    “Can you not stay long enough to look upon this fine Easter ham?”
    “I cannot,” said I, “for I must fetch a witness that Sir John would