Читать книгу Inspector Alleyn 3-Book Collection 4: A Surfeit of Lampreys, Death and the Dancing Footman, Colour Scheme - Ngaio Marsh, Stella Duffy - Страница 34

Mike paused and regarded Alleyn with some complacency. Nobody stirred. The nursery clock ticked loudly on the mantelpiece. A little gust of wind shook the window panes. Down below in Pleasaunce Court a sequence of cars changed gears and accelerated. A paper-seller yelled something indistinguishable and somebody shouted ‘Taxi!’ Nanny’s roughened hands, working together stealthily against her apron, made a faint susurration.

‘They used it in their charade,’ said Mike. ‘I heard Frid yelling out for it?’

‘The charade?’ Alleyn echoed. ‘Well, never mind. Go on.’

‘About the skewer? Well, there’s one thing –’ Mike stopped. His face lost its look of eagerness and, as small boys’ faces can, became extremely blank.

‘What’s up?’ asked Alleyn.

‘I was only wondering. Is the skewer a clue?’

‘Anything might be a clue,’ said Alleyn carefully.

‘I know. Only –’

‘Yes?’

Mike asked in a small voice: ‘What happened to Uncle G.?’

Alleyn took his time over this. ‘He was hurt,’ he said. ‘Somebody went for him. It’s all over now. Nothing of the sort can possibly happen again.’

Mike said: ‘What was wrong with his eye?’

‘It was hurt. People’s eyes bleed rather easily, you know. Are you a boxer?’

‘A bit. I was only wondering –’

‘Yes?’

‘About the skewer. You see I sort of remembered. After I tried to give the parcel to Uncle G. I went to the dining-room and after I went to the dining-room I went back with Giggle to the landing because Giggle was going away and we went through the hall and I said goodbye to Giggle because he’s rather a friend of mine, and I saw him go downstairs and I leant on the table and – well, I was only just mentioning it because I happened to remember – well, anyway, the skewer wasn’t on the table then.’

‘Michael,’ said Nanny loudly, ‘don’t make things up.’

‘It wasn’t. I put my hands where it would have been.’

There was another silence. Mike sat up and clasped his arms round his knees. ‘Shall I go back?’ he asked. ‘Back to where I took the parcel to Uncle G.?’

‘Yes,’ said Alleyn, ‘go back.’

‘Well, that’s everything I can remember about the first time in the hall. I went through the hall into the drawing-room. Daddy and him were by the fire. So I gave him the parcel. Well, I mean I didn’t give it to him because of what Daddy told me. I mean it was a bit awkward.’

‘What was awkward?’

‘Uncle G. being in such a stink about something. Gosh, he was in a stink.’

‘You mean he was upset?’

‘Absolutely livid. Gosh, you should have seen his face! Jiminy cricket!’

‘Don’t exaggerate,’ said Nanny. ‘You’re letting your fancy run away with you.’

‘I am not,’ cried Mike indignantly. ‘He wants me to tell him ezackly all I can remember and I am telling him. You are silly, Nanny.’

‘That will do, Michael.’

‘Well, anyway –’

‘Never mind,’ Alleyn interrupted. ‘Have you any idea why your uncle was angry?’

Nanny said: ‘I don’t think Michael ought to answer these questions without his parents’ say that he may.’

‘O Nanny!’ cried Mike in accents of extreme provocation. ‘You are!’

‘Then we shall ask them to come in,’ said Alleyn. ‘Bailey.’ A figure stepped out of the shadows on the other side of the scrap-covered screen by Mike’s bed. ‘Will you give my compliments to his lordship and ask him if he would mind coming to the nursery?’

‘Very good, sir.’

‘Is he another detective?’ asked Mike when Bailey had gone.

‘He’s a finger-print expert.’

Mike suddenly gave a galvanic leap ending in a luxurious writhe among the blankets, ‘I suppose he’s brought his insnufferlater,’ he said.

‘All his kit,’ agreed Alleyn gravely. ‘What happened when you left the drawing-room?’

‘Well, I went to the dining-room and talked to Robin. The others had gone out. And then Giggle came along and said he had to go because Uncle G. was yelling in the lift. So I went to the landing with Giggle and he went downstairs. When he’d gone Uncle G. yelled out for Aunt V. So I bunked into 26. Gosh, he did sound livid. Absolutely waxy. I bet I know why.’

‘Are you sure he called out after Giggle had gone?’

‘Yes, of course I am. Certain sure.’

‘Did you see anybody else?’

‘What? Let’s see. Oh, yes. I saw Tinkerton in the hall. I sort of just spotted her out of the tail of my eye. She was tidying up the wardrobe, I think.’

‘Nobody else?’

‘No.’ Mike thrashed his legs about. ‘Well, anyway,’ he said, ‘I’ll jolly well tell you why –’

‘You wait for your father, Michael,’ said Nanny. Somewhat childishly, Mike thrust his fingers in his ears and, fixing a defiant gaze on his nurse, he shouted: it was because Mr Grumball and all the other –’

‘Michael,’ said Nanny in a really terrible voice. ‘Do you hear what I tell you? Be quiet.’ She reached out and pulled Mike’s hands away from his ears. ‘Be quiet,’ she repeated.

Mike flew into a Lamprey rage of some violence. His cheeks flamed and his eyes blazed. He roared out a confused sequence of orders. Nanny was to leave him alone. Must he remind her that he was no longer under her complete authority? Did she realize his age? Why did she continue to treat him like a child? ‘Like a silly damned kid,’ roared poor Mike and, pausing to take breath, glared about him and encountered the cold gaze of his father. Lord Charles had come round the corner of the screen.

‘Mike,’ he said, ‘may I ask you why you are making an ass of yourself?’

‘Over-excited, m’lord,’ said Nanny. ‘I knew how it would be.’

Mike opened his mouth, found nothing to say, and beat on the counterpane with closed fists.

Alleyn, who had risen, said: ‘You’re not shaping too well at the moment, you know. You won’t make anything of a policeman if you can’t keep your temper.’

Mike stared at Alleyn. Tears welled into his large eyes. He hauled the bedclothes over his head and turned his face to the wall.

‘Oh, damn!’ said Alleyn softly.

‘What is all this?’ asked Lord Charles rather peevishly. Alleyn looked significantly at the crest of mouse-coloured hair which was all that could be seen of Mike, and turned down his thumb.

‘I’ve blundered,’ he said.

‘Come outside,’ said Lord Charles.

In the nursery passage, Alleyn closed the door and said: ‘I’m afraid Michael is upset because your nurse quelled the remarkably steady flow of his narrative. He told me that in your interview with him, Lord Wutherwood had been annoyed about something. Nanny very properly suggested that you should be present. Michael, who is an enthusiastic maker of statements, resented her taking a hand.’

‘Did he –?’

‘Yes, I’m afraid he did deliver himself of one rather curious phrase. I’m so sorry he’s upset. If I may I should like to try and mend matters a little. If I could just say good night to him?’ Alleyn looked at Lord Charles and added dryly: ‘I hope you will come with me, sir.’

‘The horse having apparently bolted,’ said Lord Charles. ‘I shall be glad to assist at the ceremony of closing the stable door.’

They returned to the nursery. Nanny had tidied up the bed. Mike lay with the sheet clutched to the lower part of his face. His eyes were tightly shut and his cheeks stained with tears.

‘Sorry to wake you up again,’ said Alleyn. ‘I just wanted to ask if you would very kindly lend me that lens of yours. I could do with it.’

Without opening his eyes, Mike scuffled under the pillow and produced his Woolworth magnifying glass. He thrust it up. Alleyn took it. Mike was shaken by a sob and retreated farther under the sheet.

‘It’s a jolly good glass,’ said a muffled voice.

‘I can see that. Thank you so much. Good night, Lord Michael.’

The sheet was thrown back and Mike’s eyes opened accusingly upon his father.

‘Daddy!’ he said. ‘It’s not going to be that!’

‘Well,’ said Lord Charles, ‘well, yes. I’m afraid – well, yes, Mike, it is.’

‘Good Lord, that puts the absolute lid on it! Good Lord, that’s absolutely frightful! Good Lord,’ repeated Mike on a note of tragedy, ‘it’s a damn’ sight worse than Potty!’