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How had Brereton felt about the murdered ex-soldiers? Rutledge
wondered. Had he understood their suffering better than most, and felt
the irony of their death in a peaceful country finished with war? Or had
he secretly envied them their quiet and painless end?
Hamish said, He isna blind yet. Ask him in five years.
a fearsome doubt 141
Which was more to the point.
His breakfast finished, Rutledge set out to do what had been on his
mind since dawn.
Elizabeth Mayhew was surprised to see him at this hour, but he
apologized with the reminder that he was in Marling on Yard business.
You ve lived here since well before the war, he said as he followed
her into the small reception room off the entry hall. Do you remember
hearing of a Jimsy Ridger?
She frowned. The name isn t familiar at all. Richard would have
known. He knew better than most what went on. He had deep roots
here. People talked to him, confided in him. She looked around her at
the comfortable room, her home since her marriage. I m considering
selling up. There are no children to inherit. I might as well let the house
go to someone who can keep it as Richard would have wished.
Startled, he said, But it s been in his family for what? Seven gen-
erations, at the least!
I know. There s a cousin somewhere. Out in Kenya, I think, if he s
still alive. A remittance man. I m not sure Richard would have liked the
idea of his inheriting.
Black sheep in a family were sometimes paid handsomely to take
themselves out of England, with a monthly stipend to smooth their road
and nip in the bud any fond thoughts of returning home uninvited.
Elizabeth smiled wryly. If you d married Jean, you d have been
looking for a country place, wouldn t you? This house would have
suited you and that would have suited Richard. But we seldom know
how our lives will turn out, do we?
Where would you go? Rutledge asked, keeping to the main point.
To London?
I had thought about traveling she said vaguely.
Europe is in a shambles. And I don t quite picture you in the wilds
of America or the missions of China. Like Melinda Crawford.
One of the puppies, awakened by their voices, yipped from the
other room, and Elizabeth turned the subject by saying quickly, Oh,
you must come and see how they ve grown!
Which in fact they had. But Rutledge was not to be distracted.
142 charles todd
As she handed him one of the puppies to hold, kneeling by the box
on the cold hearth, Elizabeth said, Canada, perhaps. And then caught
herself as she remembered too late that Jean, too, had gone to Canada.
Rutledge pretended he d made no such connection and admired the
puppies. Then he said, Will you do something for me? You know the
Masters family better than I do. Can you ask skirting the reason
why what Mrs. Masters recalls of a case in London before the war?
He described the Shaw murders for Elizabeth, and the brilliant prose-
cution that Matthew Sunderland had mounted.
What in particular do you want to know? she asked, confused.
This has nothing to do with the murders here, does it?
It s an old case, he said lightly. But one I was assigned to when I
was young and far from wise. I d like to know if Sunderland described
it to his friends. Or if Raleigh Masters ever discussed it with his wife. At
the time it attracted considerable attention it would be natural to re-
live it.
Elizabeth nodded. Oh yes. Weren t you about to ask Raleigh
when he had one of his spells? I ll try to see what I can learn. It was as
if she was grateful that the request was impersonal. But I don t know
that Bella can tell me much, if it wasn t Raleigh s case
I understand that. A shot in the dark, if you will.
Her eyes probed his face. Then she said, unexpectedly, Ian, is
something about this case worrying you? You haven t been quite the
same since you were here the last time, you know. I shall do this, of
course I shall, but if there s a reason you aren t telling me, I want you to
know that you can trust me
He could have told her that she was the one who had changed.
Not he.
Hamish said, Aye, but who planted the seeds of doubt in your
head?
It had been Melinda Crawford. . .
It s not the case itself, he answered Elizabeth now. It s the peo-
ple who were involved. I ve been reading through their statements
again.
And as he left the house, he thought they d come to a sad pass, he
and Richard s widow lying to each other as they never had before.
a fearsome doubt 143
Dowling had left a message for him at The Plough. Rutledge
walked on to the police station and learned from Sergeant Burke that
the Marling inspector was already on his way to Seelyham.
Rutledge asked, Has anything happened? Am I to follow him?
Burke shook his head. I doubt there s any new development, sir, or
I d have heard it as soon as I came on duty. Constable Smith informed
me that Inspector Grimes over in Seelyham had sent a man along to
fetch Inspector Dowling, but there mustn t been any urgency, sir. The
inspector waited half an hour at the hotel for you before setting out. I
expect it s no more than a meeting to consider next steps, and Inspector
Dowling included you as a courtesy.
You shouldna have lingered on your ain business, Hamish
scolded. It s no right to muddle the past wi the present.
When in Rome Rutledge thought, but this was Marling. . .
And it was an opportunity to meet Grimes, in Seelyham.
He thanked Burke and was gone.
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