Cold Coffin Read Free Page A

Although ...”
    “Although, what?”
    “Lady K. did say that he seemed a bit put out by a phone call he received shortly before she set out for London. That was Friday lunch-time, prior to her charity gala in the evening. She and the housekeeper were busy with her last-minute packing when the phone rang, and her husband answered it. Afterwards, he looked a bit upset and thoughtful, she told me, but when she asked him about the call, he said it was nothing of consequence and he’d explain when she got back on Saturday. Then he went on to wish her good luck with the gala, and she dismissed it from her mind. Now, though, she’s beginning to wonder about that phone call.”
    “She still doesn’t know who it was from?” Kate asked.
    “Nope. She’s blaming herself for not pressing him to tell her. But she was probably too concerned about how her threatening sore throat would affect her performance.”
    “Sore throat? I noticed she was a bit husky when I talked to her yesterday, but I put that down to emotional strain.”
    “No, it was the real thing. Laryngitis. Apparently her throat got progressively worse during Friday afternoon and in the end there was no question of her singing. She had to back out of the gala at the last minute.”
    “Really? How strange she didn’t mention that to me. Not even to Felix on the phone this morning. I wonder why.”
    “She’s got something a lot worse on her mind now. What are you eating, Kate? Have you decided yet?”
    “Is it my turn to pick up the tab tonight?”
    “No, mine.”
    “In that case, I’ll have the filet mignon with scampi.”
    He chuckled. “Thank God for plastic money. As a matter of fact, I filled in my afternoon by doing a spot of sleuthing on Lady Kimberley’s behalf—with her full permission, before you start in on me.”
    “Oh? Like what?”
    “Like talking to various people who work at Croptech. Lady K. had already spoken to most of them on the phone. She was desperate, and rang everybody she could think of.”
    Kate laid aside her menu and gave Richard her full attention. “What did you discover?”
    “Nothing very helpful, I’m afraid. But I know a whole lot more about Croptech than I did.”
    “Okay. I suppose you might as well tell me.”
    “Well, first I drove to the Croptech premises and saw the caretaker, who has a bungalow in the grounds. He’s an odd sort of chap, name of George Jessop, not at all what I’d have expected in a caretaker. Anyway, he swears that Sir Noah didn’t show up at Croptech on Friday evening. He insists he’d have known if he had. And he couldn’t suggest any reason for Kimberley’s disappearance. Next I went to see Kimberley’s secretary, a girl called Sandra English who lives with her parents at Great Bedham. I asked if she’d noticed her boss looking worried on Friday afternoon—or at any time before that. She’s a timid sort of girl and I couldn’t get much sense out of her. She was very much on the defensive and seemed to imagine that I was accusing her of something.”
    Kate grimaced. “That’s a reaction the police have to contend with all the time. Who else did you see?”
    “There are fewer staff at the firm than I’d imagined. Only about thirty-five all told. It struck me that the whole caboodle is very much dependent on Kimberley himself, and even when he takes a vacation he leaves careful instructions about what’s to be done. The chief clerk, McEvoy, is a bit of a fussy old woman. An over-precise civil-service type. I got the impression that the thought of taking any responsibility or making a decision scares him half to death. Kimberley’s nominal deputy is the senior biochemist in the laboratory. Dr. Gavin Trent. He’s a bit of a weirdo, too. Very highly strung, a bag of nerves. He lives in a remote cottage not far from Croptech, and there was no way I could get past his front door. However, it was a different matter with his next in line.”
    “I’m listening.”
    “It’s a Dr.