Gently at a Gallop Read Free Page B

missus.’
    ‘Why not? He needed only to tell her he was going in to the office.’
    ‘She might have checked, sir,’ Docking said.
    ‘She might have checked anyway,’ Gently said. ‘And if she did, a man of Berney’s calibre would have had a ready lie. No, it doesn’t add up. Berney had too much campaign experience. On top of which we have to remember he’s only just married a young wife. What’s she like?’
    Banham wagged his shoulders. ‘Attractive. Struck me as being quite a bomb. One thing, though.’
    ‘What?’
    ‘She’s pregnant. It’s been known to put a man off.’
    Gently shrugged. ‘All the same! Perhaps her ideas aren’t so crazy. Berney may have lied to her about the board meeting, and still there needn’t be a woman involved. If Berney was really in love with his wife then he’d be vulnerable to blackmail, and a blackmail threat makes a better motive for the way he behaved on Tuesday.’
    Banham stared sweatily. One of the D.C.s murmured to Docking. Docking dug into the file again and came up with a report sheet.
    ‘About Berney’s relations with his wife, sir.’
    Gently flicked the glass. ‘Well?’
    ‘Detective Constable Lubbock had a chat with Mrs Haynes, who’s the domestic help up at the Lodge. She was there on Monday evening, giving a hand with Berney’s birthday party. She says that Berney had a letter, and that his wife snatched it from him.’
    ‘Just like that?’ Gently said.
    ‘Sir,’ D.C. Lubbock said, flushing. ‘It was after the party, when the guests were gone. Mrs Haynes was collecting dirty glasses. The lounge door was ajar, and she glanced through it into the hall. She saw Berney reading a letter, then Mrs Berney grabbed it off him.’
    ‘Was there a row?’
    ‘No, sir. Berney just stood there looking foolish.’
    ‘And this, of course, was a love-letter?’
    D.C. Lubbock blushed silently.
    Docking rustled the report sheet. ‘
I
reckoned it would be a love-letter, sir,’ he said ‘It seemed to make a bit of sense, knowing what we do about Berney. So then the lady would be lying when she says Berney’d finished with other women. And that makes sense too, sir – she wouldn’t want to admit he was still at it.’
    Gently flicked the glass again. It produced a sharp musical note. ‘Still using sense,’ he said. ‘How do you reckon Berney came by that letter?’
    ‘Sir?’
    ‘The party is just over. Berney’s been seeing off his guests. Then suddenly he has a letter.’ Gently gave the glass another flick.
    Docking’s eyes rounded. ‘One of the guests!’
    ‘Have we a list of them?’
    ‘Well . . . no.’
    ‘I know of a couple,’ Banham said quickly. ‘Jerry Rising and his wife.’
    ‘That’s the man with the riding-stable?’
    Banham nodded, dashing at his sweat.
    ‘What’s his wife like?’
    ‘Pretty,’ Banham said. ‘And Berney used to go riding there.’
    Gently sat broodingly for some moments, one finger still stroking the glass.
    ‘All right,’ he said at last. ‘But let’s not rush it. We don’t even know that the letter was a love-letter.’
    ‘But it fits,’ Banham urged. ‘Rising has horses. He’s only three miles away, at Clayfield.’
    ‘And he’d have opportunity, sir,’ Docking put in. ‘His wife was out with the children that day.’
    Gently waved a hand. ‘So we’ll keep him in mind! But just at present it’s still conjecture. Meanwhile, what we need is a complete list of guests – it may have some other interesting names on it.’ He looked at Banham. ‘Do we know of any more?’
    ‘Only two of her people,’ Banham said grumpily. ‘Leonard Redmayne, that’s her father’s cousin, and of course, her brother. He’s the poet.’
    ‘Lachlan Stogumber?’
    Banham looked surprised. ‘I didn’t think you’d have heard of him,’ he said. ‘I tried to read some of his stuff once. It didn’t make much sense to me.’
    Gently grinned. ‘He’s a famous man. Our Assistant Commissioner knew about him.