him-and paying hint well.
"Been the family solicitor for years. I'll be frank with you, Miss Dobbs. I'm surprised to see you. Thought you were a chap. But Robinson knows his stuff, so let's continue"
"Yes, let's, Mr. Davenham. Perhaps you would tell me why you are here."
"My wife."
Maisie's stomach churned. Oh, Lord, after all her training, her education, her successes with Maurice Blanche, had it come to this? A love triangle? But she sat up to listen carefully, remembering Blanche's advice: "The extraordinary hides behind the camouflage of the ordinary. Assume nothing, Maisie"
"And what about your wife, Mr. Davenham?"
"I believe ... I believe her affections are engaged elsewhere. I have suspected it for some time and now, Miss Dobbs, I must know if what I suspect is true"
Maisie leaned back in her chair and regarded Christopher Davenhani squarely. "Mr. Davenham, first of all, I must tell you that I will have to ask you some questions. They may not be questions that are easy or comfortable for you to answer. I will have questions about your responses, and even questions about your questions. That is my job. I am unique in what I do. I am also unique in what I charge for my service."
"Money is not a problem, Miss Dobbs"
"Good. The questions may be, though"
"Do continue"
"Mr. Davenham, please tell me what personal evidence you have to suspect that your wife is betraying your marriage in any way?"
"Tuesdays and Thursdays, every week, without fail, she leaves the house immediately after I have departed for my office, and returns just in time to welcome me home"
"Mr. Davenham, time away from the house is no reason for you to suspect that you are being deceived"
"The lies are, though"
"Go on" Maisie wrote in her notebook without taking her eyes off Davenham, a skill that unnerved him.
"She has told me that she has been shopping, visiting friends or her mother-and upon investigation I find that if such visits have occurred, they have taken only an hour or so. Clearly they are a smokescreen"
"There are other possibilities, Mr. Davenham. Could your wife, perhaps, be visiting her physician? Is she undertaking a course of study? What other reasons for her absences have you explored in your investigations, Mr. Davenham? Such absences may have a completely innocent explanation."
"Miss Dobbs. Surely that is for you to find out? Follow her, and you will see that I am right"
"Mr. Davenham. To follow a person is an invasion of the right of that individual to privacy. If I take on this case-and I do have a choice in the matter-I am taking on more than the question of who did what and when. I am taking on a responsibility for both you and your wife in a way that you may not have considered. Tell me, what will you do with the information I provide?"
"Well, I ... I'll use it. It will be a matter for my solicitor."
Maisie placed her hands together in front of her face, just touching her nose, as if in prayer. "Let me ask you another question. What value do you place on your marriage?"
"What sort of question is that?"
"A question to be answered, if I am to take on this investigation"
"A high value.Vows are meant to be honored."
"And what value do you place on understanding, compassion, forgiveness?"
Davenham was silent. He crossed his legs, smoothed the tweed trousers, and leaned down to rub away a nonexistent scuff on his polished leather shoes, before responding. "Darin and blast!"
"Mr. Davenham-"
"Miss Dobbs, I am not without compassion, but I have my pride. My wife will not divulge the nature of her business on those days when she is absent. I have come here in order to learn the truth"
"Oh yes. The truth. Mr. Davenham, I will ascertain the truth for you, but I must have an agreement from you-that when you have my report, and you know the truth, then we will discuss the future together."
"What do you mean?"
"The information I gather will be presented in a context. It is in light of that context that we must
"Been the family solicitor for years. I'll be frank with you, Miss Dobbs. I'm surprised to see you. Thought you were a chap. But Robinson knows his stuff, so let's continue"
"Yes, let's, Mr. Davenham. Perhaps you would tell me why you are here."
"My wife."
Maisie's stomach churned. Oh, Lord, after all her training, her education, her successes with Maurice Blanche, had it come to this? A love triangle? But she sat up to listen carefully, remembering Blanche's advice: "The extraordinary hides behind the camouflage of the ordinary. Assume nothing, Maisie"
"And what about your wife, Mr. Davenham?"
"I believe ... I believe her affections are engaged elsewhere. I have suspected it for some time and now, Miss Dobbs, I must know if what I suspect is true"
Maisie leaned back in her chair and regarded Christopher Davenhani squarely. "Mr. Davenham, first of all, I must tell you that I will have to ask you some questions. They may not be questions that are easy or comfortable for you to answer. I will have questions about your responses, and even questions about your questions. That is my job. I am unique in what I do. I am also unique in what I charge for my service."
"Money is not a problem, Miss Dobbs"
"Good. The questions may be, though"
"Do continue"
"Mr. Davenham, please tell me what personal evidence you have to suspect that your wife is betraying your marriage in any way?"
"Tuesdays and Thursdays, every week, without fail, she leaves the house immediately after I have departed for my office, and returns just in time to welcome me home"
"Mr. Davenham, time away from the house is no reason for you to suspect that you are being deceived"
"The lies are, though"
"Go on" Maisie wrote in her notebook without taking her eyes off Davenham, a skill that unnerved him.
"She has told me that she has been shopping, visiting friends or her mother-and upon investigation I find that if such visits have occurred, they have taken only an hour or so. Clearly they are a smokescreen"
"There are other possibilities, Mr. Davenham. Could your wife, perhaps, be visiting her physician? Is she undertaking a course of study? What other reasons for her absences have you explored in your investigations, Mr. Davenham? Such absences may have a completely innocent explanation."
"Miss Dobbs. Surely that is for you to find out? Follow her, and you will see that I am right"
"Mr. Davenham. To follow a person is an invasion of the right of that individual to privacy. If I take on this case-and I do have a choice in the matter-I am taking on more than the question of who did what and when. I am taking on a responsibility for both you and your wife in a way that you may not have considered. Tell me, what will you do with the information I provide?"
"Well, I ... I'll use it. It will be a matter for my solicitor."
Maisie placed her hands together in front of her face, just touching her nose, as if in prayer. "Let me ask you another question. What value do you place on your marriage?"
"What sort of question is that?"
"A question to be answered, if I am to take on this investigation"
"A high value.Vows are meant to be honored."
"And what value do you place on understanding, compassion, forgiveness?"
Davenham was silent. He crossed his legs, smoothed the tweed trousers, and leaned down to rub away a nonexistent scuff on his polished leather shoes, before responding. "Darin and blast!"
"Mr. Davenham-"
"Miss Dobbs, I am not without compassion, but I have my pride. My wife will not divulge the nature of her business on those days when she is absent. I have come here in order to learn the truth"
"Oh yes. The truth. Mr. Davenham, I will ascertain the truth for you, but I must have an agreement from you-that when you have my report, and you know the truth, then we will discuss the future together."
"What do you mean?"
"The information I gather will be presented in a context. It is in light of that context that we must
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