Miss Silver Deals With Death

CHAPTER 34

Miss Silver sat in front of a gas fire in Mrs. Spooner’s sitting-room and studied the neatly written time-table with which Sergeant Abbot had furnished her. The privacy of No. 7 was a boon, the room a most comfortable one. The carpet, it is true, was a little too modern in design to appeal to her old-fashioned taste, but the colours were nice and bright, and the suite with its large deep couch and two well-cushioned chairs upholstered in moss-green velvet was, she considered, most tasteful and luxurious. She studied the time-table with attention.

6:15 Major Armitage arrives No. 3 (Mrs. Underwood’s flat).

6:30 to 6:50-Armitage at No. 8 (Miss Roland’s).

6:30 or so-Ivy Lord leaves No. 3.

6:35 Miss Lemming short call at No. 3.

6:50 Armitage returns to No. 3.

6:55 Armitage leaves No. 3.

About this time Mr. and Mrs. Willard in No. 6 appear to have been having a row.

7:00 Mrs. Jackson to No. 8 to see her sister.

7:10 Willard to No. 8. Refused admittance. Goes to his brother at Ealing for the night.

7:20 Mrs. Jackson leaves to catch 7:25 bus at corner accompanied by Miss Roland. Miss Garside in No. 4 sees them go.

7:28 Miss Roland returns, followed from bus stop by Mrs. Underwood. Ivy Lord close behind. Roland by lift to No. 8. Underwood waits for lift, and is seen going up in it by Ivy.

7:30 Ivy to No. 3. Finds Mrs. Underwood has not returned.

7:40 Mrs. Underwood to No. 3. She explains this ten minute hiatus by saying she went up to top floor with intention of seeing Miss Roland but changed her mind.

8:20 Bell to Hand and Glove. Nightly habit. Punctual to the dot. Sees man going away from house to farther gate. Cannot identify or describe. Car starts up and passes him.

8:35 Miss Garside seen coming up from basement (Miss Crane). Says she went to get Bell to change faulty washer. N. B. Bell’s punctual habits matter of common knowledge. Duplicate keys of flat hang on dresser in old kitchen. Miss Underwood borrowed key of No. 7 earlier in day. Replaced it some time during afternoon, Bell doesn’t know when. Did Miss Garside go down to borrow key of No. 8? She had reason to think Roland was out, having seen her leave with her sister.

9:30 Return of Bell. Keys all present and correct.

12:00 midnight Armitage telephones Miss Underwood to say everything is all right.

8:00 a.m. Mrs. Smollett discovers body.

9:45 Willard returns No. 6. Interviewed by Curtis, he and Mrs. Willard appear to be in considerable distress-Willard had been crying, Mrs. Willard has apparently been up all night.

This leaves the time between 7:40 and 8:30 p.m. for the unknown male visitor who had drinks with Miss Roland. They may have had a row-he may have killed her. He may have been the man Roland was expecting to marry, or he may have been Armitage-he had time to come back. Or he may have been someone we don’t know anything about. On the other hand, Roland may have been killed by Miss Garside, who had procured key of No. 8 and believed flat to be empty. If she had the bright idea of changing her paste ring for Roland’s diamond, and if Roland caught her in the act, she might have snatched up the statuette and struck when Roland’s back was turned, as it might have been if she was going to call up the police. Telephone fixture on table a yard or two to the left of where body was found.

Fingerprints-Miss Garside’s, as the Chief said, pretty well everywhere. Other fingerprints-Mrs. Smollett’s faintish, accounted for by the fact that she works everywhere. Other fingerprints-Mrs. Smollett’s daily at No. 8. Miss Underwood and Armitage one each, accounted for by visits yesterday admitted by them. Prints of unknown man on tumbler but not anywhere else, suggesting that he may have worn gloves when he arrived. No other prints except Miss Roland’s own. No prints from Mrs. Underwood. N. B. She was wearing gloves when she went up in the lift.

Miss Silver studied this time-table and Sergeant Abbott’s notes with the deepest attention. Sometimes she nodded, sometimes she shook her head. Presently she picked up her knitting. The Air Force sock revolved, the needles clicked. Her thoughts were busy.