The Riddle at Gipsy's Mile (An Angela Marchmont Mystery 4) (31 page)

He raised the pistol to his lips with a shaking hand.

‘
Don
’
t!
’
cried Angela.

‘
Give me one good reason not to,
’
he said.
‘
I
’
m sorry, Angela, but it
’
s all over.
’

Freddy was looking about him desperately, and she heard him let out a little breath as his att
ention was caught by something.

‘
Ah,
’
he said.
‘
Here comes the cavalry at last. Where
has
she been? Look, Gil
—
your lady love has come to rescue you.
’

Angela glanced up and to her astonishment saw, a short distance away, a chestnut horse approaching along t
he deserted beach at a gallop, with a young woman on its back.

‘
It
’
s Lucy!
’
she said.

Gil stared and lowered the revolver as the horse drew closer.

‘
Gil!
’
cried Lucy as soon as she could make herself heard. Castana covered the last twenty yards to the hut
in a few seconds, and Lucy pulled her up and jumped down.
‘
Gil!
’
she said again.
‘
What are you doing?
’

Her eyes were wide and there was real terror in her tone. Angela had never seen her self-possession so thoroughly shattered.

‘
Why did you come, Lucy?
’
sa
id Gil, with a break in his voice.
‘
You oughtn
’
t to have come.
’
The revolver sat loosely in his hand and they all gazed at it warily.

‘
Of course I had to come,
’
said Lucy. She stood a little way away from him.
‘
I couldn
’
t leave you to face this all alone.
Why, we are going to be married soon. A good wife ought to stand by her husband and help him get through things, and that is what I mean to do.
’

‘
But I am not a good husband,
’
he said in despair.
‘
Lita found that out to her cost. And we shall never be marr
ied now, Lucy, you must have realized that. How could you even begin to think of it, knowing what I have done?
’

‘
Nonsense,
’
she said briskly.
‘
I don
’
t believe for a second that you did it, even if you believe it yourself. You
’
re simply not capable.
’
She mo
ved slowly towards him and knelt on the damp shingle at his feet. Her hair and clothes were wet, and her boots muddy, but despite all that there was a kind of beauty about her at that moment, born of her sense of purpose and her determination to put thing
s
right. In all Angela
’
s encounters with the two of them, she had always seen Lucy as the one in charge, but now it was Lucy who was kneeling in an attitude of supplication, begging him not to do what he was threatening to do, but instead to hold his head
u
p high and face the battle with her.

‘
I believe she really does love him,
’
thought Angela.

‘
Gil, darling,
’
said Lucy, putting a hand on his knee.
‘
You ought to have told me about Lita.
’

‘
I know that now,
’
said Gil.
‘
But I was so anxious to do the right thi
ng and please you and Mother, that I
’
m afraid it rather slipped to the back of my mind. I
’
m so desperately sorry, Lucy. We ought never to have got engaged. And what a beastly thing for you to have to face now. It was
my
mistake in marrying Lita that got me
into this awful mess in the first place, and now the poor girl is dead and her son has been left an orphan
—’

‘
Your
son, Gil,
’
said Lucy gently.
‘
He
’
s yours too, you know.
’

‘
How can I claim him?
’
he said.
‘
What son would want anything to do with the man wh
o killed his mother?
’

‘
Stop saying that!
’
cried Lucy.
‘
You didn
’
t kill her, and I shall prove it.
’

‘
How?
’
said Gil.
‘
How, Lucy? It
’
s impossible. Even I know in my heart that I did it, although I can
’
t remember it. I
must
have done it.
’

‘
Come back to Blaken
ey with me, Gil,
’
she said.
‘
We shall find a way through this
—
I know we shall. But there
’
s no use in trying to solve things here, in this God-forsaken place. Look at you
—
you
’
re filthy, and you haven
’
t eaten for days, and probably haven
’
t slept either. How
can anyone think properly in those circumstances? Come back with me, and I
’
ll take care of you and make sure that nobody harms you. I promise you I
’
ll do it,
’
she went on softly.

‘
But they
’
ll arrest me,
’
he said.

‘
Yes, they will,
’
she replied,
‘
and you sha
ll just have to bear it. But I won
’
t let them arrest you before you
’
ve had something to eat, and a bath, and a good night
’
s sleep. After that, we
’
ll go to the police together and you
’
ll have to face up to it. But I swear I won
’
t let you hang. You do trust
me, Gil, don
’
t you?
’
she said.

He looked at her, a broken man, and swallowed. Then he nodded.

‘
Yes,
’
he said.
‘
I trust you.
’

‘
Never forget that we belong to each other, and it is my job to protect you and look after you,
’
she said.
‘
Just as it is your job
to look after me.
’

‘
I
’
m not making much of a fist of it at the moment, am I?
’
he said.

‘
I
’
m happy to have found you at last, and that is all that matters at present,
’
she said. She reached out and took the revolver from his unresisting hand, then gave it t
o Freddy.
‘
Now,
’
she went on,
‘
there
’
s no room in Freddy
’
s car so you must come back with me on Castana. I shall take you home to Blakeney and then tomorrow we will go into Littlechurch together.
’

She held out her hand, and he took it and got to his feet.

‘
I
’
d offer to take the horse and give you my car, but I
’
m afraid we
’
re not exactly dressed for riding,
’
said Freddy.

Lucy smiled.

‘
Don
’
t worry,
’
she said.
‘
We shall be back in no time.
’

‘
Might I suggest that you go and see Lady Alice as soon as you return
?
’
said Angela.
‘
I fear she thinks that you are plotting to keep her son away from her, and she made me promise to let her know when Gil was found.
’

‘
Of course,
’
said Lucy serenely. She had won the battle with Lady Alice, and she knew it and was prepared t
o be generous.

Gil mounted the chestnut mare with some difficulty, since he was weak from lack of food. Lucy climbed up in front of him.

‘
Thank you,
’
she said to Angela and Freddy.
‘
I shan
’
t forget this.
’

She nudged Castana and they set off slowly along th
e beach.

‘
How did she know to come here?
’
said Angela.

‘
I telephoned her just before we set off,
’
said Freddy.
‘
I
—
er
—
thought she might be able to do something with him. It appears I was right.
’

‘
Yes,
’
said Angela thoughtfully.
‘
I
’
m glad she gave you the gu
n, though.
’

‘
Why, do you think he might have got it back off her and done something stupid?
’

‘
Not exactly. I was thinking more on the lines of her putting him out of his misery, as she might a sick horse,
’
she replied. Freddy gazed at her in astonishment,
and she went on hurriedly,
‘
I know, it
’
s a ridiculous idea. Why on earth should she have persuaded him not to kill himself in that case?
’

‘
Well, quite.
’

‘
All the same,
’
said Angela.
‘
I
’
m glad we have the gun and not them.
’

They watched as the horse with it
s two riders disappeared into the mist, then Freddy shivered.

‘
I
’
m drenched, and it
’
s starting to get dark,
’
he said.
‘
Let
’
s go home and have some hot chocolate.
’

‘
Why, darlings, wherever have you been?
’
exclaimed Marguerite when they returned
, cold and damp.
‘
You look freezing. Go and change, and then you can come and warm yourselves by the fire and I shall get you hot drinks.
’

Shortly afterwards, dry and warm and fortified with hot chocolate, Angela and Freddy recounted the events of that aft
ernoon, much to the astonishment of Miles and Marguerite.

‘
Do you mean he was at the old cottage all the time?
’
said Miles.
‘
Why, that
’
s where we used to go years ago when Herbert and I used to visit Gil at the Park. It never occurred to me that he might b
e there.
’
Freddy looked disbelieving, but said nothing, and Miles said,
‘
It
’
s true, Freddy
—
I swear it. Perhaps I ought to have known, but it never crossed my mind.
’

‘
What will happen now?
’
said Marguerite fearfully.

‘
Lucy has promised to take him in tomorr
ow, after he
’
s had a square meal and a good night
’
s sleep,
’
said Freddy.

‘
But do you think she will? Mightn
’
t she spirit him away somewhere else?
’

‘
Where could she take him, without getting herself into trouble too? No,
’
said Freddy,
‘
I think she
’
ll do it
all right. You didn
’
t see him, Marguerite. He looked in a bad way, and anyone with a heart would have done the same
—
taken him home and fed him up, I mean. I
’
m sure she
’
ll do as she promised, though.
’

‘
I almost wish you hadn
’
t found him,
’
said Miles soberly
.
‘
Perhaps it would have been better had he been allowed to do what he wanted to do without interference. It might have been easier for everybody.
’

‘
That
’
s what Gil said,
’
said Angela,
‘
but Lucy wouldn
’
t hear of it.
’

‘
But now there will have to be a trial,
and he
’
s bound to be found guilty,
’
said Miles.
‘
Perhaps he may be able to plead temporary insanity and avoid the hangman, but he will still have to spend many years in prison. No,
’
he went on,
‘
the more I think about it, the more I see that it would hav
e
been better for everybody had he ended it all today.
’

‘
I am not sure I agree with you,
’
said Angela.
‘
First of all, you must remember that you yourself have a charge laid against you, which must be dealt with. Perhaps things will go easier for you if Gil
is there to explain himself in person. I don
’
t suppose you particularly
want
to go to prison for ten years, do you? You wouldn
’
t have done what you did had Gil not asked you to, so it seems only reasonable that he should be there to help you get out of the
scrape if he can. I
’
m sure he never intended to get you into trouble.
’

‘
I suppose not,
’
conceded Miles.

‘
And quite apart from that,
’
said Angela,
‘
Lucy seems to think she can get him off the murder charge. I
’
ve seen enough of her to know that if anybody c
an arrange that, then she can.
’

‘
Get him off?
’
said Miles, staring.
‘
How in heaven
’
s name is she going to do that?
’

‘
She says she knows he didn
’
t do it,
’
said Angela.
‘
Perhaps that is true.
’

‘
But you forget, Angela, I was there that day. I helped him hide
Lita
’
s body. Why, he
’
s even confessed to the thing. Of course he did it.
’

‘
Oh yes, he certainly
believes
he did it,
’
said Angela.
‘
There
’
s no doubt about that.
’

Miles looked at her oddly.

‘
I believe there
’
s something you
’
re not telling us,
’
he said.
‘
Do yo
u know something?
’

‘
I just have great faith in Lucy, that
’
s all,
’
said Angela.
‘
I think that if she is determined to do something, then it shall be done. And she has promised to get Gil off.
’

Miles shook his head.

‘
I am going to telephone the Park,
’
he sai
d.

‘
Do,
’
said Freddy.
‘
And make sure you speak to Gil in person if Lucy will let you. We
—
er
—
had some doubts as to whether he would reach home safely. He wasn
’
t well, and they were doubled up on a horse, which can be slow going,
’
he said in explanation to M
iles
’
s inquiring look.

Miles went out and returned a few minutes later to say that he had managed to snatch a few moments
’
conversation with Gil, and that he sounded very tired and confused.

‘
They are going to the police station in Littlechurch tomorrow mo
rning,
’
he said.
‘
I offered to go along with him but he wouldn
’
t hear of it. He said he was sorry that I
’
d got into trouble, and that he
’
d do his best to clear me as far as possible. Poor chap
—
how I wish none of this had ever happened.
’

Angela could not he
lp but agree with him.

The next day, they received word that Gil had, true to his promise, handed himself in to the police in Littlechurch, who had arrested him on suspicion of the murder of Lily Markham, also known as Lita de Marquez. Lucy had said goodby
e to him and then gone back to Blakeney to see to Lady Alice and to summon the family
’
s London solicitor, who had already started to prepare a defence.

They heard nothing more until Monday, when Angela happened to run into Inspector Jameson in Littlechurc
h. He was peering through the window of an antique shop, apparently admiring a pair of decorative silver-handled duelling pistols that were on display there.

‘
Good morning, inspector,
’
she said.
‘
Do your superiors at the Yard expect you to buy your own wea
pons these days? I
’
m not sure those will be much use to you.
’

He laughed.

‘
No,
’
he replied,
‘
but they are rather splendid, don
’
t you think? I was just wondering whether to buy them and put them on my wall at home, but I see the shop is shut at present.
’

‘
S
o it is. You shall have to come back later,
’
said Angela. She prepared to pass on.
‘
Anyway, I won
’
t stop you, as I
’
m sure you
’
re very busy at present.
’

‘
As a matter of fact, I had just come out for a little fresh air,
’
he said.
‘
Suppose we walk for a few m
inutes. I should like to stretch my legs
—
and, furthermore, I still haven
’
t thanked you for finding Gilbert Blakeney for us.
’

‘
Oh, don
’
t thank me,
’
said Angela.
‘
I had very little to do with it. It
’
s Freddy you ought to thank for finding him, and it was Luc
y who persuaded him to give himself up. I just stood there and nodded in the right places.
’

‘
I see,
’
said the inspector.
‘
Young Freddy was mixed up in it, was he? I can
’
t say I
’
m surprised.
’

‘
Is Gil all right?
’
she said anxiously.
‘
He was in rather a bad
way when we found him.
’

‘
Don
’
t worry,
’
said Jameson.
‘
We have been very gentle with him
—
for practical reasons more than anything else, since we
’
d never get anything out of him if we were too hard, given the state of him.
’

‘
Have you actually charged him wit
h the murder?
’

He nodded.

‘
Yes. He has a solicitor with him now
—
some young whizz from London, who will no doubt find all kinds of reasons why we ought to let him off with a hand-shake and a pat on the back, and then send him on his way with a rousing choru
s of “
For he
’
s a jolly good fellow”.’

Angela laughed.

‘
I imagine Lucy was responsible for that,
’
she said.
‘
She is rather a remarkable young woman.
’

‘
Yes,
’
he agreed.
‘
She certainly seems to have great strength of character.
’

Angela looked down.

‘
She belie
ves he is innocent, you know,
’
she said.

‘
Of course she does,
’
said Jameson.
‘
I should think the less of her if she didn
’
t.
’

She stopped, and looked him directly in the eye.

‘
What do you believe?
’
she said.

He returned her gaze steadily.

‘
It
’
s not my job t
o believe anything,
’
he said.
‘
It
’
s my job to deal with the evidence we have
—
and the evidence we have says he is guilty. We certainly have enough of it to proceed with a trial, at any rate.
’

‘
I understand,
’
said Angela.

He regarded her suspiciously.

‘
What
are you plotting?
’
he said.
‘
I know that wicked look of yours.
’

‘
Do I have a wicked look?
’
she said in surprise.