Dead in the Water (Olivia Grant Mysteries Book 1) by Phyllis A. Humphrey Page A

evening."
    "I suggested to you that if she had accidentally fallen into the pond, the dog would not have been found inside the house the next morning."
    He rubbed his chin but didn't answer for a few minutes. Finally, his mustache moved again, and his eyebrows rose. "I believe I said at the time that perhaps she had not been walking the dog on that particular evening."
    "Yes, but something has happened which changes that."
    I told him about what had happened the night before, how Tark had balked at going near the place, pulled against the leash, whimpered, and even growled. "I'm sure it's because he was afraid."
    Kincaid frowned and tugged at his mustache.
    "But surely it fails to tell us how he came to be in the house." He paused. "Unless he could enter himself, by way of one of those, er, pet flaps."
    "There isn't one." I leaned forward. "Suppose we agree she did not walk the dog that night. Why did she go to the lily pond?" I didn't wait for an answer. "Suppose she met someone there, and that person killed her? A man, perhaps a lover or an enemy."
    "If you're proposing this theory to me, I should need some evidence that person exists. No one I've interviewed has suggested such a thing."
    I didn't want to launder dirty linen in front of Kincaid, so I hedged a bit. "Perhaps they didn't think it relevant. Yet, after Edward died, Noreen went out alone a great deal. I know everyone in the family believed she probably saw another man at those times."
    "Of course, that is possible. However, even if she met someone by the pond, it doesn't necessarily mean she's been murdered. The gentleman might have left, and then she fell and drowned."
    "I thought of that, but it doesn't explain Mr. Tarkington's fear."
    "He might only sense his mistress died there. I once heard about a gentleman who became ill, and his dog stayed outside his bedroom door. Refused to go with anyone else, refused to eat. However, after the gentleman died, the dog never went near the room again. Perhaps your Mr. Tarkington is like that dog."
    His theory made some sense, but my idea that Noreen had been murdered refused to go quietly.
    "Tark is afraid of the pond. He's not just avoiding it. Isn't it possible," I argued, "that someone could have killed her?"
    He stood. "Anything, my dear lady, is possible. However, one requires a good deal of proof, you see." He smiled again. That is, his mustache widened. "I should think you'd prefer the more obvious conclusion that she died as the result of an accident. Put your mind at rest."
    His tone hinted that any normal person would do so, but nothing he'd said discouraged me, and I felt certain he wouldn't provide any helpful information either. I'd have to try to find the truth by myself. I accompanied him to the front door and said good-bye.
    I found Alice in the office, amid the large boxes Inspector Kincaid had returned.
    "A right awful mess it is too." Grumbling, she pulled a manila file folder from a box and put it into a drawer.
    "Why don't you let me do that?"
    "Oh, would you, Olivia? I'm not very good at things like this. Give me a bit of furniture to polish, and I'm keen to get on with it, but business papers…"
    "I don't know anything about these particular papers," I told her, "but I think I can sort them all right."
    "You're a darling girl to help." She rose from the desk chair and offered it to me. "Of course," she added, "no matter how neatly you put them back in order, Jason will find fault, but pay no attention. He'll pull a face in any event. He'd object if he were beaten with a new stick."
    I decided she felt I should laugh at her last remark, so I did, thinking she had a much jollier disposition than her daughter.
    Alice eased her bulk out the door, and I sat down to begin my task. I had no idea how American police would have handled the matter, but it seemed to me the British showed unusual efficiency. The papers and records, which had been removed and now returned, seemed in remarkably good order.