Death in Kenya by M. M. Kaye Page A

heel.’
    â€˜Ken,’ said Eden morosely, echoing sentiments recently expressed by Mr Gilbert, ‘is a spoilt, egotistical pup who fancies himself as a cross between Byron and an Angry Young Man. For God’s sake, what’s he got to be crazy or mixed up about? He’s only had to ask for something, to be given it!’
    â€˜Perhaps that’s why,’ said Em with a sigh. ‘He’s just finding out that now he is grown up there are a good many things he can’t have for the asking, and he feels that someone is to blame for it. He’ll grow out of it.’
    â€˜Returning to Mabel,’ said Mr Gilbert firmly. ‘How long did she stay on Tuesday morning, and could she have removed that cushion?’
    â€˜No, of course she didn’t!’ said Em with a snap. ‘Why on earth should she?’
    â€˜That’s not the point. The question was “could she?” Or was she with you the entire time?’
    â€˜Well, no,’ said Em reluctantly. ‘I— Well it was all rather stupid really. I suppose I wasn’t very sympathetic, and Mabel was hurt. She said she’d wait in the garden until Hector was ready to leave, and I went back to the office. But if you think that Mabel had anything to do with Alice’s murder, you must be going out of your mind! She was a bit upset about this infatuation of Ken’s, but that was all. And of course she had nothing to do with that cushion. Unless——’
    She paused, frowning, and Greg said: ‘Unless what?’
    â€˜Well, I suppose she might have taken it up to the knoll and sat there to wait for Hector. I never thought of that. There you are – I expect that’s all there is to it. A perfectly simple explanation.’
    â€˜Perfectly,’ said Greg. ‘But if so, why didn’t she admit to it? We asked everyone about it the next day.’
    â€˜I expect she forgot,’ said Em flatly.
    â€˜Perhaps. We can always try and jog her memory. What did you do for the rest of the day?’
    â€˜Nothing special. Alice got back around one, and after luncheon I rested, and as you already know we had tea on the verandah at half-past four. Ken arrived in the middle of it, so we had to offer him some. He said he wanted to discuss something with Alice, but I said he would have to postpone it as she was coming out in the Land-Rover with me. I was rather afraid that he’d still be there when we got back, but he wasn’t.’
    â€˜What time did you get back?’
    â€˜About a quarter to six. It was only then that I remembered Lisa’s note, and Alice said she’d walk over and tell her that I’d be going into Nairobi on the Thursday to meet Victoria, and she could come in then. I shouldn’t have let her go. But – how was I to know?’
    Em’s voice cracked and Eden crossed the space between them in two strides and put an arm about his grandmother’s shoulders. ‘Don’t, Gran! It wasn’t your fault. You’ve nothing to blame yourself for.’
    Em said almost inaudibly: ‘Yes I have. If I hadn’t sent her over — Or if I had only——’
    Eden released her and said harshly: ‘If! – if, if, if! Why worry yourself over ifs? – If I hadn’t married Alice she wouldn’t have come to Kenya. And if she hadn’t come to Kenya she wouldn’t have been murdered. But does that mean that I am responsible for her death?’
    He flung away and dropped into another chair, his legs stretched out before him and his hands deep in his pockets, and Mr Gilbert regarded him thoughtfully for a moment or two, and then turned his attention to Drew Stratton.
    â€˜Now about you, Drew. I’d like an account – a detailed account, please – of your last meeting with Mrs DeBrett.’
    â€˜I’ll try,’ said Drew, and embarked on a reasonably accurate account of that evening. ‘She