didn’t have time to ask. Once I knew Nivens was in the house, all I could think of was getting out without being seen.” She glanced at the carriage clock on the pine sideboard. “It’s getting late and the inspector will probably be home on time tonight. We’d best get on with this. Who wants to go next?”
“Wait a minute, what about the keys?” Mrs. Goodge asked. “You were going to ask her who had keys to the office. Surely you had time to do that?”
Mrs. Jeffries cringed. “Oh dear, I am getting forgetful. I’m glad you reminded me. I asked her about them as soon as I got there today. There are only three sets of keys to the main door, and they’re held by John Sutcliffe, Henry Anson, and Ronald Dearman. Each of these men has a key to his own individual office, but not to the others’ offices.”
“So Henry Anson and Sutcliffe wouldn’t have had the keys to Dearman’s private office?” Phyllis murmured. “But we know that that office was locked, because the porter had to unlock it for Mrs. Dearman.”
“Which means that the killer must have the keys,” Luty declared.
“Not necessarily.” Hatchet helped himself to a secondcookie. “The killer might have left them somewhere on the premises, and the police may have found them.”
“We’ll have to ask Constable Barnes if he can find out,” Mrs. Jeffries said quickly. “Time really is getting on. Who would like to go next?”
“I will,” Phyllis announced. “I didn’t have any luck with the local merchants, but I found someone that used to work in the Dearman household, and she didn’t have a good thing to say about the fellow.”
“How long ago did she leave the Dearman household?” Luty grabbed another cookie and took a huge bite.
“Six months ago, so I know she’ll not be able to give us anything useful about the murder, but she did know a lot about the household. She says he was a bully and mean as a rabid dog. The servants were terrified of him and no one stayed very long. The only person he didn’t bully was his wife, but Jean said they fought all the time, even in front of the servants. The night before Jean left the household, Mr. Dearman threw a carving knife at Mrs. Dearman!” She broke off with a wide grin. “She said the mistress ducked and the knife landed on the floor, but she’d never seen the mistress move that fast.”
“Another marriage made in heaven,” Mrs. Goodge said wryly.
“Jean says she thinks that it weren’t just fighting so they could make up,” Phyllis continued as a blush crept up her cheek. “You know what I mean, some couples fight just so they can … well, you know.”
“What’s she talkin’ about?” Wiggins asked curiously. “What do you mean, ‘make up’? You mean they say they’re sorry, right?”
“I’ll explain it to you later,” Hatchet interjectedquickly. “But yes, Phyllis, we know what you’re suggesting. Please go on.”
“Jean says the squabbling was real and that they genuinely hated each other,” she continued. “She once overheard Mrs. Dearman telling her friend, Mrs. Meadows, that she’d only married Ronald to spite her brother and that it was the worst mistake of her life. If she’d not married him, she’d be free and could travel the world and do as she pleased.”
“According to what Fiona said, Lucretia Dearman was so concerned about her husband when he didn’t come home, she couldn’t even wait a half hour for the office to open,” Mrs. Jeffries said thoughtfully. “Yet we know from several different sources that the Dearmans’ marriage wasn’t a happy one.”
“Maybe she was just coverin’ up,” the cook suggested. “Pretendin’ to be worried when in reality, she might even be the one that killed him.”
“She must have been,” Phyllis said. “My source told me that they hated each other and they argued all the time over money. Mrs. Dearman would deliberately rile him up, and then when they were going at it, she’d throw in
“Wait a minute, what about the keys?” Mrs. Goodge asked. “You were going to ask her who had keys to the office. Surely you had time to do that?”
Mrs. Jeffries cringed. “Oh dear, I am getting forgetful. I’m glad you reminded me. I asked her about them as soon as I got there today. There are only three sets of keys to the main door, and they’re held by John Sutcliffe, Henry Anson, and Ronald Dearman. Each of these men has a key to his own individual office, but not to the others’ offices.”
“So Henry Anson and Sutcliffe wouldn’t have had the keys to Dearman’s private office?” Phyllis murmured. “But we know that that office was locked, because the porter had to unlock it for Mrs. Dearman.”
“Which means that the killer must have the keys,” Luty declared.
“Not necessarily.” Hatchet helped himself to a secondcookie. “The killer might have left them somewhere on the premises, and the police may have found them.”
“We’ll have to ask Constable Barnes if he can find out,” Mrs. Jeffries said quickly. “Time really is getting on. Who would like to go next?”
“I will,” Phyllis announced. “I didn’t have any luck with the local merchants, but I found someone that used to work in the Dearman household, and she didn’t have a good thing to say about the fellow.”
“How long ago did she leave the Dearman household?” Luty grabbed another cookie and took a huge bite.
“Six months ago, so I know she’ll not be able to give us anything useful about the murder, but she did know a lot about the household. She says he was a bully and mean as a rabid dog. The servants were terrified of him and no one stayed very long. The only person he didn’t bully was his wife, but Jean said they fought all the time, even in front of the servants. The night before Jean left the household, Mr. Dearman threw a carving knife at Mrs. Dearman!” She broke off with a wide grin. “She said the mistress ducked and the knife landed on the floor, but she’d never seen the mistress move that fast.”
“Another marriage made in heaven,” Mrs. Goodge said wryly.
“Jean says she thinks that it weren’t just fighting so they could make up,” Phyllis continued as a blush crept up her cheek. “You know what I mean, some couples fight just so they can … well, you know.”
“What’s she talkin’ about?” Wiggins asked curiously. “What do you mean, ‘make up’? You mean they say they’re sorry, right?”
“I’ll explain it to you later,” Hatchet interjectedquickly. “But yes, Phyllis, we know what you’re suggesting. Please go on.”
“Jean says the squabbling was real and that they genuinely hated each other,” she continued. “She once overheard Mrs. Dearman telling her friend, Mrs. Meadows, that she’d only married Ronald to spite her brother and that it was the worst mistake of her life. If she’d not married him, she’d be free and could travel the world and do as she pleased.”
“According to what Fiona said, Lucretia Dearman was so concerned about her husband when he didn’t come home, she couldn’t even wait a half hour for the office to open,” Mrs. Jeffries said thoughtfully. “Yet we know from several different sources that the Dearmans’ marriage wasn’t a happy one.”
“Maybe she was just coverin’ up,” the cook suggested. “Pretendin’ to be worried when in reality, she might even be the one that killed him.”
“She must have been,” Phyllis said. “My source told me that they hated each other and they argued all the time over money. Mrs. Dearman would deliberately rile him up, and then when they were going at it, she’d throw in
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