the girl. She’d tried to kill herself before.”
“And her mother showed up with these papers?” Jace asked. “You’d think that she would have been too distraught by news of her daughter’s death to think of getting papers out to prove that the girl was crazy.”
Clive looked at Jace with his eyes wide. “That’s just what I thought. It was as though those two women wanted to prove to us that she was insane. The mother asked that it not be put in the paper that she’d been there. If those women hadn’t been in the States when it happened…”
“What?” Jace asked.
“I would have thought they did it.”
Emma threw up her hands and George snorted.
“Tell him why you think she didn’t commit suicide,” Emma said. “Go on, tell him.”
“She tripped on the stairs,” Clive muttered.
“What?” Jace asked.
“She tripped on the stairs,” Emma said loudly, then lowered her voice. “Clive, I’ve told you a thousand times. She was drunk. I smelled it on her breath. She was drunk and when she went up the stairs, she tripped. Simple.”
Jace was looking at Clive. “What does tripping on the stairs have to do with murder?”
Clive lifted his head, turned on the bar stool, and faced Jace. When he spoke, there was energy in his voice. “You see—”
“He’s off and running,” George said.
Jace tried to keep the annoyance off his face and out of his voice. “Let’s get a table,” he said and they took their beers to a booth in a far corner. “I think this might be the case I’m looking for,” Jace said, “so I want to know everything. You wouldn’t want to start at the beginning, would you?”
“I’ll bore you.”
“I swear that you won’t.”
“Okay,” Clive said, “but I warn you that all of this is based on a feeling I have and nothing else. The evidence was that a young American woman, named Stacy Evans, had a fight with her boyfriend, she stopped at a pub, asked if they had a room, then went upstairs and took a bottle of sleeping pills. Her family was called and her mother and sister flew in right away and presented papers as proof that the girl had been a problem since she was a kid. Her mother died when she was young and it very nearly sent her over the edge.”
“Her mother died? So who showed up here?”
“Her stepmother, but she said she’d been Stacy’s mother since she was a child so she loved her.” Clive looked down at his beer.
“But you didn’t believe her.”
“No, I didn’t. I told the superintendent that I didn’t, but he said I’d been reading too many fairy tales about wicked stepmothers. There were no signs of foul play, but then there was only one door into the room and it was locked from the inside. She had a purse full of money, and she was wearing diamond earrings. Nothing was stolen, and there was no evidence of recent sexual activity.”
Jace had to put his beer mug up to his face to hide his expression. It didn’t matter, of course, but he was glad that Stacy hadn’t been unfaithful to him.
“It was an open and shut case,” Clive said. “A nutcase offs herself. The end.”
Jace winced at the young man’s crudeness. “But she tripped on the stairs.”
“Yes,” Clive said. “You see, this pub used to be a real bad place. When I was a kid…” He smiled. “Better not tell you about what I was like when I was a kid. You’ve heard of the vicar and the way he helps kids like me?”
“Actually, I have,” Jace said. “You were one of his triumphs?”
“I was one of his harder cases. I grew up with…” Clive waved his hand. “My life story doesn’t matter except to say that I spent many a wasted hour here getting into trouble. You wouldn’t think that a quiet little village like Margate could have such an evil place, but it did. Gambling in the back room, girls upstairs, drugs sold in the loo. If you wanted it, you could get it here.”
Jace was beginning to understand. “The stairs were changed.”
“Yeah. When
“And her mother showed up with these papers?” Jace asked. “You’d think that she would have been too distraught by news of her daughter’s death to think of getting papers out to prove that the girl was crazy.”
Clive looked at Jace with his eyes wide. “That’s just what I thought. It was as though those two women wanted to prove to us that she was insane. The mother asked that it not be put in the paper that she’d been there. If those women hadn’t been in the States when it happened…”
“What?” Jace asked.
“I would have thought they did it.”
Emma threw up her hands and George snorted.
“Tell him why you think she didn’t commit suicide,” Emma said. “Go on, tell him.”
“She tripped on the stairs,” Clive muttered.
“What?” Jace asked.
“She tripped on the stairs,” Emma said loudly, then lowered her voice. “Clive, I’ve told you a thousand times. She was drunk. I smelled it on her breath. She was drunk and when she went up the stairs, she tripped. Simple.”
Jace was looking at Clive. “What does tripping on the stairs have to do with murder?”
Clive lifted his head, turned on the bar stool, and faced Jace. When he spoke, there was energy in his voice. “You see—”
“He’s off and running,” George said.
Jace tried to keep the annoyance off his face and out of his voice. “Let’s get a table,” he said and they took their beers to a booth in a far corner. “I think this might be the case I’m looking for,” Jace said, “so I want to know everything. You wouldn’t want to start at the beginning, would you?”
“I’ll bore you.”
“I swear that you won’t.”
“Okay,” Clive said, “but I warn you that all of this is based on a feeling I have and nothing else. The evidence was that a young American woman, named Stacy Evans, had a fight with her boyfriend, she stopped at a pub, asked if they had a room, then went upstairs and took a bottle of sleeping pills. Her family was called and her mother and sister flew in right away and presented papers as proof that the girl had been a problem since she was a kid. Her mother died when she was young and it very nearly sent her over the edge.”
“Her mother died? So who showed up here?”
“Her stepmother, but she said she’d been Stacy’s mother since she was a child so she loved her.” Clive looked down at his beer.
“But you didn’t believe her.”
“No, I didn’t. I told the superintendent that I didn’t, but he said I’d been reading too many fairy tales about wicked stepmothers. There were no signs of foul play, but then there was only one door into the room and it was locked from the inside. She had a purse full of money, and she was wearing diamond earrings. Nothing was stolen, and there was no evidence of recent sexual activity.”
Jace had to put his beer mug up to his face to hide his expression. It didn’t matter, of course, but he was glad that Stacy hadn’t been unfaithful to him.
“It was an open and shut case,” Clive said. “A nutcase offs herself. The end.”
Jace winced at the young man’s crudeness. “But she tripped on the stairs.”
“Yes,” Clive said. “You see, this pub used to be a real bad place. When I was a kid…” He smiled. “Better not tell you about what I was like when I was a kid. You’ve heard of the vicar and the way he helps kids like me?”
“Actually, I have,” Jace said. “You were one of his triumphs?”
“I was one of his harder cases. I grew up with…” Clive waved his hand. “My life story doesn’t matter except to say that I spent many a wasted hour here getting into trouble. You wouldn’t think that a quiet little village like Margate could have such an evil place, but it did. Gambling in the back room, girls upstairs, drugs sold in the loo. If you wanted it, you could get it here.”
Jace was beginning to understand. “The stairs were changed.”
“Yeah. When
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