Surfeit of Lampreys by Ngaio Marsh

Henry’s message. “Come on, Mike,” repeated Patch in a strange voice and dragged at Mike’s hand.
    They moved away. Roberta was about to follow them when the group at the lift broke up. Roberta saw inside the lift. Lord Wutherwood was sitting in there. A ray of light from the roof of the lift-well had caught the side of his head. For the fraction of a second she had an impression that in his left eye he wore a glass with a wide dark ribbon that clung to the contours of his face. Then she saw that the thing she had mistaken for a glass was well out in front of his eye. Lord Charles moved aside and the interior of the lift became lighter. Roberta’s whole being-was flooded with an intolerable nausea. She heard her own voice whisper, hurriedly, “ But it can’t—it can’t—it’s disgusting. ” She could not drag her gaze off the figure in the lift. She felt as though her entire body strained away from the frozen pivot of her sight. His mouth and his right eye were wide open and inside his mouth the sound of gargling grew louder, and still Roberta could not move.
    â€œBetter out of that, m’lady,” said Nanny’s trembling voice. “Folks will be ringing for the lift. If Mr. Baskett and one of the twins got the top of the ironing trestle—”
    Charlot said: “Yes. Will you, Baskett? And you, Colin, help him.”
    The nearest twin went away with Baskett. Nanny followed them.
    â€œCome away for a moment, Violet,” said Charlot. “Violet, come away .” Lady Wutherwood opened her mouth. “ No! ” said Charlot. She propelled Lady Wutherwood forward into the hall and saw Roberta.
    â€œRobin, get some brandy. Top shelf in the pantry.”
    Robin had not been in the pantry. On the way she saw a maid’s face looking palely out of a distant door. She found the pantry. Her brain worked frantically to push down, thrust out of mind, the picture of the figure in the lift. It must be repudiated, displaced, covered up. She must do things. How did one know which of these bottles was brandy? Cognac meant brandy. She took it with a glass to the drawing-room. Henry stood over the desk-telephone. “At once. Couldn’t be more urgent. Yes, to the head. Through his eye. I said his eye.” He put the receiver down. “Dr. Kantripp’s coming, Mummy.”
    â€œGood,” said Charlot. Roberta had given her a tumbler half full of brandy. The edge of the tumbler chattered like a castanet against Lady Wutherwood’s teeth. Henry, with an expression of disgust, glanced at his aunt.
    â€œBetter have some yourself,” he said to his mother. She shook her head. Henry added quickly: “And I rang up the police.”
    â€œGood.”
    Feet stumbled on the landing beyond the hall.
    â€œThey’re moving him,” said Charlot.
    â€œI’d better go, then.”
    Henry went out.
    â€œCan I do anything?” asked Roberta. She had spoken to nobody since Mike left her alone in the dining-room. Her voice sounded oddly in her ears.
    â€œWhat?” Charlot saw her. “Oh, Robin, ask the maids to get plenty of boiling water. Doctors are so fond of boiling water, aren’t they? And Robin, I don’t know where the servants went, Tinkerton and Giggle, I mean. Could you find them and tell them there’s been an accident. And the lift. Somebody may want the lift. The doctor will. Did we shut the door?”
    â€œI’ll see.”
    â€œThank you so much.”
    Roberta hurried away and found time confusedly to marvel at Charlot’s command of her nerves and of the situation. The Lampreys, she thought hurriedly, do rise to situations. She delivered the message to the maids. Now she must return to the landing. The lift was still open. Roberta stood stock-still with her hands on the doors, drilling her thoughts, telling them that he was gone, that she must look inside the lift. And, with a great effort,