The Long Farewell by Michael Innes Page B

Packford’s death,’ Appleby said vaguely, ‘must have come at the end of a day of great strain for everybody concerned. I understand that both these ladies arrived virtually simultaneously and quite out of the blue.’
    ‘I know nothing about the blue.’ Mrs Husbands had managed to achieve again her former cold tone. ‘But it was certainly my impression that Mr Packford had received no warning whatever that these predatory persons were about to descend upon him.’
    ‘I see.’ Mrs Husband’s speech, it occurred to Appleby, was decidedly that of an educated woman. And he wondered how Packford had picked her up. Perhaps she was the widow of someone among his learned and academic acquaintance. ‘But is it quite fair to describe them in that way? One of them was his legal wife, after all, and the other believed herself to be so.’
    ‘They are both designing women.’
    ‘Well, let us leave it at that. They both turned up – each announcing herself as Mrs Packford?’
    ‘Precisely that, Sir John. Each had apparently received an anonymous letter, and I suspect that each was acting upon specific advice it had contained. For each arrived with a suitcase, rang the front-door bell, and announced herself as being the – the mistress of the house. I should have said myself that they were mistresses of quite another variety.’
    ‘Again, Mrs Husbands, I don’t know that that’s quite fair. However, there they were. And this extraordinary situation was presently known to the whole household?’
    ‘Certainly, it was. Our parlour maid came to me, and I went at once to Mr Packford. Naturally, I imagined some insolent imposture. His only suggestion was that I should find these – these ambiguous persons rooms. And then he went in to his friends – Professor Prodger and the rest, who were at tea – and explained.’
    ‘Explained?’
    ‘He explained that he was married. In fact he explained that – rather awkwardly – he was doubly married.’
    Mrs Husbands was making a great effort to preserve her cool and acrid tone. ‘Canon Rixon has told me that he appeared like a man in a daze.’
    ‘And then?’
    ‘And then the – the two persons dined with Mr Packford and his friends.’
    ‘That must have been extremely queer. Was it your own opinion that Mr Packford was – well, noticeably discomposed?’
    ‘He must have been – if what happened later is to be explained. But it is Canon Rixon’s opinion that Mr Packford, although disturbed, didn’t really grasp the full gravity of his position. His mind was still largely on something else.’
    ‘On something connected with his work?’
    Mrs Husbands nodded. ‘Yes – something like that. Some very important discovery which he was proposing to announce to his friends.’
    ‘I find that very interesting.’ Appleby – apparently absent-mindedly – had begun to eat his lunch after all. ‘In fact, it brings us to something extremely significant, which I should like you to consider very carefully. Have you any reason to believe that this important discovery, which Mr Packford was perhaps about to announce, concerned any physical object that had come into his possession?’
    Mrs Husbands looked puzzled. ‘I am afraid I don’t follow you, Sir John.’
    ‘Well, put it this way. A scholar may arrive at some new and surprising piece of knowledge simply as a matter of inference. He sees a connection, hitherto unappreciated, between facts which are themselves already well known. Or again, research may lead him to some hitherto unexamined book or document in a public collection – say, the library of the British Museum. Or, yet again, he may actually himself acquire a book or a document or a work of art. It may simply be extremely interesting in his particular learned world. Or it may be extremely valuable as well. Have you any opinion as to which of these categories would apply in the matter we are considering?’
    ‘None at all. Mr Packford was never communicative