The Master Detective: Being Some Further Investigations of Christopher Quarles — John Shaqi
The Master Detective: Being Some Further Investigations of Christopher QuarlesBrebner, Percy James
General
The Master Detective: Being Some Further Investigations of Christopher Quarles
Brebner, Percy James
Detective and mystery stories
"Sir Arthur unconsciously gave me a great deal of information," he went
on. "First, it was curious that the wreaths which came that night should
be left in the hall. It would have been more natural to place them in
the drawing-room. Why were they not put there? It looked as if there were
a desire not to open the room again. Another wreath might have come later
when it would have been very inconvenient to open the door, and not to
have put the other wreath into the room might have caused comment in the
light of after events. Again, influenza is a fairly common complaint, and
Sir Grenville died of a sudden and unexpected collapse; yet Sir Arthur
said it was by his father's desire that the coffin was plain. A man
suffering from influenza does not expect to die, and it seemed strange to
me that he should arrange details of his funeral. By itself it is not a
very important point, since Sir Grenville's wishes may have been known
for a long time, but almost in the same breath, emphasis was laid on the
fact that Lady Rusholm had not used the small room out of the
drawing-room for more than a week. Why not? There was absolutely no
reason why she should not continue to do her correspondence there, since
her husband was not seriously ill and could not require constant nursing.
I think an excuse was wanted for locking up that room, and I believe you
will find that none of the servants have entered the room during this
period, and that the blind has been down all the time. I believe the
duplicate coffin was hidden there."
"But how was the duplicate coffin got into the house?" asked Zena.
"In much the same way as the real coffin was got out of it, I imagine.
You remember the arrangement of the motor, Wigan; its size and swivel
seats give ample room to put the coffin on the floor of the car. In the
dead of night the coffin was carried across the garden, placed in the car
and driven away. On some previous night the same car had driven away and
brought back the duplicate coffin."
"The chauffeur said the car had not been out for a week," I said.
"So far as he knew," Quarles returned. "It was cleaned afterwards. There
is a shutter to the window in Connaught Road, and over the window looking
into the garden one of the towels had been nailed, clumsily, and with
large nails which were still on a shelf. I found the towel with the nail
holes in it."
"Where was the body taken?" asked Zena.
"That I do not know."
"And what was the use of it to any one?"
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