The Riverboat Mystery (Jenny Starling #3)(66)

As it began to sink in, really sink in, that they meant to try her husband for murder, she bit back the useless urge to scream out loud. Instead, she forced herself to try and explain. ‘You can’t arrest him. He didn’t do it!’

Unnoticed by everyone, Jenny Starling slowly sank into a chair. She was beginning to feel sick again.

And she was beginning to feel guilty. But, as Graves had said, murder was murder.

‘Mrs Leigh, why don’t you go and lie down?’ Rycroft said, his words at last bringing David Leigh out of his fugue of shock.

‘Yes, darling, you mustn’t upset yourself,’ he said anxiously, looking around for help and settling on Lucas. ‘Lucas, you must take care of her. Get her a doctor or something,’ he said vaguely. Even in his own perilous position, his thoughts were all for his wife.

But Dorothy almost snarled at Lucas as he went to take her arm. ‘Let go of me. Oh, don’t you see?’ She looked at Tobias, then at Brian, then at Jasmine. ‘They’ve got it all wrong! David didn’t kill Gabriel. I did!’

She rounded on Rycroft. ‘You’ve made a mistake. I killed Gabriel. I did. I did!’

Rycroft nodded soothingly. ‘All right, Mrs Leigh,’ he said, still trying to manoeuvre her from between her husband and his sergeant. ‘Why don’t you calm down and then you can tell us all about it, hmm?’

Dorothy, aware that she was being patronized, and worse, that she wasn’t being even remotely believed, stared at him in helpless horror.

It was left to Jenny to come to her aid. Into the tense silence that followed, the cook’s words dropped like stones. ‘I would listen to her, if I were you, Inspector,’ she said quietly. ‘Mrs Leigh knows what she’s talking about.’

And then Sergeant Graves’ head whipped around, his handsome face paling as he fixed the cook with an accusing and then slowly comprehending look.

Jenny nodded. ‘Yes,’ she said simply. ‘Dorothy Leigh.’ And then, haltingly at first, but with growing desperation, Dorothy Leigh proceeded to tell them all just how she had murdered Gabriel Olney.





CHAPTER FOURTEEN

‘Well, so long, love,’ Lucas said to Jasmine, wondering if he should give her a hug. On the one hand, she was a very tasty piece, and he hugged tasty pieces almost as a matter of course. However, on the other hand, she was a widow whose husband had just been murdered whilst on his boat.

Jasmine solved the problem for him by nodding rather briskly at him and then firmly picking up her case. She tolerated Brian O’Keefe’s helping hand on her elbow as he guided her across the wooden planking onto the riverbank, then just as briskly nodded at him and marched off.

She was smiling, however, as she did so. As well she might. She was free, rich, and had a handsome lover waiting for her.

Jenny watched her go, then sighed.

It was late afternoon and all the fuss and excitement was over. Instead of having the inconvenience of accompanying their prisoner across the fields to Carswell Marsh, Rycroft had ordered Lucas and Tobias Lester to sail the Swan on down to Swinford, as had been originally planned, where he’d arranged to have a police car waiting for them.

It had been a short but odd journey. In deference to her condition, Rycroft had allowed Dorothy Leigh to go to her room and lie down. Naturally he’d had Graves stand guard outside the door, but her husband had been allowed to sit with her, just to make sure she didn’t do anything silly.

No doubt they’d also made good use of the couple of hours peace and quiet left to them to discuss her defence and map out a strategy for her trial.

Jenny hoped so.

As soon as they’d docked, Graves and Rycroft had left with their prisoner, David Leigh following on close behind, and Jenny had taken advantage of the peace and quiet to give the galley a thorough clean and to pack her case.

Lucas had sent Francis back to Buscot to ready the house for his return, so the silent valet was no longer on board. Jenny was glad. She still found him creepy.

‘Well then, ready for the off, Miss Starling?’ Lucas asked, coming to rest by the port deck rail, once more back to his relaxed and normal self.

The parrot hopped off his shoulder and waddled along the railing towards the big cook, who reached into her handbag to withdraw six thin wafer biscuits. She’d cooked them especially for the bird whilst the Swan was sailing to Swinford.

The parrot took the offering with a solemn blink of his eyes, and proceeded, surprisingly neatly, to scoff the lot.

‘I’ll have to get a lift back to Buscot to pick up my van,’ Jenny agreed. ‘But I can’t say I’ll be sorry to get off the boat,’ she added archly. ‘After you’ve paid me my fee, of course.’

Lucas grinned at her, then produced his wallet and counted out her wages. Jenny thanked him and put the money safely away in her handbag. Just as she snapped the catch closed, she heard a car pull up and watched it park neatly on the grass verge.

She was not particularly surprised to see Rycroft and Graves emerge.

‘It’s all right, sir, she’s still here,’ she heard Graves say. A moment later he negotiated the planks and stepped through the boarding gate. The look he gave Lucas was enough to send him, and his parrot, scurrying off into the main salon, and well out of the way.

Inspector Rycroft joined his sergeant and the cook on the port deck, and grabbed the only deckchair. He looked rather frayed at the edges.