Page 48 of Marriage and Murder
Stokes transferred his gaze to Price. “I take it he got away?”
“Yes, sir.” The young man looked a trifle crestfallen. “I got tangled in the blankets, and by the time I’d got free, he’d leapt over me and down the stairs, and he raced out of the back door.”
“William very bravely gave chase,” Madeline put in, “but gave up the pursuit to stay with me, for which I was exceedingly grateful.”
Stokes nodded to Madeline and looked at Price. “Good decision, Constable. Your brief was to protect Miss Huntingdon, and you made the right choice.”
Price looked a lot happier.
“Now,” Stokes said, “did you get a look at this intruder? Any hint as to his identity?”
“Not really, sir,” Price replied. “The moon was out, but nowhere near full, so the light was weak. All I could see was that he was tallish, leanish, and had dark hair, which fits most of our suspects.”
When Penelope arched her brows at Madeline, she responded, “I didn’t see the man at all. I only heard the ruckus.”
“Obviously,” Barnaby said, “he must have moved quickly and confidently, so not an older man.”
“Not Arthur Penrose, certainly,” Penelope concurred. “But the description could fit Billy, Jim, and most likely of all,H.”
Henry said, “We can’t imagine why, as matters stand, either Jim or Billy would have attempted such a thing. Living in the village, both would know Price is staying at the cottage.”
“Excellent point,” Stokes acknowledged.
Penelope capped that with “And that brings us back, once again, toH.”
“There’s also the fact the intruder must have had a key,” Henry said. “We all checked, and the lock hasn’t been tampered with, and Madeline and William both confirmed that the rear door was locked before they retired.”
Madeline nodded. “Sadly, I can imagine that Viola might have given her secret admirer a key to the cottage. She did tend to believe in her own invincibility, and having lived a rather sheltered life, she didn’t always perceive dangers that, to others, are obvious.”
Penelope grimaced. “Such as handing her bracelet over to a man she’d only known for a few weeks.”
“Exactly,” Madeline concurred.
“However”—Penelope tipped her head in thought—“we shouldn’t lose sight of the point that if it was H who broke into the cottage, presumably to attack Madeline, then whatever Viola had learned about him is critically important to him.”
“And,” Barnaby added, “that makes him dangerous. Potentially very dangerous.”
Stokes was nodding as he tucked away his notebook. “Given we have no idea who H is, we also have no real sense of how far he might go to silence—as he thinks—Madeline.”
Madeline snorted. “Which is truly ridiculous given I know nothing.”
“Even so,” Henry gravely said.
“We need to learn who H is,” Penelope stated with renewed determination.
“And take him into custody before he has a chance to act again,” Stokes said.
In magisterial tones, Henry stated, “That he’s acted in this way dramatically increases the need to apprehend him.”
Everyone nodded in fervent agreement.
Barnaby eased his chair back from the table. “The night’s events add impetus to our plans for today.”
Penelope nodded. “Canvassing the jewelers at the market remains our surest route to identifying H, indirect though it might be.”
“After last night,” Henry pressed, “we need to act with all speed.”
“And thank goodness,” Madeline said, “today is market day.”
