Page 94 of Lies in Little Sutherland
He nodded.“You’re right.My motorcar has a leak.”
Yes, indeed.“I assume you didn’t motor to the village this morning and kill Doctor Meadows?”
He looked at me, seemingly searching my face for something.Whatever it was, it mustn’t have been there, because he shook his head.“I was with Laetitia in the maze, and then I was in my father’s study.”
“But someone else could have taken the H6 out.”
“Anyone who wanted to.The keys are in the car.”
Yes, of course they were.When I didn’t answer, he glanced up at the Hall.“Are you ready to go back inside?There’s nothing more to be discovered here, I think.”
No, likely not.I started up the driveway with him beside me.
Part of me wondered, distantly, whether I ought to be worried.I had made a good case for why Crispin was the murderer.And here we were, alone together, after I had made it obvious that I was investigating.If he had already killed multiple people, it would be nothing to kill me too, or so I assumed.
Although if it had been him in the garage earlier, it would have made more sense to do it then, in the dark, before I knew who he was.When he wouldn’t have had to look me in the eye as he wrapped his hands around my throat and squeezed.
I shivered, and he cast me a look.“Cold?”
“A bit, but that particular reaction was something else.”
He didn’t ask what—perhaps he guessed—but he offered, “Would you like my jacket?”
“I’m all right, thank you.We’ll be inside in a minute.”
After a few steps, I added, “Out of curiosity, which way did you leave the house earlier?Surely not the boot room door.”
He shook his head.“Down the servants’ stairs and out through the conservatory.”
“Was the conservatory door locked when you got there?”
“As tight as a tick,” Crispin said, which made sense.If my attacker—assuming he was someone other than Crispin—had come and gone through the conservatory, Crispin would have seen him for certain.
I slanted him a look.“I’m fairly certain that I’ve figured out what this is about, you know.”
He slanted one back.“I imagine you have done, Darling.You and Kit both.We talked about it earlier, in fact.”
We had done, and if he didn’t want me to bring it up again, he gave no sign of it.
“There are only so many of us here this week who could have made that trip to the Cotswolds and back overnight,” I said apologetically.“Francis and Christopher have no motive, nor does Uncle Herbert, and I can assure you that I don’t care one way or the other who the next Duke of Sutherland is.”
“I’m sure you don’t, Darling.”
“But even ifIdon’t, there are people who do.Or would do, if they knew the truth.”
He nodded.“Go on, then.”
“Well, there’s the Earl and Countess of Marsden, for one.They would quite like their daughter to become Duchess of Sutherland, I imagine.”
“I imagine so,” Crispin agreed.“Although I don’t see Maury or Euphemia motoring around smothering people or bashing them with wrenches, somehow.”
I didn’t, either.“Geoffrey missed the gallows by a hair, so he isn’t likely to risk his freedom again so soon.His sister, on the other hand…”
A corner of his mouth turned up.“Yes, Darling.Tell me about Laetitia.”
“She’s a horrible cow and you oughtn’t to have proposed to her,” I said bluntly.“I take full responsibility for telling you to do so.”
“Thank you, Darling.”
