In the drawing room, where it had been left the previous night, Miss Tawney was preparing her tape recorder in case it should be needed to record statements: changing out the tape she'd made last night of Davis MacKenzie and his cronies, and loading up a fresh one.

Having finished his hearty breakfast, Zap Arthur wandered in to the drawing room. "Good morning," he said. "Do you need any help with that?"

Miss Tawney looked up. "Well, I don't know," she said doubtfully. "Have you ever used one of these? It isn't really that difficult, but not a lot of people are familiar with them. What I'm not sure of is whether I should really set up here, once I have the tapes changed out, or whether they're going to want to record in another room."

"I haven't used one, but I've watched people setting them up."

"Just a moment, then," Will said to the others and took Josette aside. "What can I do for you, Miss Belseur?"

Josette blushed slightly & motioned for Will to follow her. He did so. Josette walked down the hall and seemed to be looking for a discreet corner, finally she pulled Will into the saloon, "In here. This should do." she told him in a hushed voice.

"I think so, yes. Miss Belseur... what is distressing you?"

"I wanted to ask you privately, because ...under the circumstances some people might an issue of it. I was wondering..." Josette hesitated, her cheeks flushing, "What it was you spent time in jail for?"

Hearing this, Mabel quietly switched on the tape recorder and aimed the microphone toward the saloon. Normally she wasn't one to intrude on people's privacy (though it was certainly true that one sometimes picked up the oddest conversations in the background in some of those pubs), but when a murder had been committed... well, this could be =evidence.=

His dark coloring turned quite pale. "I... you... where did you hear something like that?"

"An admirer of mine...what they call back in the States a 'gangster'...told me. "

"Because...?"

"I guess he thought it would interest me..."Josette answered.

"And until now... it didn't."

"I will admit, being in the presense of a murdered corpse has sparked my interest..."

"Look, Miss Belseur... Josette..." He leaned a little closer in, biting his lower lip slightly. "Under the best of circumstances, this would be embarrassing. Right now... they're already looking to pin it on Selina or me. We're foreign, we're new, they've got Seelie pegged as a gold digger... I've just got to look after her, because no one else will. You can understand that, right?"

Josette nodded eagerly, "Of course, that is why I asked you privately."

"What happened - and I'm not proud of it - is that I got into a fight in a club in New York ... a private club. We were playing cards. You know I like to play, right?"

"Ahhh...for money? You were gambling?"Josette inquired, her eyes brightening with understanding.

He nodded, smiling. "That's right. And this guy... he wasn't very good. Maybe he risked more than he could afford. Maybe his wife was going to give him a hard time. But he accused me of cheating. Which I wasn't." The smile changed slightly. "I don't need to cheat."

"And so...what happened?" Josette prompted him to continue.

"He got angry when I wouldn't give him back his money. Threw a punch. I hit back. The whole thing got out of hand... He hit his head against the table..."

Josette's eyes widened in alarm, "Ghastly, " she commented with a shiver. "Was he...dead?"

Willie nodded slightly, as if he was suddenly reliving - and hating - that moment. "I never meant for anything like that to happen. He came at me... I was just defending myself. But it wasn't my... territory. He had friends... I got sent up for manslaughter." He sighed. "Josette... no one knows. Not even Seelie. She was on a tour. I had a friend forward letters." He took out his cigarette case, pausing to offer it to her. "I know how this looks. I killed one man, maybe I killed another. But it's one thing to hit back when someone comes at you. It's another to... grind up yew berries and put them in a man's wine. I swear, I had nothing to do with what happened to Douglas last night. Why would I want him dead?"

"I'm sure I can't imagine," Josette answered her attention already distracted by the cigarette case, "What a lovely case, " she effused as she took the offered cigarette.

"Thanks," he said with a smile. "It's not fancy, but... it's travelled with me for a long time." He lit her cigarette and then his own. "So... you understand."

Josette frowned, puffing on the cigerette, "Yeeesss." she answered hesitantly.

He caught her hesitation. "They won't hesitate to use this as an excuse to pin Douglas 's murder on me. How can I convince you that I had absolutely nothing to do with it?"

Josette sighed, splaying out her hands in a gesture of helplessness, "If I only knew. But if I think of something I'll let you know. For now..your explanation is enough for me. "

"I didn't have to tell you. I could have made something up. Your... admirer didn't tell you much."

"A very good point." Josette shrugged, "My admirer...he was rather dull...but he had some very interesting friends and he liked to give me gifts."

He smiled at her. "You're the kind of lady who inspires gifts."

"How very charming of you to say so." Josette returned with an engaging smile.

"You've been a good friend to Selina, since you got here. Even before... Douglas died. That makes you a friend of mine, too."

"She's suffered a terrible shock. I can see how she depends on you. Did Douglas ...resent that?'

"I don't think so. I doubt he considered me important enough, to be honest."

"Well, in any case,How bad could you be?" Josette said with a wink, "Anyone as devoted to his own sister's well being as you are..."

He laughed softly. "Selina and I look after each other... "

Zap's eyes suddenly grew very wide as the thing Selina had told him so long ago finally dropped into place. =I have to talk to Selina. I have to talk to her very soon. And I think I need to talk to...Will...seperately.=

"I honestly hoped that Douglas would be the one to really take care of her. That he could make her happy. But... it wasn't in the cards."

"No, it wasn't." Josette agreed, giving another shiver, "Perhaps we should rejoin the others?"

He nodded, pausing to trace one, sleek lock of her hair along her cheek. "Thank you..."

Josette looked at him in surprise, more over the gesture of affection rather than the gratitude,"For?"

"For giving me the benefit of the doubt. At a time like this... it's hard, isn't it? We're surrounded by strangers, and everyone has a stake in the game."

"Hmm..." Josette considered, "I hadn't quite thought of it as a game..."

"A very high stakes game. Which Douglas lost. And there's reason to believe he didn't have many friends at the table."

"He certainly racked himself up a whole flock of enemies last evening." Josette agreed.

"I think he went through life making enemies. He wasn't someone who cared much what people thought of him, as long as he got what he wanted."

"And he seemed to enjoy it, from what I observed last evening."

"Oh, yeah... It was a kind of power."

"Why on earth would Selina marry a man like that ," Josette mused, not for the first time.

"It was what you'd call a whirlwind courtship."

"Not a very romantic ending. Poor Selina," Josette sighed wistfully.

"Poor Selina..." he echoed with a nod. "So much more - and less - than she bargained for. But she'll be okay. We'll look after her."

Josette flashed him another smile, nodding, "We will. She will need her family and friends now."

"And maybe... we can look after each other, too."

Josette's smile took on a slightly flirtatious edge, "Perhaps," she told him, turning for the door, bidding him to follow again.

Which he did...

Zap turned to Miss Tawney in some urgency. "Beg pardon...but there's ...there's something I have to see to. Would you excuse me?"

As he turned to her, Zap saw Miss Tawney calmly switching off the recorder, which she had presumably turned on at some point during the overheard dialogue.

"You mustn't think I would normally do this sort of thing, Mr. Arthur," she said, in a faintly apologetic tone, "but we are, after all, dealing with a murder here."

"I understand that. Er...could you...wait here a few minutes longer?"

After Zap withdrew to go and help Mabel Tawney, those left to finish breakfast in the dining room were the Rector, Mary Roberts, the Earl of Eversham, Major Oswald Bastable and Emma Sinclair and Lady Amelia Bellemore. Young Brian Shea had not yet put in an appearance. (OOC - let me know if I've missed anyone out)

"This is so dreadful," same Emma miserably. "Do you think it could have been an accident?"

Mary, meanwhile, was occupied with her fingers and a sliver of soap. She dipped her hand into finger bowl, then scrubbed as furiously as when polishing the Church's silver candlesticks.

"Come on... Come on..."

The ink on Mary's hands was still as dark as ever.

"I suggest, my dear," said the Rector, "that you see if you can get some stronger solution from the kitchen."

Lord Eversham began to describe his own movements.

Eversham stated that he had been unable to sleep in the night. "Not exactly overwrought with grief," he explained, "but the thought that a murderer was loose among us gave me too much to think on to sleep. I spent the whole night reading and smoking in the round library. I believe I was quite alone all night -- except for once when I rang for a drink. Sometime very early this morning, I caught about an hour's sleep before breakfast."

Lady Amelia confessed that she had taken sleeping draughts and passed the whole night peacefully in bed.

But she then turned to her brother, and said,
"But I'm sure I saw you, Alan ... you passed by my door sometime late last night. If you were in the round library all night ... I'm afraid I'm all confused, dear."

Eversham turned slowly to look at his sister, and it was a moment before he replied.

"About one-thirty," he said shortly, "there was a noise on the upper landing of the stairs -- that would be the second-floor landing of the same staircase on which Douglas died.

"In the light of there being a murderer in the house -- and that it still might not be one of us -- I went up for a look, and just glimpsed someone leaving the room into the corridor. He must have been awfully fleet -- or else disappeared into the servants' wing. By the time I reached the museum, I knew it was a lost cause.

"I didn't see it was necessary, at that time, to raise the whole house, so I simply returned to the library. That was at about two. Half an hour and a glass of port later, I had finished with Richard III, and went to bed."

Zap hastened down the corridor after Will St. Pierre and Josette and caught up with them quite close to the dining room. "Beg pardon," he said, a trifle out of breath. "Mr. St. Pierre -- could I have a moment of your time?" He glanced at Josette. "Privately?"

Josette raised an eyebrow at Zap, "You too?" she turned slightly, giving Will a considering look, "Hmmm..." she mused as she walked down the hall alone, leaving the two men to their business.

Will gave Josette a wry smile, as if sharing a private joke. "Miss Belseur, I will be along shortly. I assume it's too late to join Selina and her companion on the roundup of the china, so... I will see you back in the drawing room...

"Mr. Arthur?"

"The drawing room! Perfect!" Zap said. He smiled at Josette. "I don't think this will take long."

"No, probably not," Will said, trying for a casual tone.

He went with Zap Arthur. "So... what can I do for you?"

"Private, I think..." Zap said, heading back toward the drawing room.

In the next room, Mabel heard the door opening and two people come in.

First she heard Zap speak: "Private, I think..."

Knowing that Zap knew very well this location wasn't private, and that he'd asked her to remain, Mabel again quietly switched on her recorder.

"Oh, definitely," Will St Pierre said. He closed the door behind them as they entered the drawing room and took out his second cigarette of the day.

"I'll make this short," Zap said. "Who are you really, and what do you have to do with Selina? It's no good trying to pretend you're her brother, I'm afraid."

Something in Will came close to snapping. First the conversation with Josette Belseur, and now this. "What the hell are you talking about?" he asked, closing the cigarette case sharply.

Zap's brown eyes met his stubbornly. "I've known Selina a long time, ever since we were in "Take It From Here!" together," he said. "We got to talking fairly late one night, after rehearsals, talking about this and that and everything... Like family. She happened to mention she was an only child, she envied =me= being the middle of five. I've been trying to remember since you got introduced as her brother...I =knew= something was wrong, couldn't figure what."

"I'm the black sheep," Will said. "For awhile, Seelie wanted to forget I existed. And you know her... she wanted to, so she basically did, for all intents and purposes. But I've turned over a new leaf. And she's got an affectionate nature. Forgiving..."

"Do you expect me to believe that?"

Will took a step closer to him. "I'll tell you what I expect. Are you as fond of Selina as you seem?"

"If I wasn't, we wouldn't be having this conversation. I can tell you that you're a whole lot less convincing than =she= was that night."

"Listen to me. If you think back over the last two days, I haven't done anything that would put Selina at risk. In fact, everything I've said and done has been in the name of looking after her best interests - and her safety. Like a good brother." He looked at Zap. "We don't have too many friends here, and Douglas , I think, had fewer still. You heard them - anyone here might have killed him, and would have considered themselves justified. And there are a few people here who would love to pin this murder on Selina. I've got her back. Can you say as much?" He took a long drag on his cigarette. "You think I've got something to hide? Let me tell you... everyone here does. Secrets that might not have anything to do with
Douglas 's murder." He looked at Zap again, a world of meaning in his gaze. "And Douglas had secrets of his own. Lots of them."

"Everyone does. The question is, why =did= he die? And whether or not you're Selina's brother, you have plenty of reason to see him dead. Me, I never met the man before I came here. And I wish to God I'd never let Map talk me into coming."

"Plenty of reason?" Will laughed slightly. "Why? Because he wasn't the husband of Selina's dreams? That's no reason for murder. Divorce, maybe. Separate bedrooms, possibly. Up to her. But murder? Easier, safer, to get whatever settlement she can and go back to the states."

=Unless 'whatever settlement' wasn't enough, for some reason.= "I hope to God Selina had nothing to do with it," Zap said. "And I hope to God it was no one she loved. I don't think we have anything else to say to each other, do you?" He sat down, hard, on the couch.

"Probably not. As for Selina, she plays dumb well enough, but she's too smart to do something like this. There's no percentage in murder, Mr. Arthur."

"No, there isn't." He wondered if he would ever enjoy an innocent game of Murder again.

"I doubt I can catch up to Selina and... Davis ? Maybe we should just rejoin the others."

"That might be best," Zap said.

As Josette pressed her ear against the door ...

First she heard Will St Pierre speak: "So... what can I do for you?"

"Private, I think..." It was Zap's voice.

"Oh, definitely," Will said. He closed the door behind them as they entered the drawing room and took out his second cigarette of the day.

"I'll make this short," Zap said. "Who are you really, and what do you have to do with Selina? It's no good trying to pretend you're her brother, I'm
afraid."

Just then, she was disturbed by a sound ...

Coming round the corner, Dr Campbell saw Josette Bellesur with her ear pressed firmly to the closed drawing room door.

"Ahem!" Dr. Campbell coughed, to draw her attention.

Sandra and Patience, on leaving the library, found Dr Campell in the corridor, standing before the drawing room door. He appeared to be confronting Miss Josette Bellesur, who was looking proud, defiant - and also a little apprehensive.

Dr. Marsden came to a stop by Dr. Campbell. "What's going on?" she asked sharply, looking from the doctor to Miss Bellesur.

"I suggest you ask Miss Bellesur", Dr Campbell turned to the professor, "what conversation she is so interested is taking place in the drawing room. I just observed her eavesdropping. Bad form, tha'."

As the doctor was speaking, the drawing room door opened and Will St Pierre and Zap Arthur appear, both looking slightly startled by the knot of people in the corridor.

"Well.... isn't this uncomfortable," Dr. Marsden said dryly. She looked at Miss Bellesur. "Is there anything you'd like to share with us?" she asked the singer.

Zap regarded Josette with raised eyebrows.

Will gave her a crooked smile. It was hard to read what might be going on in his mind.

Patience remained silent in the background.

Before Josette could answer, there was suddenly the sound of loud screams coming from the area of the kitchen. And no sooner had these died down than they were suddenly echoed by more screams, coming from the upper reaches of the castle, where the servants' bedrooms were located.

"What the HELL--?!" Zap, his nerves already wound to high pitch by the events that had taken place in the drawing room, plunged down the hall in the direction of the screams.

No more than a beat behind him, Will grabbed Josette by the hand and followed quickly.

Dr. Campbell turned to the remaining ladies. "I had best go to make sure no one is hurt." He headed towards the kitchen first.

Zap, in the other hand, headed straight upstairs with Will and Josette firmly on his trail....

"Bloody hell," Dr. Marsden muttered under her breath. She hesitated,then turned to Patience. "Shall we follow? Or stay with the evidence in the library?" she asked, looking rather pale in spite of her complexion.

At the sound of the screams, Patience had paled.

"David!" She breathed out her husband's name, and started to take a step in the direction of the sound. She realized she and Sandra are the only ones left, however, and stopped abruptly. "We should go together," she said softly, "or not at all." Her expression said that she clearly wished to investigate. "Not to mention that the only way we will find out what the lady was eavesdropping on... and why... is to stay with her."

"Let's go, then," Sandra said, her expression rueful. "Though..." she said as they followed the doctor and the others, "it's not.. illegal to listen, you know. Bad form, yes..."

"There is nothing which says one cannot listen at doors, other than bad form as you say," Patience agreed as they hurry upstairs. "But she most certainly looked as if she had reason to be... defiant... about her behaviour. And one rarely learns good things by listening at doors. And..." her voice dropped low, "it also makes one wonder, I'll admit, at the need for those who were speaking so privately. I rather enjoyed Zap's company when we met earlier, he seems a friendly fellow. But given all that has gone on, it seems we should all be rather more aboveboard in our conversations just now. Even the simplest things might seem suspicious."

"You don't say," Dr. Marsden said dryly as she followed Patience, letting the other woman set their course. "But yes... you're right. Let's just hope nothing untoward has happened. Though... I suspect something has from the sound of it," Sandra said glumly.



 

End of Chapter 11

Chapter 10 | Top | Chapter 12