The Man Who Killed Himself by Julian Symons Read Free Book Online Page B

would ever make money out of an invention, and just a few weeks ahead of him there loomed the terrible day of reckoning when Clare received her quarterly statement.

Chapter Five
     
    Right Approach?
     
    Arthur had often thought of abandoning the Lektreks office, but he had always decided against it. There was still a certain amount of business which came in automatically, and it helped to maintain his commercial identity. Supposing that one of his Fraycut acquaintances decided to pay him a visit, there was the office and there, during part of every day, was Arthur with the appurtenances of office life around him. He spent much of his time there in reading about old murder cases. He had always been fascinated by the idea of a murder so dazzlingly ingenious that its perpetrator could never be convicted even though his identity was known. He had a cupboard filled with volumes from the Notable British Trials series, and he read them again and again, observing where these aspirants to perfection had gone wrong. After the idea of Clare’s death had come to him he jotted down some notes in the black-covered diary, which he brought up to London in his briefcase:
     
    DIARY
    Problem. A wishes to dispose of C. He inherits money, will be obvious suspect. But: A’s reputation is such that suspicion will not be automatic. Conclusion: A must proceed by a course avoiding usual means i.e. death must appear either natural or somehow completely detached from him.
    Why do I write like that, all rubbish? A and C. If a man can’t be honest with himself in his diary there’s nothing left for him. I want to see Clare dead. (Waited five minutes before I could write that down. Having written it I feel better; relieved. Know I shan’t do it, only write. I’ve never done anything I wanted.)
    Consider it, though. How would A Brownjohn do this? Nothing easier. Obtain gelignite, fit it to vacuum cleaner, cleaner switched on, up goes she. But suppose Susan used the cleaner first?
    Second idea. Clare often uses motor mower. Make ditto arrangement with it, simple enough. Mower and Clare vanish together. Yes?
    Or electric shock, but not in bathroom, played out. Do it through electric iron in kitchen, fix wire so that she touches it while she’s doing some washing? Think again, A Brownjohn. Not advisable.
    Why not? Too ingenious. A Brownjohn is known to be a bit of an inventor, always fiddling with gadgets. If Clare’s thoroughly shocked or blows up (joke) friends will say: ‘Ah ha, Arthur B plays with racing cars, invented a dishwasher, etc. He’s the man, needn’t look further.’ Somebody tells the police.
    Stick to old favourites then and make a note, you must use nothing original, nothing mechanical.
    Be honest with yourself, AB. You can write and you can think, but you’ve not going to do it.
    Safety valve.
     
    He finished the diary entry, which was less coherent than usual, and closed the book. But he went on thinking. He was precluded by natural dislike of shedding blood from anything that involved the use of an axe, hatchet or bludgeon. A gun might be clean and humane, but he neither possessed nor was skilled in using one. Drowning was ruled out by the fact that Clare had a firm objection to going in or upon the water.
    The longer Arthur thought, the more he became convinced that he would be wise to stick to those old favourites, fire or poison. He considered, as he had often done before, the Rouse and Armstrong cases, and the Croydon murders.
    He may have been drawn to Rouse and Armstrong by the similarity between their situations and his own. Rouse had tried to escape the burden of a bigamous marriage and not merely two but several establishments, as well as a number of maintenance orders, by setting fire to his car with a body in it that he hoped would be identified as his own. The body was thought to be that of a tramp whom he had met. Like Arthur, Rouse had wanted to start a new life, but what absurd mistakes he had made! Letting