Death on the Air by Ngaio Marsh Read Free Book Online Page A

he knew quite a lot about wireless.’ .
    â€˜When he tuned the thing, had he any particular method? Any characteristic attitude or gesture?’
    â€˜I don’t think so, sir. I never noticed, and yet I’ve often come into the room when he was at it. I can seem to see him now, sir.’
    â€˜Yes, yes,’ said Alleyn swiftly. ‘That’s what we want. A clear mental picture. How was it now? Like this?’
    In a moment he was across the room and seated in Septimus’s chair. He swung round to the cabinet and raised his right hand to the tuning control.
    â€˜Like this?’
    â€˜No, sir,’ said Chase promptly, ‘that’s not him at all. Both hands it should be.’
    â€˜Ah.’ Up went Alleyn’s left hand to the volume control. ‘More like this?’
    â€˜Yes, sir,’ said Chase slowly. ‘But there’s something else and I can’t recollect what it was. Something he was always doing. It’s in the back of my head. You know, sir. Just on the
edge
of my memory, as you might say.’
    â€˜I know.’
    â€˜It’s a kind – something – to do with irritation,’ said Chase slowly.
    â€˜Irritation? His?’
    â€˜No. It’s no good, sir. I can’t get it.’
    â€˜Perhaps later. Now look here, Chase, what happened to all of you last night? All the servants, I mean.’
    â€˜We were all out, sir. It being Christmas Eve. The mistress sent for me yesterday morning. She said we could take the evening off as soon as I had taken in Mr Tonks’ grog-tray at nine o’clock. So we went,’ ended Chase simply.
    â€˜When?’
    â€˜The rest of the staff got away about nine. I left at ten past, sir, and returned about eleven twenty. The others were back then, and all in bed. I went straight to bed myself, sir.’
    â€˜You came in by a back door, I suppose?’
    â€˜Yes, sir. We’ve been talking it over. None of us noticed anything unusual.’
    â€˜Can you hear the wireless in your part of the house?’
    â€˜No, sir.’
    â€˜Well,’ said Alleyn, looking up from his notes, ‘that’ll do, thank you.’
    Before Chase reached the door Fox came in.
    â€˜Beg pardon, sir,’ said Fox, ‘I just want to take a look at the
Radio Times
on the desk.’
    He bent over the paper, wetted a gigantic thumb, and turned a page.
    â€˜That’s it, sir,’ shouted Chase suddenly. ‘That’s what I tried to think of. That’s what he was always doing.’
    â€˜But what?’
    â€˜Licking his fingers, sir. It was a habit,’ said Chase. ‘That’s what he always did when he sat down to the radio. I heard Mr Hislop tell the doctor it nearly drove him demented, the way the master couldn’t touch a thing without first licking his fingers.’
    â€˜Quite so,’ said Alleyn. ‘In about ten minutes, ask MrHislop if he will be good enough to come in for a moment. That will be all, thank you, Chase.’
    â€˜Well, sir,’ remarked Fox when Chase had gone, ‘if that’s the case and what I think’s right, it’d certainly make matters worse.’
    â€˜Good heavens, Fox, what an elaborate remark. What does it mean?’
    â€˜If metal knobs were substituted for bakelite ones and fine wires brought through those holes to make contact, then he’d get a bigger bump if he tuned in with
damp
fingers.’
    â€˜Yes. And he always used both hands. Fox!’
    â€˜Sir.’
    â€˜Approach the Tonkses again. You haven’t left them alone, of course?’
    â€˜Bailey’s in there making out he’s interested in the light switches. He’s found the main switchboard under the stairs. There’s signs of a blown fuse having been fixed recently. In a cupboard underneath there are odd lengths of flex and so on. Same brand as this on the wireless and the heater.’
    â€˜Ah, yes. Could the cord from the