Ellis Peters - George Felse 04 - A Nice Derangement of Epitaphs by Ellis Peters Read Free Book Online Page B

turn it into a spectacle. The witnesses are necessary for the record, not for their own satisfaction.”
    In the few seconds of silence George and Dominic exchanged a brief, significant glance over Paddy’s averted head. The boy studied his ginger ale as though the secret of the universe lay quivering somewhere in the globule of amber light suspended in it. His face was a little too still to be quite convincing, though the air of commonsense acceptance with which he finally looked up could be counted a success.
    “Well, that all makes sense. O.K., then, that’s it. You didn’t mind my asking, though?”
    “Paddy, in other circumstances I don’t know a fellow anywhere I’d rather have to help me.”
    “Thanks! I’ll remember that. I suppose I’d better be getting back to lunch, then. You won’t be coming?”
    “No, I’m lunching here. I told your mother this morning.”
    “Well, thanks for the drink.” He tilted the empty glass and slanted a quick smile up at George. “Good thing it was only ginger ale.” He rose, his face still a little wry with swallowing his disappointment.
    “Why, in particular?” asked Simon curiously.
    The boy divided a bright, questioning glance between them. “Didn’t you really know? You’ve got a real, live detective-inspector sitting right beside you, watching your every move. Mr. Felse would have pinched you in a flash if you’d stood me a shandy.” He waved a hand, not ungallantly. “Good-bye!” He was gone.
    “Well, I’m damned!” said Simon, blankly staring. “Are you really?”
    George admitted it. “But I don’t know how Paddy found out.”
    “I told him,” said Dominic, a little pink with embarrassment at seeming still, at his mature age, to be boasting about his father’s profession. “When he walked back half-way here with me yesterday, after tea at the farm. We hadn’t exactly got off on the right foot with each other, I was rather casting about for acceptable lures. There was Simon—” He smiled rather self-consciously across the table at the great man. “Anyone who knows your Harappa articles almost by heart is practically in with Paddy. And the next bid seemed to be you, Dad. He was duly impressed.”
    “There’s still a bit of Paddy left in me,” owned Simon. “
I’m
impressed. Would you, as a change from sordid modern cases, be interested in my little historical puzzler? Come up to the Place for coffee, this evening, all the family. Try your professional wits on Squire Treverra’s epitaphs. There’s no special reason why they should, but they always sound like cryptograms to me. Anyhow, the whole library is interesting. Not many such families were literate enough to amass a collection like theirs.”
    “Thanks,” said George, “we should like to, very much, if Miss Rachel has no objection to being invaded.”
    “Miss Rachel loves it. Surround her with personable young men, and she’s in her element.” He smiled at Dominic, presenting him gratis with this bouquet. “I’m sorry I made such shameless use of you just now. Thanks for taking it so neatly. It helped him to accept it, and frankly, I don’t think it’s going to be much of a show for kids, and I’d rather keep him out of it.”
    “As a matter of fact,” confessed Dominic ruefully, “I
had
wanted to ask, only I didn’t quite like to. But of course it’s settled now, anyhow. I don’t mind, if it makes Paddy feel he’s had a fair hearing.”
    “I’m sorry to have had to do it, all the same. I suppose it wouldn’t do to ask you to come along, after all? No, I’m afraid Paddy wouldn’t forgive a dirty trick like that, and he’ll be somewhere not far away.”
    “Couldn’t possibly risk it,” said Dominic firmly.
    “But it really is a pity, because we
could
make room for
one
more sound man in the team.” And lightly Simon turned his deep-brown eyes, in their shapely pits of fine wrinkles etched paler in the bronzed skin, and looked innocently at George. “So