The Case Has Altered by Martha Grimes Read Free Book Online Page A

“Tattershall. Isn’t that castle up there someplace? You know, the one that what’s-his-name—Lord Curzon?—was so fond of and gave a lot of money for restoring?”
    â€œDon’t be daft.”
    â€œMe? You’re the one that’s daft, expecting me to masquerade as a . . . Truebloodian.”
    â€œI’m not suggesting you masquerade at all. You’re to go as plain old Melrose Plant. You’ll just know a bit more about antiques than you usually do.” Jury’s smile was brief and bright.
    â€œWell ‘plain old Melrose Plant’ doesn’t know anything .”
    â€œAll right, so you’re not an expert and it’s true you might not know enough to fool Max Owen—”
    Relieved, Melrose sat back. “Glad you’ve come to your senses.”
    â€œâ€”so you can take lessons from Trueblood.”
    Melrose sat up straight as a stick. “Lessons from Trueblood? A ha ha ha.” Melrose slapped his thigh in this pretense of wild laughter. “Oh ha ha ha ha.”
    Jury ignored this outburst. “It wouldn’t take long at all. That’s because I know the particular pieces—at least the ones he has in mind now—that he wants valued. So, you see, it’s not a matter of your knowing everything.”
    â€œIt’s a matter of knowing nothing that bothers me. Send Diane Demorney. She’s the perfect choice, since in her uncluttered mind is but one little fact about nearly everything in the world, from Stendhal to baseball. She could flummox this—what’s his name?”
    â€œMax Owen. There’ve been two murders. So far.”
    Melrose swirled the whiskey in his glass. “Really? Well, who’s in charge of this case?”
    â€œDetective Chief Inspector Bannen. DCI Arthur Bannen. Lincoln police. Not your typical village yob. He’s too smart by half.”
    â€œHe’ll see through me in an instant.”
    â€œOf course he won’t. He doesn’t know anything about the value of bonheurs-du-jour .”
    â€œI don’t even know what it is, much less what it’s worth!” Melrose snorted. Then he said, “Two murders.” Melrose seriously thought this over, then gave it up. “I revert to an earlier point: the family wouldn’t want a stranger moving in, not on top of that. How would they know I’m not the Fiend of the Fens who’ll strangle them in their sleep?”
    â€œI think they’d be delighted to have a bloke around. Grace because she’s very friendly, her husband because he’s got a weakness for a title.”
    Melrose sat up again. “I beg your pardon. I do not have a title.”
    â€œYou’re an earl.”
    â€œ Ex -earl! Ex-!” Melrose got to his feet. Swayed a bit. “E-X, extinct. I’m the brontosaurus of earldom.”
    â€œYou’ve still got some of those old cards. Calling cards with crests on them.” Jury smiled. “I’ve seen you use them, haven’t I? So it isn’t as if you’ve never done this before. It’s not as if you’ve never thrown your earldom or earlhood around to suit yourself. Once an earl, always an earl. It’s like being Catholic.”
    â€œ Yourself , you mean. Not once in a dozen years have I become an earl again except where it suited you, old bean.”
    Jury held out his glass again. “As long as you’re up.”
    Melrose went to his Waterford decanter, fuming. He splashed more whiskey in both glasses. A lot of it. “Those occasions—precious few of them, last time was in Dartmoor, wasn’t it?—have always been to help you out. Here—” He handed Jury his glass. “But wanting me to be—”
    â€œThis is to help me out again. And Jenny—”
    â€œâ€”an antiques-expert besides—”
    â€œâ€”Kennington.”
    Melrose fell silent. As Jury looked at him mildly, he sat back down