The Red House Mystery by A. A. Milne Read Free Book Online

poor Elsie to plead that
a story by her favourite author was advertised on the cover, with a
picture of the villain falling over the cliff. "That's where you'll go
to, my girl, if you aren't careful," said Mrs. Stevens firmly.
    But, of course, there was no need to confess all these crimes to
Inspector Birch. All that interested him was that she was passing
through the hall, and heard voices in the office.
    "And stopped to listen?"
    "Certainly not," said Elsie with dignity, feeling that nobody really
understood her. "I was just passing through the hall, just as you might
have been yourself, and not supposing they was talking secrets, didn't
think to stop my ears, as no doubt I ought to have done." And she
sniffed slightly.
    "Come, come," said the Inspector soothingly, "I didn't mean to
suggest—"
    "Everyone is very unkind to me," said Elsie between sniffs, "and there's
that poor man lying dead there, and sorry they'd have been, if it had
been me, to have spoken to me as they have done this day."
    "Nonsense, we're going to be very proud of you. I shouldn't be surprised
if your evidence were of very great importance. Now then, what was it
you heard? Try to remember the exact words."
    Something about working in a passage, thought Elsie.
    "Yes, but who said it?"
    "Mr. Robert."
    "How do you know it was Mr. Robert? Had you heard his voice before?"
    "I don't take it upon myself to say that I had had any acquaintance with
Mr. Robert, but seeing that it wasn't Mr. Mark, nor yet Mr. Cayley, nor
any other of the gentlemen, and Miss Stevens had shown Mr. Robert into
the office not five minutes before—"
    "Quite so," said the Inspector hurriedly. "Mr. Robert, undoubtedly.
Working in a passage?"
    "That was what it sounded like, sir."
    "H'm. Working a passage over—could that have been it?"
    "That's right, sir," said Elsie eagerly. "He'd worked his passage over."
    "Well?"
    "And then Mr. Mark said loudly—sort of triumphant-like—'It's my turn
now. You wait.'"
    "Triumphantly?"
    "As much as to say his chance had come."
    "And that's all you heard?"
    "That's all, sir—not standing there listening, but just passing through
the hall, as it might be any time."
    "Yes. Well, that's really very important, Elsie. Thank you."
    Elsie gave him a smile, and returned eagerly to the kitchen. She was
ready for Mrs. Stevens or anybody now.
    Meanwhile Antony had been exploring a little on his own. There was a
point which was puzzling him. He went through the hall to the front of
the house and stood at the open door, looking out on to the drive. He
and Cayley had run round the house to the left. Surely it would have
been quicker to have run round to the right? The front door was not in
the middle of the house, it was to the end. Undoubtedly they went the
longest way round. But perhaps there was something in the way, if one
went to the right—a wall, say. He strolled off in that direction,
followed a path round the house and came in sight of the office windows.
Quite simple, and about half the distance of the other way. He went on
a little farther, and came to a door, just beyond the broken-in windows.
It opened easily, and he found himself in a passage. At the end of the
passage was another door. He opened it and found himself in the hall
again.
    "And, of course, that's the quickest way of the three," he said to
himself. "Through the hall, and out at the back; turn to the left and
there you are. Instead of which, we ran the longest way round the house.
Why? Was it to give Mark more time in which to escape? Only, in that
case—why run? Also, how did Cayley know then that it was Mark who
was trying to escape? If he had guessed—well, not guessed, but been
afraid—that one had shot the other, it was much more likely that Robert
had shot Mark. Indeed, he had admitted that this was what he thought.
The first thing he had said when he turned the body over was, 'Thank
God! I was afraid it was Mark.' But why should he want to give Robert
time in which to get