Page 56 of Murder at the Mayfair Hotel
I barked a harsh laugh. “Good lord, this has gone too far. Let me make myself clear, Mr. Armitage. I do not have a secret lover. I went out for reasons which I don’t have to divulge to you or anyone else. If my uncle discovers it, so be it. I will deal with the consequences.”
The glare vanished, but his frown remained. “Are you in trouble?”
“I don’t even know what sort of trouble you could be referring to that would require me to leave in the middle of the night. The truth is quite dull, I’m afraid. I couldn’t sleep and I was feeling a little melancholy. I decided to go for a walk to clear my head. I was gone less than thirty minutes. Satisfied?”
A muscle in his jaw bunched. “It was just some friendly advice, Miss Fox. London is dangerous at night. I wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to you.”
“Please don’t concern yourself on my account,” I bit off.
He drew in a deep breath and looked to the ceiling, no doubt searching it for some patience. I was well aware how trying the conversation must be from his point of view, but I couldn’t tell him anything that would ease his mind, and I did not like to be patronized.
I turned and walked off, but the heat of his glare on my back remained with me as I passed into the foyer. I hadn’t forgotten that Mr. Hobart wanted to speak to me, but I was in no mood for his lecture. It could wait.
Goliath must have already spoken to the other porters and the staff manning each of the desks because they no longer looked at me like I’d committed a sin. They greeted me as they had done since my arrival, with a friendly “good morning” and a nod or smile.
It occurred to me, as I headed into the vestibule behind the foyer, that Mr. Armitage could have been trying to distract me from what he’d been doing in Mr. Chapman’s office. If so, the deflection hadn’t worked. While I couldn’t think of a reason why the murderer of Mrs. Warrick needed to search the pockets of one of the other staff, that didn’t mean there wasn’t a connection. I just hadn’t found it yet. But find it I must. The police, headed by Mr. Armitage’s own father, wouldn’t arrest him without solid proof.
As I hoped, I found Mr. Chapman in the dining room, addressing the waiters. I waited until he dismissed them and they dispersed around the dining room to set the tables for luncheon.
“Is there something I can do for you, Miss Fox?” He peered down his nose at me, as if I were one of his waiters who’d been found somewhere he ought not to be. It would seem he’d also heard the gossip about by nocturnal adventure, but had not yet been told whatever reason Goliath had made up to explain it.
“I wanted to talk to you about Mr. Armitage.”
His superior demeanor shattered with his surprise. “What about him?”
I didn’t want to be specific, but I did want answers. I needed to tell him something that would get him confiding in me. I leaned forward and lowered my voice. “I’ve seen him acting suspiciously.”
“In what way?” he asked, voice also lowered.
“I’d rather not say at this point. It might be nothing, and I don’t want to get him into trouble. But I do want to talk to someone who knows him. Someone from the senior staff. Naturally, I can’t go to Mr. Hobart, and I prefer to speak to you rather than Mrs. Kettering.”
Although his mouth didn’t move, this last comment seemed to please him. He was a handsome man, tall and slim, with dark-hair and a cleanly shaved jaw and upper lip. His snobbish superiority did him no favors, however. It instantly put me off.
“What do you know about Mr. Armitage’s past?” I asked. “Before he came to work here.”
A small crease appeared between his eyebrows. “Very little. He was taken in by Mr. Hobart’s brother, and Mr. Hobart found him a position here. He was promoted to assistant manager over some more eligible candidates.” He sniffed. “No doubt Mr. Hobart wants to keep the line of succession in his family.”
His jealousy took me by surprise. While it was interesting, it wasn’t relevant to the investigation. Except that it might give Mr. Chapman a reason to divulge more than he ought about his rival.
“Has Mr. Armitage ever used his position here to his advantage?”
“I’m not sure what you mean,” he said. “I have to admit he’s very good at what he does. He takes a great load off Mr. Hobart’s shoulders.” So much for jealousy.
I needed to be even more direct if I was going to establish a connection between Mr. Armitage’s past and Mrs. Warrick. “Has Mr. Armitage ever been seen somewhere he shouldn’t be? In the office of one of the other senior staff without them being present, or in a guest’s room, perhaps?”
He glanced past me towards the door then bent his head to mine. “What do you think he has done?”
“Nothing.”
“Then why the questions?”
“So he has never abused his authority?”
He gasped. “Is this about Mrs. Warrick’s murder? Do you suspect him?”
“Everyone is a suspect at this point in time.” I’d gone too far to back away now. Mr. Chapman wasn’t a fool and wouldn’t believe me if I pretended my questions weren’t related to the murder.
“Do you know, it did occur to me that he might have done it,” Mr. Chapman said. “But I dismissed the notion. He’s not the type to poison someone.”
