Page 57 of The Curse of Ill-Gotten Gains
Penelope looked at Gearing. “I’m sure Lady Pamela will agree.”
Gearing and the cook looked at Grimshaw with stern and sober determination. “We’ll do as you say, Inspector,” Gearing assured them.
Stokes rose from the bench, then paused. “One last question.” He caught Grimshaw’s gaze. “Do you know what time it was when you went into the dressing room?”
Grimshaw, Gearing, and the cook exchanged glances, then the cook murmured, “Had to be about nine. It was a bit after the tea trolley went out. That, I do know.” She looked at Stokes. “That was at eight-thirty.”
Gearing nodded. “I delivered the trolley to the ladies in the drawing room and waited to see if Lady Pamela had any further orders for us, then at about a quarter to nine, Grimshaw and I did the rounds of the gentlemen, who were in the billiards room, offering brandy. After that”—he glanced at Grimshaw—“we came out into the hall, and we parted at the foot of the stairs. I came back to the kitchen, and Grimshaw went upstairs.”
Grimshaw frowned. “I can’t remember if the clocks had struck the hour, but when you live with that happening all the time, you don’t really pay attention anymore.”
“About nine o’clock is good enough.” Stokes finished jotting in his book, looked up, and nodded to Grimshaw. “Thank you. Your information will help.”
Penelope nodded kindly to Grimshaw. “Best you get some rest.”
Stokes looked at Gearing. “We’ll take a look at the dressing room now.”
With Penelope, Barnaby followed Stokes and Gearing up the main stairs and along the corridor of the sprawling house’s central wing. Gearing led them to where Constable Walsh was standing before a plain door toward the end of the corridor.
“Thank you, Walsh.” Stokes nodded to his constable. “You can get back to the inn and your bed.”
Walsh had been on guard in the study over much of the night. Plainly relieved, he saluted. “Yes, guv.”
With a nod for Barnaby and Penelope, Walsh stepped past them and strode for the stairs.
Gearing had paused before the door. “This is the master’s dressing room, and as you’ll see, his bedchamber lies to the right and his bathing chamber to the left.” Gearing opened the door and stepped back, and Stokes led the way inside.
Barnaby followed Penelope into a typical gentleman’s dressing room. Halting behind Penelope and Stokes just inside the room, Barnaby surveyed the scene.
One long wall of the narrow room played host to chests of drawers, while the opposite wall held two wide wardrobes. At the far end of the room, before the single central window, a well-padded gentleman’s chair sat to one side with a tall cheval glass angled in the other corner.
Gearing, who had remained in the corridor, shifted. When Barnaby glanced his way, Gearing weakly smiled and confessed, “The staff need to set up for morning tea.”
Over her shoulder, Penelope flung him a smiling glance. “No need to stay. We won’t be long.”
Stokes leaned to look past the door. “We’ll return to the library shortly. If you need us again, you’ll find us there.”
“But please station a footman at the library door, as you did yesterday,” Penelope instructed. “That was a great help.”
“Of course, ma’am. And thank you. All of you.” Gearing bowed and left them and hurried back to the stairs.
Stokes pushed the door to the corridor shut. “Do my eyes deceive me, or has this place been searched?”
Penelope went forward and pulled open a drawer. She looked inside, then shut it. “Thoroughly searched.” She pulled out another drawer at random and examined the contents. “There’s not that much disturbance, but there’s no chance Grimshaw would have left cravats rumpled.”
Barnaby went to the open doorway to his right. “The attacker came from here.”
Penelope bustled up and past. The curtains in the bedroom were drawn, rendering the chamber gloomy and dark. She went to the window and drew back the heavy damask, revealing a four-poster bed flanked by two small bedside tables. A pair of armchairs stood angled before the hearth at the far end of the room.
She crossed to the nearest bedside table. “I expect he will have searched here as well.” She pulled out the single drawer, then huffed and closed it. “He did.”
Barnaby walked to a tallboy set against the wall opposite the windows. He glanced inside the top drawers, then checked the lowest. “It appears he’s been through every drawer.”
Stokes, who had remained in the dressing room, called, “He’s even moved the coats and jackets and turned out the pockets.”
Penelope returned to the dressing room, and Barnaby followed.
Stokes stood before one open wardrobe. Penelope pointed over his head. “He’s even moved the hat and boot boxes and put them back. They’re out of alignment.”
