Page 80 of The Curse of Ill-Gotten Gains
“It’s Leith!”
It took a second for them to realize they’d spoken in unison.
Stokes blinked, then demanded, “What have you found?”
Penelope all but jigged with impatience, yet still insisted, “You first.”
Barnaby added, “Trust us, it’ll make more sense that way.”
Stokes stated, “While Leith’s been here, he hasn’t written any letters of any sort. Not one. Not even a note. And a tweeny saw him leaving his room on Tuesday evening at a little after eight-thirty.”
“That fits with what we learned,” Barnaby said. “On Tuesday evening, Kilpatrick saw Leith head upstairs at about eight-twenty, ostensibly to write letters. Both Cordingley and Percival were in the billiards room throughout the relevant period.”
“And neither Cordingley nor Richard have ever stayed at Wyndham Castle, but Leith has,” Penelope said.
She paused, then whirled to look at Barnaby. “We forgot to ask whether anyone remembered seeing Leith on the lawn after the murder.”
Barnaby nodded at the will. “I don’t think that matters now.”
“What is that?” Stokes reached for the will.
Penelope let him take it. “It’s what Leith killed to hide.”
She opened her mouth to explain but stopped as Alison Waterhouse rushed into the hall from the direction of the rear terrace.
Plainly distraught, Alison skidded to a halt before Penelope. “Do you know where she is?”
“Who?”
“My mother! I was told she’d taken a fall.”
Penelope glanced at Barnaby. “The other ladies said she’d gone upstairs to get a shawl?—”
On a gasp, Alison whisked around and set off up the stairs.
Frowning, Penelope called, “But she should have come back down by now.”
Alison didn’t hear and didn’t stop in her headlong rush up the stairs.
Penelope, Barnaby, and Stokes watched her disappear, then a moment later, they heard a wail. “Mama!”
The investigators looked at one another, then hurried after Alison.
Stokes was in the lead as they rushed through the gallery and into a long corridor.
Halfway along, Penelope saw Mrs. Waterhouse stretched out on the runner as if she’d fallen forward, face-first.
Alison was struggling to help her mother up.
“Wait!” Stokes called. “We should check for injuries first.”
Penelope swooped on Alison and raised her and drew her to the corridor’s side to allow Barnaby and Stokes to crouch on either side of the fallen lady.
Barnaby gently inspected the back of Mrs. Waterhouse’s head, then looked at Stokes. “She’s been hit, but I think not too hard. Just enough to knock her out.”
“I’m awake now,” Mrs. Waterhouse weakly protested.
His features set, Stokes nodded to Barnaby, and together, they gently helped Mrs. Waterhouse to her feet.
