Page 53 of Murder on Harley Street
He waved the cigarette in the direction of the hall. “He’s doing it.”
The entire point had been to gethimto do it so we could tell if he had knowledge of electricity or not. I peered down the hall to see Harry on the ladder.
“Do you have any food in the house?” I asked. “Any fresh food?”
He waved the cigarette at a wall. “The neighbor brings me things from time to time.” He plugged the cigarette into his mouth and sucked deeply.
I continued cleaning the dishes. “Last time we were here, you said you were going to ruin the Bella Vita Company’s event at the Mayfair Hotel. I hope you’ve changed your mind.”
“Of course I haven’t! That quack takes advantage of the vulnerable. He needs to be exposed.I’mgoing to expose him. I’ll punish him for murdering my wife!”
“He didn’t murder your wife,” Harry said from the doorway.
Mr. Pierce rested his elbows on his knees and lowered his head.
“The hall light is fixed,” Harry said, joining me at the trough. “The empty bottles have been removed to the courtyard and the rubbish taken out.” He handed me a dirty teacup and leaned closer. “Sir Ronald would have a fit if he saw you doing menial work,” he said, keeping his voice low so Mr. Pierce couldn’t hear.
“Then it’s fortunate he doesn’t see me help Harmony tidy my suite every morning.” I swapped a washed plate for the dirty cup. “You are aware that I wasn’t brought up with a silver spoon in my mouth, aren’t you? I had to cook and clean when I lived with my grandparents.”
“I know.” The mischievous look in his eye had me watching him carefully.
“Go on. Out with it, Harry. Tell me I’ve turned into a duchess.”
The mischievous look turned to mock innocence. “I was merely going to praise you for settling so well into your new life that no one would guess you’d ever set foot in a kitchen before.”
I flicked water in his direction, but only a few drops landed on his sleeve. “And what evidence are you basing such an opinion on?”
He showed me the plate that still had something encrusted on it.
“You distracted me,” I said pertly.
“Forgive me, Duchess, but I won’t apologize for beingyourdistraction.”
I laughed.
It wasn’t until Mr. Pierce got up and walked out of the kitchen that Harry and I realized how insensitive our playfulness had been. We hurriedly finished the dishes, made Mr. Pierce a cup of tea, and bade him good day without even giving him a warning to stay away from Mr. Lombardi and the Mayfair Hotel.
I’d enjoyedthe Saturday Pops at St. James’s Hall three times since moving to London. Flossy was fond of the music played at the popular concerts, and even more fond of escaping her parents’ suffocating scrutiny. The Saturday afternoon concerts held a short stroll from the hotel were an acceptable occasion for me to act as her chaperone, and it gave us both something to do in between our other social engagements and my investigations.
Harry and I accessed the building via the side entrance used by staff and musicians. From somewhere deep inside came the whine of violins tuning up, followed by the lower hum of the cello. We made our way toward it, only to be stopped by a middle-aged man with a pencil tucked behind his ear and shirtsleeves rolled to his elbows.
“May I help you?” he asked.
Harry introduced us as private detectives. “We’re making inquiries about Mr. Pierce, an employee here.”
“Former employee,” the man said. “He was dismissed for drunkenness.”
Dismissed! That must have been quite a blow coming after his wife’s death. No wonder he was struggling.
“I see,” Harry said. “Is it true he was the caretaker?”
“He was. I’m his replacement. I only started yesterday, so I’m afraid I can’t help you if you want to know what he was like. Do you want me to find someone who did know him?”
“That’s not necessary. Can you tell us what Mr. Pierce’s job entailed?”
“That I can do. The caretaker keeps this whole place operating smoothly.” He tapped his chest. “Without me, it would fall apart. I make sure everything’s in working order, from the audience’s seats to the stage, and everything backstage.”
“Does that involve lighting?”
