大象的证词8

Chapter 8

Mrs Oliver at Work

Mrs Oliver entered the premises of Williams & Barnet, a well-appointedchemist’s shop also dealing with various cosmetics. She paused by a kindof dumb waiter containing various types of corn remedies, hesitated by amountain of rubber sponges, wandered vaguely towards the prescriptiondesk and then came down past the well-displayed aids to beauty as ima-gined by Elizabeth Arden, Helena Rubinstein, Max Factor and other bene-fit providers for women’s lives.

She stopped finally near a rather plump girl and enquired for certainlipsticks, then uttered a short cry of surprise.

‘Why, Marlene – it is Marlene isn’t it?’

‘Well, I never. It’s Mrs Oliver. I am pleased to see you. It’s wonderful,isn’t it? All the girls will be very excited when I tell them that you’ve beenin to buy things here.’

‘No need to tell them,’ said Mrs Oliver. ‘Oh, now I’m sure they’ll bebringing out their autograph books!’

‘I’d rather they didn’t,’ said Mrs Oliver. ‘And how are you, Marlene?’

‘Oh, getting along, getting along,’ said Marlene.

‘I didn’t know whether you’d be working here still.’

‘Well, it’s as good as any other place, I think, and they treat you verywell here, you know. I had a rise in salary last year and I’m more or less incharge of this cosmetic counter now.’

‘And your mother? Is she well?’

‘Oh yes. Mum will be pleased to hear I’ve met you.’

‘Is she still living in her same house down the – the road past the hos-pital?’

‘Oh yes, we’re still there. Dad’s not been so well. He’s been in hospitalfor a while, but Mum keeps along very well indeed. Oh, she will be pleasedto hear I’ve seen you. Are you staying here by any chance?’

‘Not really,’ said Mrs Oliver. ‘I’m just passing through, as a matter offact. I’ve been to see an old friend and I wonder now –’ she looked at herwrist-watch. ‘Would your mother be at home now, Marlene? I could justcall in and see her. Have a few words before I have to get on.’

‘Oh, do do that,’ said Marlene. ‘She’d be ever so pleased. I’m sorry I can’tleave here and come with you, but I don’t think – well, it wouldn’t beviewed very well. You know I can’t get off for another hour and a half.’

‘Oh well, some other time,’ said Mrs Oliver. ‘Anyway, I can’t quite re-member – was it number 17 or has it got a name?’

‘It’s called Laurel Cottage.’

‘Oh yes, of course. How stupid of me. Well, nice to have seen you.’

She hurried out plus one unwanted lipstick in her bag, and drove hercar down the main street of Chipping Bartram and turned, after passing agarage and a hospital building, down a rather narrow road which hadquite pleasant small houses on either side of it.

She left the car outside Laurel Cottage and went in. A thin, energetic wo-man with grey hair, of about fifty years of age, opened the door and dis-played instant signs of recognition.

‘Why, so it’s you, Mrs Oliver. Ah well, now. Not seen you for years andyears, I haven’t.’

‘Oh, it’s a very long time.’

‘Well, come in then, come in. Can I make you a nice cup of tea?’

‘I’m afraid not,’ said Mrs Oliver, ‘because I’ve had tea already with afriend, and I’ve got to get back to London. As it happened, I went into thechemist for something I wanted and I saw Marlene there.’

‘Yes, she’s got a very good job there. They think a lot of her in that place.

They say she’s got a lot of enterprise.’

‘Well, that’s very nice. And how are you, Mrs Buckle? You look verywell. Hardly older than when I saw you last.’

‘Oh, I wouldn’t like to say that. Grey hairs, and I’ve lost a lot of weight.’

‘This seems to be a day when I meet a lot of friends I knew formerly,’

said Mrs Oliver, going into the house and being led into a small, ratherover-cluttered sitting-room. ‘I don’t know if you remember Mrs Carstairs –Mrs Julia Carstairs.’

‘Oh, of course I do. Yes, rather. She must be getting on.’

‘Oh yes, she is, really. But we talked over a few old days, you know. Infact, we went as far as talking about that tragedy that occurred. I was inAmerica at the time so I didn’t know much about it. People calledRavenscroft.’

‘Oh, I remember that well.’

‘You worked for them, didn’t you, at one time, Mrs Buckle?’

‘Yes. I used to go in three mornings a week. Very nice people they were.

You know, real military lady and gentleman, as you might say. The oldschool.’

‘It was a very tragic thing to happen.’

‘Yes, it was, indeed.’

‘Were you still working for them at that time?’

‘No. As a matter of fact, I’d given up going there. I had my old AuntEmma come to live with me and she was rather blind and not very well,and I couldn’t really spare the time any more to go out doing things forpeople. But I’d been with them up to about a month or two before that.’

‘It seemed such a terrible thing to happen,’ said Mrs Oliver. ‘I under-stand that they thought it was a suicide pact.’

‘I don’t believe that,’ said Mrs Buckle. ‘I’m sure they’d never have com-mitted suicide together. Not people like that. And living so pleasantly to-gether as they did. Of course, they hadn’t lived there very long.’

‘No, I suppose they hadn’t,’ said Mrs Oliver. ‘They lived somewhere nearBournemouth, didn’t they, when they first came to England?’

‘Yes, but they found it was a bit too far for getting to London from there,and so that’s why they came to Chipping Bartram. Very nice house it was,and a nice garden.’

‘Were they both in good health when you were working for them last?’

‘Well, he felt his age a bit as most people do. The General, he’d had somekind of heart trouble or a slight stroke. Something of that kind, you know.

They’d take pills, you know, and lie up a bit from time to time.’

‘And Lady Ravenscroft?’

‘Well, I think she missed the life she’d had abroad, you know. Theydidn’t know so very many people there, although they got to know a goodmany families, of course, being the sort of class they were. But I suppose itwasn’t like Malaya or those places. You know, where you have a lot of ser-vants. I suppose gay parties and that sort of thing.’

‘You think she missed her gay parties?’

‘Well, I don’t know that exactly.’

‘Somebody told me she’d taken to wearing a wig.’

‘Oh, she’d got several wigs,’ said Mrs Buckle, smiling slightly. ‘Verysmart ones and very expensive. You know, from time to time she’d sendone back to the place she’d got it from in London, and they’d re-dress it forher again and send it. There were all kinds. You know, there was one withauburn hair, and one with little grey curls all over her head. Really, shelooked very nice in that one. And two – well, not so attractive really butuseful for – you know – windy days when you wanted something to put onwhen it might be raining. Thought a lot about her appearance, you knowand spent a lot of her money on clothes.’

‘What do you think was the cause of the tragedy?’ said Mrs Oliver. ‘Yousee, not being anywhere near here and not seeing any of my friends atthat time because I was in America, I missed hearing anything about itand, well, one doesn’t like to ask questions or write letters about things ofthat kind. I suppose there must have been some cause. I mean, it was Gen-eral Ravenscroft’s own revolver that was used, I understand.’

‘Oh yes, he had two of those in the house because he said that no housewas safe without. Perhaps he was right there, you know. Not that they’dhad any trouble beforehand as far as I know. One afternoon a rathernasty sort of fellow came along to the door. Didn’t like the look of him, Ididn’t. Wanted to see the General. Said he’d been in the General’s regi-ment when he was a young fellow. The General asked him a few questionsand I think thought as how he didn’t – well, thought he wasn’t very reli-able. So he sent him off.’

‘You think then that it was someone outside that did it?’

‘Well, I think it must have been because I can’t see any other thing.

Mind you, I didn’t like the man who came and did the gardening for themvery much. He hadn’t got a very good reputation and I gather he’d had afew jail sentences earlier in his life. But of course the General took up hisreferences and he wanted to give him a chance.’

‘So you think the gardener might have killed them?’

‘Well, I – I always thought that. But then I’m probably wrong. But itdoesn’t seem to me – I mean, the people who said there was some scandal-ous story or something about either her or him and that either he’d shother or she’d shot him, that’s all nonsense, I’d say. No, it was some outsider.

One of these people that – well, it’s not as bad as it is nowadays becausethat, you must remember, was before people began getting all this viol-ence idea. But look at what you read in the papers every day now. Youngmen, practically only boys still, taking a lot of drugs and going wild andrushing about, shooting a lot of people for nothing at all, asking a girl in apub to have a drink with them and then they see her home and next dayher body’s found in a ditch. Stealing children out of prams from theirmothers, taking a girl to a dance and murdering her or strangling her onthe way back. If anything, you feel as anyone can do anything. And any-way, there’s that nice couple, the General and his wife, out for a nice walkin the evening, and there they were, both shot through the head.’

‘Was it through the head?’

‘Well, I don’t remember exactly now and of course I never saw anythingmyself. But anyway, just went for a walk as they often did.’

‘And they’d not been on bad terms with each other?’

‘Well, they had words now and again, but who doesn’t?’

‘No boyfriend or girlfriend?’

‘Well, if you can use that term of people of that age, oh, I mean therewas a bit of talk here and there, but it was all nonsense. Nothing to it atall. People always want to say something of that kind.’

‘Perhaps one of them was – ill.’

‘Well, Lady Ravenscroft had been up to London once or twice consultinga doctor about something and I rather think she was going into hospital,or planning to go into hospital for an operation of some kind though shenever told me exactly what it was. But I think they managed to put herright – she was in this hospital for a short time. No operation, I think. Andwhen she came back she looked very much younger. Altogether, she’d hada lot of face treatment and you know, she looked so pretty in these wigswith curls on them. Rather as though she’d got a new lease of life.’

‘And General Ravenscroft?’

‘He was a very nice gentleman and I never heard or knew of any scan-dal about him and I don’t think there was any. People say things, but thenthey want to say something when there’s been a tragedy of any kind. Itseems to me perhaps as he might have had a blow on the head in Malayaor something like that. I had an uncle or a great-uncle, you know, who felloff his horse there once. Hit it on a cannon or something and he was veryqueer afterwards. All right for about six months and then they had to puthim into an asylum because he wanted to take his wife’s life the wholetime. He said she was persecuting him and following him and that she wasa spy for another nation. Ah, there’s no saying what things happen or canhappen in families.’

‘Anyway, you don’t think there was any truth in some of the storiesabout them that I have happened to hear of, bad feeling between them sothat one of them shot the other and then shot himself or herself.’

‘Oh no, I don’t.’

‘Were her children at home at the time?’

‘No. Miss – er – oh what was her name now, Rosie? No. Penelope?’

‘Celia,’ said Mrs Oliver. ‘She’s my goddaughter.’

‘Oh, of course she is. Yes, I know that now. I remember you coming andtaking her out once. She was a high-spirited girl, rather bad-tempered insome ways, but she was very fond of her father and mother, I think. No,she was away at a school in Switzerland when it happened, I’m glad tosay, because it would have been a terrible shock to her if she’d been athome and the one who saw them.’

‘And there was a boy, too, wasn’t there?’

‘Oh yes. Master Edward. His father was a bit worried about him, I think.

He looked as though he disliked his father.’

‘Oh, there’s nothing in that. Boys go through that stage. Was he very de-voted to his mother?’

‘Well, she fussed over him a bit too much, I think, which he found tire-some. You know, they don’t like a mother fussing over them, telling themto wear thicker vests or put an extra pullover on. His father, he didn’t likethe way he wore his hair. It was – well they weren’t wearing hair like theway they are nowadays, but they were beginning to, if you know what Imean.’

‘But the boy wasn’t at home at the time of the tragedy?’

‘No.’

‘I suppose it was a shock to him?’

‘Well, it must have been. Of course, I wasn’t going to the house any moreat that time so I didn’t hear so much. If you ask me, I didn’t like thatgardener. What was his name now – Fred, I think. Fred Wizell. Somename like that. Seems to me if he’d done a bit of – well, a bit of cheating orsomething like that and the General had found him out and was going tosack him, I wouldn’t put it past him.’

‘To shoot the husband and wife?’

‘Well, I’d have thought it more likely he’d just have shot the General. Ifhe shot the General and the wife came along, then he’d have had to shoother too. You read things like that in books.’

‘Yes,’ said Mrs Oliver thoughtfully, ‘one does read all sorts of things inbooks.’

‘There was the tutor. I didn’t like him much.’

‘What tutor?’

‘Well, there was a tutor for the boy earlier. You know, he couldn’t passan exam and things at the earlier school he was at – prep school or some-thing. So they had a tutor for him. He was there for about a year, I think.

Lady Ravenscroft liked him very much. She was musical, you know, andso was this tutor. Mr Edmunds, I think his name was. Rather a namby-pamby sort of young man, I thought myself, and it’s my opinion that Gen-eral Ravenscroft didn’t care for him much.’

‘But Lady Ravenscroft did.’

‘Oh, they had a lot in common, I think. And I think she was the onereally that chose him rather more than the General. Mind you, he hadvery nice manners and spoke to everyone nicely and all that –’

‘And did – what’s-his-name?’

‘Edward? Oh yes, he liked him all right, I think. Almost a bit of hero-wor-ship. Anyway, don’t you believe any stories you hear about scandals in thefamily or her having an affair with anyone or General Ravenscroft withthat rather po-faced girl who did filing work for him and all that sort ofthing. No. Whoever that wicked murderer was, it’s one who came fromoutside. The police never got on to anyone, a car was seen near there butthere was nothing to it and they never got any further. But all the same Ithink one ought to look about for somebody perhaps who’d known themin Malaya or abroad or somewhere else, or even when they were first liv-ing at Bournemouth. One never knows.’

‘What did your husband think about it?’ said Mrs Oliver. ‘He wouldn’thave known as much about them as you would, of course, but still hemight have heard a lot.’

‘Oh, he heard a lot of talk, of course. In the George and Flag, of an even-ing, you know. People saying all sorts of things. Said as she drank and thatcases of empty bottles had been taken out of the house. Absolutely untrue,that was, I know for a fact. And there was a nephew as used to come andsee them sometimes. Got into trouble with the police in some way, he did,but I don’t think there was anything in that. The police didn’t, either. Any-way, it wasn’t at that time.’

‘There was no one else really living in the house, was there, except theGeneral and Lady Ravenscroft?’

‘Well, she had a sister as used to come sometimes, Lady Ravenscroft did.

She was a half-sister, I think. Something like that. Looked rather like LadyRavenscroft. She made a bit of trouble between them, I always used tothink, when she came for a visit. She was one of those who likes stirringthings up, if you know what I mean. Just said things to annoy people.’

‘Was Lady Ravenscroft fond of her?’

‘Well, if you ask me, I don’t think she was really. I think the sister moreor less wished herself on to them sometimes and she didn’t like not tohave her, but I think she found it pretty trying to have her there. The Gen-eral quite liked her because she played cards well. Played chess and thingswith him and he enjoyed that. And she was an amusing woman in a way.

Mrs Jerryboy or something like that, her name was. She was a widow, Ithink. Used to borrow money from them, I think, too.’

‘Did you like her?’

‘Well, if you don’t mind my saying so, ma’am, no, I didn’t like her. I dis-liked her very much. I thought she was one of those trouble-makers, youknow. But she hadn’t been down for some time before the tragedyhappened. I don’t really remember very much what she was like. She hada son as came with her once or twice. Didn’t like him very much. Shifty, Ithought.’

‘Well,’ said Mrs Oliver. ‘I suppose nobody will really ever know thetruth. Not now. Not after all this time. I saw my goddaughter the otherday.’

‘Did you now, ma’am. I’d be interested to hear about Miss Celia. How isshe? All right?’

‘Yes. She seems quite all right. I think she’s thinking perhaps of gettingmarried. At any rate she’s got a –’

‘Got a steady boy-friend, has she?’ said Mrs Buckle. ‘Ah well, we’ve allgot that. Not that we all marry the first one we settle on. Just as well if youdon’t, nine times out of ten.’

‘You don’t know a Mrs Burton-Cox, do you?’ asked Mrs Oliver.

‘Burton-Cox? I seem to know that name. No, I don’t think so. Wasn’t liv-ing down here or come to stay with them or anything? No, not that I re-member. Yet I did hear something. Some old friend of GeneralRavenscroft, I think, which he’d known in Malaya. But I don’t know.’ Sheshook her head.

‘Well,’ said Mrs Oliver, ‘I mustn’t stay gossiping with you any longer. It’sbeen so nice to see you and Marlene.’

 

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