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Moss instinctively reached out and placed a comforting hand over Clementine’s.
“Who is it this time?” Was all Cameron asked.
“Mr Cavanagh.”
“Mr Cavanagh? That dear gentleman?” Clementine blinked at the Captain who slid into the seat Cameron waved him to in the kitchen with a heavy sigh.
“When?”
“He was found just now. I have just come from his house. He was supposed to be visiting his cousin this morning but didn’t turn up, so the cousin came to look for him. He found him slumped in his kitchen foaming at the mouth like all the rest.”
Moss shoved out of his seat. “Where is his house? Show me. Now.”
There was such urgency in his voice that the Captain blinked and immediately snapped to attention, as if there could be no doubt that he would immediately follow Moss’s rapped orders.
“Wait! I am coming too,” Clementine cried.
Moss opened his mouth to object only for Cameron to cross the room and fetch his jacket. “We are all going. Hurry up.”
Moss rolled his eyes. The last thing he wanted was a procession through the village, but there was little he could do, not least because he wanted Clementine, and preferably Cameron and the Captain as back up, just in case the killer was lurking nearby somewhere.
“Has the magistrate been called?” Moss asked as they made their way through the village.
“Not yet. I have told the neighbour to hold off for now because I don’t think our local magistrate is able to deal with it. They were all too happy to ignore him, I can tell you,” the Captain assured him.
“Good. Billsdon can deal with it when he gets here,” Moss growled.
“It is awfully close to Sally’s,” Clementine whispered when they walked up the small path to Mr Cavanagh’s front door.
It took a couple of minutes for it to be answered. When it was, they all found themselves looking at a small, somewhat shy elderly gentleman, who looked at them in consternation before, without hesitation, he waved them into the house.
“I am Frederick’s cousin, Rory,” the small man began once he had led them into a parlour at the rear of the property.
Cameron made the introductions and turned to look at Moss, who stepped forward somewhat uncomfortably and told the man what had happened in the village so far.
When he had finished, Rory slumped into a chair before the fire and looked at Moss with a somewhat thoughtful expression.
“You don’t look surprised,” Moss murmured.
Rory looked uncomfortably around the room. When he spoke, his voice was as shy as his demeanour. “I confess, I too suspected something was wrong when Frederick told me what was going on around here. I told him to be careful. He assured me he would be. I had a feeling this morning that the killer had struck again when Fred didn’t turn up as planned. If there was one thing Fred was, it was punctual. He was hardly ever late and expected everybody else to be on time too. I came straight over. I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t to find him dead, even though I suspected he might be.”
“Had he complained of any illness, or a medical condition that the doctor should know about?”
Rory snorted contemptuously. ?
?That doctor is a waste of time. Everybody knows it.” He looked furtively around the room as if he expected to be told off for speaking ill of the doctor. “Fred wouldn’t have gone to him if his life depended upon it.”
“Can I take a look at your – Fred’s – kitchen?” Moss asked.
Rory looked blankly at him and then jerked, as if remembering where he was and that he was supposed to be answering Moss. “Yes. Yes, of course. Might I ask what you are looking for?”
“Have you seen a fruit cake in there?” Moss called over his shoulder.
“Why, yes. It is on the kitchen sideboard. I was going to have a slice because I never got the chance to have breakfast this morning. Would you like a piece?” Rory offered.
“God, no. Where is Fred now?”
“He is still in the kitchen.”
