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‘Did she ever threaten to take her life?’
Sandford shook his head. ‘Never. I shouldn’t have said she was that sort.’
‘What about a man called Joe Ellis?’
‘The carpenter fellow? Good old village stock. Dull fellow – but crazy about Rose.’
‘He might have been jealous?’ suggested Sir Henry. ‘I suppose he was a bit – but he’s the bovine kind. He’d suffer in silence.’
‘Well,’ said Sir Henry. ‘I must be going.’
He rejoined the others. ‘You know, Melchett,’ he said, ‘I feel we ought to have a look at this other fellow – Ellis – before we do anything drastic. Pity if you made an arrest that turned out to be a mistake. After all, jealousy is a pretty good motive for murder – and a pretty common one, too.’
‘That’s true enough,’ said the Inspector. ‘But Joe Ellis isn’t that kind. He wouldn’t hurt a fly. Why, nobody’s ever seen him out of temper. Still, I agree we’d better just ask him where he was last night. He’ll be at home now. He lodges with Mrs Bartlett – very decent soul – a widow, she takes in a bit of washing.’
The little cottage to which they bent their footsteps was spotlessly clean and neat. A big stout woman of middle age opened the door to them. She had a pleasant face and blue eyes.
‘Good morning, Mrs Bartlett,’ said the Inspector. ‘Is Joe Ellis here?’
‘Came back not ten minutes ago,’ said Mrs Bartlett. ‘Step inside, will you, please, sirs.’
Wiping her hands on her apron she led them into a tiny front parlour with stuffed birds, china dogs, a sofa and several useless pieces of furniture.
She hurriedly arranged seats for them, picked up a whatnot bodily to make further room and went out calling:
‘Joe, there’s three gentlemen want to see you.’
A voice from the back kitchen replied: ‘I’ll be there when I’ve cleaned myself.’
Mrs Bartlett smiled.
‘Come in, Mrs Bartlett,’ said Colonel Melchett. ‘Sit down.’
‘Oh, no, sir, I couldn’t think of it.’
Mrs Bartlett was shocked at the idea. ‘You find Joe Ellis a good lodger?’ inquired Melchett in a seemingly careless tone.
‘Couldn’t have a better, sir. A real steady young fellow. Never touches a drop of drink. Takes a pride in his work. And always kind and helpful about the house. He put up those shelves for me, and he’s fixed a new dresser in the kitchen. And any little thing that wants doing in the house – why, Joe does it as a matter of course, and won’t hardly take thanks for it. Ah! there aren’t many young fellows like Joe, sir.’
‘Some girl will be lucky some day,’ said Melchett carelessly. ‘He was rather sweet on that poor girl, Rose Emmott, wasn’t he?’
Mrs Bartlett sighed.
‘It made me tired, it did. Him worshipping the ground she trod on and her not caring a snap of the fingers for him.’
‘Where does Joe spend his evenings, Mrs Bartlett?’
‘Here, sir, usually. He does some odd piece of work in the evenings, sometimes, and he’s trying to learn book-keeping by correspondence.’
‘Ah! really. Was he in yesterday evening?’
‘Yes, sir.’
‘You’re sure, Mrs Bartlett?’ said Sir Henry sharply.
She turned to him. ‘Quite sure, sir.’
‘He didn’t go out, for instance, somewhere about eight to eight-thirty?’
‘Oh, no.’ Mrs Barlett laughed. ‘He was fixing the kitchen dresser for me nearly all the evening, and I was helping him.’
Sir Henry looked at her smiling assured face and felt his first pang of doubt.
A moment later Ellis himself entered the room.
He was a tall broad-shouldered young man, very good-looking in a rustic way. He had shy, blue eyes and a good-tempered smile. Altogether an amiable young giant.
Melchett opened the conversation. Mrs Bartlett withdrew to the kitchen.
‘We are investigating the death of Rose Emmott. You knew her, Ellis.’
‘Yes.’ He hesitated, then muttered, ‘Hoped to marry her one day. Poor lass.’
‘You have heard of what her condition was?’
‘Yes.’ A spark of anger showed in his eyes. ‘Let her down, he did. But ’twere for the best. She wouldn’t have been happy married to him. I reckoned she’d come to me when this happened. I’d have looked after her.’
‘In spite of –’
‘’Tweren’t her fault. He led her astray with fine promises and all. Oh! she told me about it. She’d no call to drown herself. He weren’t worth it.’
‘Where were you, Ellis, last night at eight-thirty?’
Was it Sir Henry’s fancy, or was there really a shade of constraint in the ready – almost too ready – reply.
‘I was here. Fixing up a contraption in the kitchen for Mrs B. You ask her. She’ll tell you.’
‘He was too quick with that,’ thought Sir Henry. ‘He’s a slow-thinking man. That popped out so pat that I suspect he’d got it ready beforehand.’
Then he told himself that it was imagination. He was imagining things – yes, even imagining an apprehensive glint in those blue eyes.
A few more questions and answers and they left. Sir Henry made an excuse to go to the kitchen. Mrs Bartlett was busy at the stove. She looked up with a pleasant smile. A new dresser was fixed against the wall. It was not quite finished. Some tools lay about and some pieces of wood.
‘That’s what Ellis was at work on last night?’ said Sir Henry. ‘Yes, sir, it’s a nice bit of work, isn’t it? He’s a very clever carpenter, Joe is.’
No apprehensive gleam in her eye – no embarrassment.
But Ellis – had he imagined it? No, there had been something. ‘I must tackle him,’ thought Sir Henry.
Turning to leave the kitchen, he collided with a perambulator. ‘Not woken the baby up, I hope,’ he said.
Mrs Bartlett’s laugh rang out. ‘Oh, no, sir. I’ve no children – more’s the pity. That’s what I take the laundry on, sir.’
‘Oh! I see –’
He paused then said on an impulse: ‘Mrs Bartlett. You knew Rose Emmott. Tell me what you really thought of her.’
She looked at him curiously. ‘Well, sir, I thought she was flighty. But she’s dead – and I don’t like to speak ill of the dead.’
‘But I have a reason – a very good reason for asking.’
He spoke persuasively.
She seemed to consider, studying him attentively. Finally she made up her mind.
‘She was a bad lot, sir,’ she said quietly. ‘I wouldn’t say so before Joe. She took him in good and proper. That kind can – more’s the pity. You know how it is, sir.’
Yes, Sir Henry knew. The Joe Ellises of the world were peculiarly vulnerable. They trusted blindly. But for that very cause the shock of discovery might be greater.
He left the cottage baffled and perplexed. He was up against a blank wall. Joe Ellis had been working indoors all yesterday evening. Mrs Bartlett had actually been there watching him. Could one possibly get round that? There was nothing to set against it – except possibly that suspicious readiness in replying on Joe Ellis’s part – that suggestion of having a story pat.
‘Well,’ said Melchett, ‘that seems to make the matter quite clear, eh?’
