it to Daviot if Blair doesn’t toe the line.’
Hamish went downstairs and met Enrico in the hall and asked him to take him to the quarters he shared with his wife.
Enrico led him down to the basement. He and Maria shared two rooms beside the games room, a bedroom and a small living room. He stood in the doorway and watched Hamish. ‘If you are looking for that tape,’ said Enrico, ‘I have it in my pocket.’
‘And I’d keep it there,’ said Hamish with a grin. Enrico waited while Hamish carefully went through drawers and cupboards. ‘I’m only the first,’ said Hamish. ‘The forensic team will go through everything as well, including the kitchen. You’d better check your knives and see if any are missing.’
‘I have already done so,’ said Enrico. ‘A jointing knife is missing.’
‘When did you discover that?’ demanded Hamish.
‘Earlier on. It was the first thing I looked for.’
‘Why didn’t you tell me or Blair?’
‘I found it after my interview with you and before my interview with Mr Blair. Had he treated me with more courtesy, I would have told him.’
Hamish shook his head. ‘You cannae go around questioning the niceties of police behaviour in the middle o’ a murder inquiry.’
‘No?’ Enrico patted the pocket of his dark jacket which held the tape. ‘When Mr Blair calms down, he will realize that anyone in this house could have taken the knife from the kitchen at any time. I did not have any birds to joint in the last couple of days, so it could have been missing at any time during that period.’
Hamish looked around the living room again. It was neat and clean but somehow characterless: three-piece suite, coffee table, bookshelves with some magazines and paperbacks, and two pot plants. Above the fireplace was a framed photograph of the Ramblas, the main street in Barcelona.
‘You said your wife was very religious,’ said Hamish slowly. ‘But there are no religious paintings here, no crucifix, no religious statues.’
‘I said my wife was religious,’ said Enrico. ‘I am not.’
Hamish looked thoughtfully at him. Enrico’s dark brown eyes looked blandly back.
‘I’ll be talking to you later,’ said Hamish.
He went up to the library and told the furious Blair about the knife and about the fact that there was no way of getting that tape. ‘I don’t think Enrico will send it off unless you start accusing him of deliberately tampering with the evidence – which you could have done,’ said Hamish, ‘if you hadn’t put his back up. There’s one thing you could do, however.’
‘And whit’s that?’
‘Get Mrs Jeffrey Trent in here and accuse her of having paid the servants to lay out the body and clean the room.’
Blair goggled at Hamish.
‘Aye,’ said Hamish. ‘A guess. But a good one, I think. Enrico and Maria are not the sort to become sentimental about the death o’ their late master. They’re hard-headed. They already own property in Alicante and it’s my belief they’ll leave after the reading of the will, no matter who is the new master or mistress here. It was only hope of getting something in that will that kept them here. When the body was discovered, Mrs Jeffrey ran straight to her son’s room and found him gone. For some reason, she’s protecting him. The reason could be that she’s simply a rather neurotic and possessive mother.’
‘Oh, well, I’ll give it a try,’ said Blair sulkily.
‘And make it official,’ said Hamish. ‘Recorder and all.’
When Jan came into the library, Blair, Anderson and Hamish were there and there was an official tape recorder on the desk in front of Blair.
‘How much did you pay Enrico to lay out the body and clean the room?’ demanded Blair.
She went a muddy colour. ‘Who says I paid them?’
Hamish’s quiet Highland voice interrupted. ‘It will be easy to find out. Whatever it was, I doubt if you would have that amount of ready cash on you. So you would give him a cheque – a
Hamish went downstairs and met Enrico in the hall and asked him to take him to the quarters he shared with his wife.
Enrico led him down to the basement. He and Maria shared two rooms beside the games room, a bedroom and a small living room. He stood in the doorway and watched Hamish. ‘If you are looking for that tape,’ said Enrico, ‘I have it in my pocket.’
‘And I’d keep it there,’ said Hamish with a grin. Enrico waited while Hamish carefully went through drawers and cupboards. ‘I’m only the first,’ said Hamish. ‘The forensic team will go through everything as well, including the kitchen. You’d better check your knives and see if any are missing.’
‘I have already done so,’ said Enrico. ‘A jointing knife is missing.’
‘When did you discover that?’ demanded Hamish.
‘Earlier on. It was the first thing I looked for.’
‘Why didn’t you tell me or Blair?’
‘I found it after my interview with you and before my interview with Mr Blair. Had he treated me with more courtesy, I would have told him.’
Hamish shook his head. ‘You cannae go around questioning the niceties of police behaviour in the middle o’ a murder inquiry.’
‘No?’ Enrico patted the pocket of his dark jacket which held the tape. ‘When Mr Blair calms down, he will realize that anyone in this house could have taken the knife from the kitchen at any time. I did not have any birds to joint in the last couple of days, so it could have been missing at any time during that period.’
Hamish looked around the living room again. It was neat and clean but somehow characterless: three-piece suite, coffee table, bookshelves with some magazines and paperbacks, and two pot plants. Above the fireplace was a framed photograph of the Ramblas, the main street in Barcelona.
‘You said your wife was very religious,’ said Hamish slowly. ‘But there are no religious paintings here, no crucifix, no religious statues.’
‘I said my wife was religious,’ said Enrico. ‘I am not.’
Hamish looked thoughtfully at him. Enrico’s dark brown eyes looked blandly back.
‘I’ll be talking to you later,’ said Hamish.
He went up to the library and told the furious Blair about the knife and about the fact that there was no way of getting that tape. ‘I don’t think Enrico will send it off unless you start accusing him of deliberately tampering with the evidence – which you could have done,’ said Hamish, ‘if you hadn’t put his back up. There’s one thing you could do, however.’
‘And whit’s that?’
‘Get Mrs Jeffrey Trent in here and accuse her of having paid the servants to lay out the body and clean the room.’
Blair goggled at Hamish.
‘Aye,’ said Hamish. ‘A guess. But a good one, I think. Enrico and Maria are not the sort to become sentimental about the death o’ their late master. They’re hard-headed. They already own property in Alicante and it’s my belief they’ll leave after the reading of the will, no matter who is the new master or mistress here. It was only hope of getting something in that will that kept them here. When the body was discovered, Mrs Jeffrey ran straight to her son’s room and found him gone. For some reason, she’s protecting him. The reason could be that she’s simply a rather neurotic and possessive mother.’
‘Oh, well, I’ll give it a try,’ said Blair sulkily.
‘And make it official,’ said Hamish. ‘Recorder and all.’
When Jan came into the library, Blair, Anderson and Hamish were there and there was an official tape recorder on the desk in front of Blair.
‘How much did you pay Enrico to lay out the body and clean the room?’ demanded Blair.
She went a muddy colour. ‘Who says I paid them?’
Hamish’s quiet Highland voice interrupted. ‘It will be easy to find out. Whatever it was, I doubt if you would have that amount of ready cash on you. So you would give him a cheque – a
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