to calm her son.
“You’d better try that Riverside college,” she said to Jamie. “They probably have residential places for students, and Akiko may well have gone back there for a short while. They’d be pleased to see such a star pupil, surely?” There was a telephone directory on the windowsill, and Lois looked up the number.
“There you are,” she said. “Try now.”
But Jamie drew another blank. They knew at once who he was talking about, and said they would welcome her at any time. But so far they had not seen or heard from her for a long while. When Cowgill returned to the room, he was carrying something gingerly by its tail. It was a big grey rat, and it was very dead.
“Ye gods, Cowgill! Where did you find that?” Rats were not Lois’s favourite animal, and she backed away as the inspector came towards her.
“It was on the draining board in the outside washhouse. And next to it, a sandwich containing what experience tells me is a lethal dose of rat poison. Did you notice it, Jamie?”
Jamie shook his head. “Sorry, no. I didn’t actually go in there. I doubt if Akiko used it. There’s a washing machine in her kitchen.”
“Lucky for her,” Cowgill said. “I repeat, the poison was disguised in a ham sandwich, and it was half eaten. Come and have a look.”
“If the poison was disguised, how do you know it’s in the sandwich?” asked Lois suspiciously.
“Instinct,” said Cowgill irritatingly.
“Rubbish,” said doubting Lois, looking round. “I can see what you saw. There’s a rat poison packet up on that shelf. That rat must have eaten enough to kill it. Any fool can see that.”
“It’s very stale, though rats don’t care about that. This looks like a straight case of careless rat poisoning.” Cowgill had had enough of the subject and moved towards the door.
The neighbour had insisted on being with them until they left, saying she felt obliged to protect the interests of Miss Nakamasa. Now she looked angrily at the rat. “You wouldn’t say we were careless if you saw the number of rats we’ve killed!” the neighbour persisted defensively. “I might as well take the sandwich and get rid of it,” she added, stretching out her hand.
“Don’t touch it, please!” said Cowgill.
“Why not? You got plans for it?”
“I shall make arrangements for it to be disposed of safely,” he said, showing her his badge of office. “And be more careful in future. Nothing more to be done here,” he continued. “Why don’t you ring your father, Jamie, and warn him that you and your mother will be coming home in the morning. It’s getting very late. I promise to let you know when I have something to report. Akiko will probably show up tomorrow, chirpy as a cricket. Do you need a hotel for the night, Lois?”
Jamie answered at once. “No, no, she doesn’t. My pad is not far from here. It’s small, but there’s room for Mum. I can sleep on the sofa. We’ll get going now. And thanks, Inspector. We’ll hear from you soon, I hope. Our next concert is in a few weeks. Not much on until then, so I reckon it would be a good idea for me to go back to Farnden with Mum. There’s always interruptions here in London. Mates calling to take me out for a beer, that sort of thing. I need to do a lot of thinking.”
T EN
T HE BELOW-STAIRS MESSENGER, WHOSE NAME WAS E ZEKIEL Parsons, had waited outside the concert hall last night in his van, and when Akiko climbed into the seat next to him, he had repeated that his mission was urgent. Her father had been taken very ill, and she was to come with Parsons to Scotland as soon as possible. She had protested that it would be much quicker by train, but he had ignored her and driven slowly through heavy traffic, until she said, “Please stop. Surely I can collect some clothes? If I have to stay with father for a bit, I shall need some things.”
“You’d better check your door lock when we get back,” he had said, grinning and pointing at a
“You’d better try that Riverside college,” she said to Jamie. “They probably have residential places for students, and Akiko may well have gone back there for a short while. They’d be pleased to see such a star pupil, surely?” There was a telephone directory on the windowsill, and Lois looked up the number.
“There you are,” she said. “Try now.”
But Jamie drew another blank. They knew at once who he was talking about, and said they would welcome her at any time. But so far they had not seen or heard from her for a long while. When Cowgill returned to the room, he was carrying something gingerly by its tail. It was a big grey rat, and it was very dead.
“Ye gods, Cowgill! Where did you find that?” Rats were not Lois’s favourite animal, and she backed away as the inspector came towards her.
“It was on the draining board in the outside washhouse. And next to it, a sandwich containing what experience tells me is a lethal dose of rat poison. Did you notice it, Jamie?”
Jamie shook his head. “Sorry, no. I didn’t actually go in there. I doubt if Akiko used it. There’s a washing machine in her kitchen.”
“Lucky for her,” Cowgill said. “I repeat, the poison was disguised in a ham sandwich, and it was half eaten. Come and have a look.”
“If the poison was disguised, how do you know it’s in the sandwich?” asked Lois suspiciously.
“Instinct,” said Cowgill irritatingly.
“Rubbish,” said doubting Lois, looking round. “I can see what you saw. There’s a rat poison packet up on that shelf. That rat must have eaten enough to kill it. Any fool can see that.”
“It’s very stale, though rats don’t care about that. This looks like a straight case of careless rat poisoning.” Cowgill had had enough of the subject and moved towards the door.
The neighbour had insisted on being with them until they left, saying she felt obliged to protect the interests of Miss Nakamasa. Now she looked angrily at the rat. “You wouldn’t say we were careless if you saw the number of rats we’ve killed!” the neighbour persisted defensively. “I might as well take the sandwich and get rid of it,” she added, stretching out her hand.
“Don’t touch it, please!” said Cowgill.
“Why not? You got plans for it?”
“I shall make arrangements for it to be disposed of safely,” he said, showing her his badge of office. “And be more careful in future. Nothing more to be done here,” he continued. “Why don’t you ring your father, Jamie, and warn him that you and your mother will be coming home in the morning. It’s getting very late. I promise to let you know when I have something to report. Akiko will probably show up tomorrow, chirpy as a cricket. Do you need a hotel for the night, Lois?”
Jamie answered at once. “No, no, she doesn’t. My pad is not far from here. It’s small, but there’s room for Mum. I can sleep on the sofa. We’ll get going now. And thanks, Inspector. We’ll hear from you soon, I hope. Our next concert is in a few weeks. Not much on until then, so I reckon it would be a good idea for me to go back to Farnden with Mum. There’s always interruptions here in London. Mates calling to take me out for a beer, that sort of thing. I need to do a lot of thinking.”
T EN
T HE BELOW-STAIRS MESSENGER, WHOSE NAME WAS E ZEKIEL Parsons, had waited outside the concert hall last night in his van, and when Akiko climbed into the seat next to him, he had repeated that his mission was urgent. Her father had been taken very ill, and she was to come with Parsons to Scotland as soon as possible. She had protested that it would be much quicker by train, but he had ignored her and driven slowly through heavy traffic, until she said, “Please stop. Surely I can collect some clothes? If I have to stay with father for a bit, I shall need some things.”
“You’d better check your door lock when we get back,” he had said, grinning and pointing at a
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