inside. She looked at him through half-closed eyes.
'Better not,' Cardon advised her.
'I'll be all right if you'll come with me,' she replied, openly flirting with him.
'Glad to be of service,' Cardon agreed, who seemed not averse to accompanying her anywhere.
Tweed slipped in ahead of them. He found Gaunt standing very erect and still in the dining-room. The tablecloth, stained with pools of blood, was still there, to say nothing of the dark brown lakes on the ceiling and carpet.
'My God! Looks as though you were right.'
'I'd hardly make it up,' Tweed responded. 'And Amberg's face had been splashed with acid after being shot dead. He looked like a skull.'
He watched Gaunt's reaction but no emotion showed on the Squire's face. He walked slowly to the head of the table and stood looking down where Amberg had lain over the broken chair.
'Cost me a bloody fortune to clean up this place,' Gaunt rasped. 'And there are holes in the panelling. That will have to be attended to. Damned expensive.'
'Greg is money-conscious,' Jennie said as though she felt it diplomatic to explain Gaunt's apparent mercenary attitude. 'It's understandable. Keeping up a place like this these days is a drain on his purse.'
'Do you mind not discussing my personal affairs with a stranger,' Gaunt rapped at her. He looked at Tweed. 'I return from a day away which I enjoyed and find this. I still can't take it in.'
'How did you spend the day?' Tweed enquired.
'None of your business. You sound like a policeman.'
'Greg? Jennie spoke sharply. 'It was a polite question.' She turned to Tweed. 'He has a small cottage at Five Lanes on the edge of the moor. The arrangement was we'd stay away from here from eight in the morning until now. Amberg holds - held - business meetings here.'
'Do belt up, Jennie,' Gaunt said with less force. 'You know something, Tweed? I don't feel like staying in here. Let's repair to the living-room. Thank God the staff sur vived. It's hell getting fresh servants.'
'He won't admit it,' Jennie whispered to Tweed as Gaunt marched out, 'but he's in a state of shock. Would you please join us for some tea? If Cook is up to it. I'll go and have a word, maybe give her a hand.'
'I'll come too,' Paula said.
She glanced at Tweed who was gazing out of the window into the distance. The light was fading and night fell over the drive like a menacing shadow. Knowing they were hemmed in by the desolate moor, Paula shivered.
'Where are you people off to when you leave?' enquired Gaunt. They had just devoured a huge tea of sandwiches and home-made fruit cake. They sat in the living-room on :ouches and armchairs. Gaunt faced Tweed and Paula while Cardon sat on a couch next to Jennie. Butler and Nield had chosen chairs facing the windows which they watched constantly - no one had closed the curtains.
'London,' Tweed lied smoothly. 'There shouldn't be a lot of traffic on the roads at this hour.'
'I'd have expected you to stay somewhere down here until the morning,' Gaunt persisted.
No one had mentioned the bomb outrage at Park Cres cent to their host. He reached for a box of cigars and, when everyone refused, lit one for himself. It was quite a ritual: trimming the tip off, after rolling it close to his ear, then using a match to ignite it. He took a deep puff and sighed with enjoyment.
'That's better. After today. Tweed, I have been wondering what happened to all the cars Amberg and his guests must have arrived in. Amberg always had a Roller.'
'The police drove them away for further examination.'
'Fat lot of use that will do them.'
'It's surprising what forensic specialists can detect.'
'You really do sound like a policeman.' Gaunt's eyes gleamed as though scoring a bull. 'What do you do for a living?'
'I'm an insurance negotiator.'
'Insurance!' Gaunt jumped up. 'Oh my God! I'll bet my insurance doesn't cover damage caused by mass murder.'
'Depends on how the policy is worded,' Tweed said in a soothing tone.
'Blast it, Greg!' Jennie
'Better not,' Cardon advised her.
'I'll be all right if you'll come with me,' she replied, openly flirting with him.
'Glad to be of service,' Cardon agreed, who seemed not averse to accompanying her anywhere.
Tweed slipped in ahead of them. He found Gaunt standing very erect and still in the dining-room. The tablecloth, stained with pools of blood, was still there, to say nothing of the dark brown lakes on the ceiling and carpet.
'My God! Looks as though you were right.'
'I'd hardly make it up,' Tweed responded. 'And Amberg's face had been splashed with acid after being shot dead. He looked like a skull.'
He watched Gaunt's reaction but no emotion showed on the Squire's face. He walked slowly to the head of the table and stood looking down where Amberg had lain over the broken chair.
'Cost me a bloody fortune to clean up this place,' Gaunt rasped. 'And there are holes in the panelling. That will have to be attended to. Damned expensive.'
'Greg is money-conscious,' Jennie said as though she felt it diplomatic to explain Gaunt's apparent mercenary attitude. 'It's understandable. Keeping up a place like this these days is a drain on his purse.'
'Do you mind not discussing my personal affairs with a stranger,' Gaunt rapped at her. He looked at Tweed. 'I return from a day away which I enjoyed and find this. I still can't take it in.'
'How did you spend the day?' Tweed enquired.
'None of your business. You sound like a policeman.'
'Greg? Jennie spoke sharply. 'It was a polite question.' She turned to Tweed. 'He has a small cottage at Five Lanes on the edge of the moor. The arrangement was we'd stay away from here from eight in the morning until now. Amberg holds - held - business meetings here.'
'Do belt up, Jennie,' Gaunt said with less force. 'You know something, Tweed? I don't feel like staying in here. Let's repair to the living-room. Thank God the staff sur vived. It's hell getting fresh servants.'
'He won't admit it,' Jennie whispered to Tweed as Gaunt marched out, 'but he's in a state of shock. Would you please join us for some tea? If Cook is up to it. I'll go and have a word, maybe give her a hand.'
'I'll come too,' Paula said.
She glanced at Tweed who was gazing out of the window into the distance. The light was fading and night fell over the drive like a menacing shadow. Knowing they were hemmed in by the desolate moor, Paula shivered.
'Where are you people off to when you leave?' enquired Gaunt. They had just devoured a huge tea of sandwiches and home-made fruit cake. They sat in the living-room on :ouches and armchairs. Gaunt faced Tweed and Paula while Cardon sat on a couch next to Jennie. Butler and Nield had chosen chairs facing the windows which they watched constantly - no one had closed the curtains.
'London,' Tweed lied smoothly. 'There shouldn't be a lot of traffic on the roads at this hour.'
'I'd have expected you to stay somewhere down here until the morning,' Gaunt persisted.
No one had mentioned the bomb outrage at Park Cres cent to their host. He reached for a box of cigars and, when everyone refused, lit one for himself. It was quite a ritual: trimming the tip off, after rolling it close to his ear, then using a match to ignite it. He took a deep puff and sighed with enjoyment.
'That's better. After today. Tweed, I have been wondering what happened to all the cars Amberg and his guests must have arrived in. Amberg always had a Roller.'
'The police drove them away for further examination.'
'Fat lot of use that will do them.'
'It's surprising what forensic specialists can detect.'
'You really do sound like a policeman.' Gaunt's eyes gleamed as though scoring a bull. 'What do you do for a living?'
'I'm an insurance negotiator.'
'Insurance!' Gaunt jumped up. 'Oh my God! I'll bet my insurance doesn't cover damage caused by mass murder.'
'Depends on how the policy is worded,' Tweed said in a soothing tone.
'Blast it, Greg!' Jennie
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