To Kill a Queen by Alanna Knight Page B

Inspector Purdie, I presume.'
    'Indeed, yes.'
    'Faro, from Edinburgh City Police.'
    'This is a pleasant surprise. Your exploits are well known to us.'
    Faro shook hands with the tall, burly detective. His face was luxuriously bearded, and keen eyes regarded him from behind gold-rimmed spectacles. His appearance implied that this would be a good man to have around in a fight.
    'Sergeant Whyte of the local constabulary,' said Purdie, indicating the elder of the two who saluted smartly.
    'And Sergeant Craig.'
    'Extra staff for the duration of Her Majesty's visit,' Whyte put in, indicating that his own seniority was not in dispute.
    'Sergeant Craig is here to assist me. I particularly requested someone who has experience of murder investigations and also knows this area.' Purdie's apologetic look in Whyte's direction suggested an awareness of discord between the two officers. The elder and more experienced had obviously been made to feel insecure by this appointment.
    Eager to impress, Craig's smile was supercilious. Here was a young man very pleased with himself. Something familiar in his bearing hinted at the ex-soldier, while a new uniform and boots indicated recent promotion. Faro decided Craig was not in any danger of allowing anyone to forget it.
    'There isn't much crime in the area, as Sergeant Whyte here will tell you,' said Purdie. 'Normally this case would have been dealt with by Aberdeen.'
    'I understood that the case was closed now.'
    Purdie eyed him pityingly. 'From my experience, a verdict of murder by person or persons unknown is never satisfactory. Especially with the Queen in residence, every precaution must be taken to ensure her safety. That's why they called in Scotland Yard.'
    His shrug was eloquent. It indicated that this was a complete waste of time. 'Dr Laurie tells me your aunt has made a good recovery and she will probably be ready to go home tomorrow. She was looking very fit and cheerful. A great age, but Whyte tells me ninety is not all that unusual for country people. And your aunt still has all her faculties.'
    Pausing he smiled. 'She was delighted by the chance of a few words with passing strangers. It was she who told us that Mistress Brodie's important visitors were relatives from Aboyne.'
    'You didn't talk to Mistress Brodie then?' asked Vince.
    'Alas no, we chose an inconvenient time. When we arrived she already had two persons at her bedside. The nurse implied that this was the limit and a great dispensation outside the official visiting hours.'
    'I'm sure we could have arranged—' Vince began.
    'Thank you, but I would not dream of disrupting the hospital's routine.' And turning to Faro, 'A stroke of luck meeting you here, Inspector. I have just arrived but when Sergeant Craig told me you were in the area, I could scarcely believe my good fortune.'
    Vince, encountering Faro's triumphant look, was saved a reply as a nurse hurried towards him. Bidding them a hasty farewell, he followed her down the corridor.
    Faro hesitated a moment, then decided in the circumstances of Purdie and his colleagues having been turned away, it would be tactless to insist upon seeing his aunt.
    At the entrance a carriage awaited Purdie. A not-too-cleverly disguised police carriage, which the Inspector from Scotland Yard was important enough to have placed at his disposal. It was, Faro thought, a conveyance calculated to hinder a discreet investigation, alerting every citizen guiltily concealing an illicit still or poacher's trap and sending waves of alarm and despondency into the surrounding district. Its repercussions would undoubtedly be felt even in those areas where law was administered both rarely and reluctantly by the portly, easy-going Sergeant Whyte.
    Looking back at the hospital, Purdie said to Craig, 'We will return later.' And to Faro, 'We have delayed it as much as possible until Mistress Brodie was considered fit to respond to our official enquiries about the fire.' He sighed. 'This is the second of our