Free Death of an Englishman by Magdalen Nabb Page B

glancing out at the rows of shutters, the overcrowded, confined streets, he got a brief but strong suggestion of claustrophobia that might overtake anyone who stayed long enough in the city—or maybe it was really agoraphobia, the labyrinth sucked you in and you didn't even want to leave. Jeffreys tried to imagine flying to London but the idea lacked reality. 'Well, it's easy enough to get over to London, if you want to,' he said, to convince himself, 'and I'll give you my address. Be glad to show you round Scotland Yard and anywhere else you fancy.'
    'Would you?' The younger man seemed moved. 'That's very kind of you.'
    'Be a pleasure. This is the street, isn't it? I can see the bridge at the other end.'
    'Yes. This is it. Number fifty-eight.'
    'Must be your first big case, I should think?'
    'My first of any kind. I'm still in Officer Training School but we are sent out to do some practical.'
    'Thrown in at the deep end, eh?'
    'I'm sorry?' But there was no time to explain that one.
    Only the meat-roaster and the corner barman were still around to come out and stand watching their arrival; the other shops had rolled their shutters down for siesta and the wet pavements were rapidly emptying. They walked into the dark flagged passageway at number fifty-eight and the guard outside the ground-floor flat saluted them.
    'Any incidents?' asked the Captain.
    'No, sir.'
    'None of the tenants tried to speak to you?'
    'No, sir …'
    'But?'
    'Small girl, sir.' The young Brigadier blushed. 'Gave me a bit of trouble on her way in from school.'
    'Yes, I can imagine …' The Captain frowned. 'She wasn't alone?'
    'No, sir. Older child and a maid.'
    'Thank you. That's all, Brigadier. Go and get something to eat. We're going inside and I'll leave the Vice-Brigadier to take over from you.'
    'Thank you, sir.'
    'The cold room was uninviting. 'Shall I switch on the light, sir?' suggested Carabiniere Bacci.
    'Do.'
    The only light was the lamp with its dusty parchment shade. The two English detectives looked about them at the carelessly placed antique furniture, the oil paintings in heavily-carved, gold-painted frames leaning against the walls, the cigarette butts scattered in the stone hearth.
    'The body lay here, as marked, across the bedroom doorway—if you'd like to come through you can take a look at the safe.' The Captain led the way. Without thinking, Carabiniere Bacci stepped over the chalked outline as though the bulky figure were still lying there.
    It was Inspector Jeffreys who happened to notice the slightly warped hardback book that was lying between a whisky glass and a full ashtray on the bedside table. 'May I?' he asked the Captain, and picked it up. Planet on Fire. 'There should be another,' he said to the Chief, and to Carabiniere Bacci: 'The librarian wants them back, if your Chief has no objection; there's probably a second book somewhere.'
    The second book was found: Out of all Time, beneath the turned-back eiderdown. Evidently, Langley-Smythe had lain beneath his eiderdown for warmth, but not in the bed, since he was dressed. He was waiting for something or someone but not expecting trouble or he wouldn't have had the safe open or have turned his back on the visitor. The Captain gave his permission for the books to be moved. Jeffreys planned to leave them at the porter's lodge of the library building; he didn't relish another visit to the place. The Chief Inspector was examining the open safe on the wall behind the bed, the neat stacks of notes in various currencies, chiefly Swiss francs, dollars and lire.
    'All used,' he remarked. 'Any papers?'
    'Personal ones, of course, but nothing of interest to us—we did find the name of his lawyer and he may come up with something useful yet but, in the circumstances, I really don't think we're going to find anything.'
    'Well … as an attempted robbery, I agree, it makes no sense … and since he seems to have had no … social life of any kind, I suppose that leaves us with this safe.