Philip MacDonald – The Maze (страница 3)

Ah! … Number 6 you said. Yes! Yes! Stupid of me … Gentlemen, you may like to pass this plan round among yourselves.

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Thank you. I hope the plan is clear to you all.

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Excellent! Now, Sergeant, if you’ll continue …

Very good, sir. I entered the study and found the body of the deceased lying on the hearth-rug. With the police papers, sir, there’s a plan of the room showing the exact position of the body. The head was pointing toward the centre of the bay window and the feet toward the door. Deceased was dead. I judged life to have been extinct for quite a while. The only injury I could find on examination was to the right eye. This had been penetrated, the object which effected the injury having pierced apparently right through to the brain. There was a good deal of blood. Lying by the body was a large lump of mineral which I took to be gold quartz. That mineral lump is among your exhibits, sir. I found the long spur which projects from one end of it to be covered with blood. The lump was lying at some distance from the body at the spot marked Q on the plan which you will see is close by the foot of the writing-table. There were no signs of struggle or any disturbance in the room. All the furniture, papers, etc., on the desk were quite tidy.

I made a rapid plan of the room and then went downstairs again with Mr Harrison, locking the door and retaining the key.

One moment, Sergeant. Did you examine the windows of the study?

Yes, sir. They were all open. You will remember it had been a hot night, sir. I examined the windows particularly with a view to ascertaining whether it would have been possible for anyone to leave the room by that means. In my opinion, sir, such a thing was impossible. The room is on the second story of the house, and being built on extra, as it has, there is simply a clean drop down to the back area of the kitchen. There is nothing on the wall for foot or hand-hold. There are no trees near by, and there is nothing near the windows inside the room which could have been used to sling a rope round.

I see. Thank you, Sergeant. You were saying that you went downstairs with Mr Harrison.

Yes, sir. When we got to the foot of the stairs I found that the manservant had returned with a constable. I placed the constable on duty outside the door and then telephoned to my headquarters and reported. I was given instructions to take preliminary statements from the members of the house, and did so. Those statements are, I believe, together with the other statements taken later, in the police papers which you have got, sir.

I see … Now, Sergeant, one or two questions. You were the first outside person to enter this house, and your impressions may be of value. Can you tell us how the different members of the family seemed to be reacting to the discovery of Mr Brunton’s death? In what order did you see them?

Mr Harrison first, sir, then Mrs Brunton, then Mr Adrian Brunton, then Mrs Bayford, the deceased’s sister, then Mr Hargreaves, a visitor. That was all, sir. I couldn’t take any statement from the other visitor, Miss Lamort, because she wasn’t in a fit state. The five persons I’ve just mentioned, sir, they were all very quiet, as you might say. Seemed more stunned than anything else, though all answered the questions I put to them without hesitation.

You say, Sergeant, that Miss Lamort was so much agitated that she could not be questioned. What was she doing? Was she fainting? Or in hysterics? Or in a state of collapse?

I should say a state of collapse, sir. Miss Lamort was not one of those persons in the hall when I first entered the house. She was not in the hall when I came downstairs after examining the study. What happened was this: I looked round and then I asked Mr Harrison—he seemed the most collected of those persons—I asked Mr Harrison whether everyone was there. He then told me that there were three inmates of the house presumably still in their bedrooms—the kitchenmaid Violet Burrage, Mrs Brunton’s maid Jinette Bokay, and Miss Lamort. I left the constable in charge downstairs and went up with Mr Harrison to rouse these three persons. The girl Burrage was fast asleep; we had to enter her room and wake her, and it took us quite a time. The young woman Bokay was already awake—she said the disturbance in the house had roused her. She was beginning to dress when we got there and seemed very scared. Those two rooms were in the top or attic story of the house, as you will see from the plan. It’s up there that all the servants sleep. We then came downstairs, and Mr Harrison took me to Miss Lamort’s room. There was a light shining under the door. The door was locked. Mr Harrison and I both took turns at knocking but could not get any reply for quite a while. At last we heard Miss Lamort’s voice asking, ‘Who’s there? Who’s there?’ Mr Harrison answered. He explained that there had been an accident and that everybody was wanted. We heard Miss Lamort getting out of bed. She came to the door at once and opened it. When she saw my uniform she seemed to stagger. She nearly fell, only Mr Harrison caught her in time. She said: ‘What’s happened? What’s happened?’ Mr Harrison told her that there had been an accident and that Mr Brunton was dead and that naturally the police had to make a few inquiries. She then said: ‘I must get some clothes on. I’ll come down.’ I waited. In a very short time she came to the door again, dressed, and I asked her to accompany me downstairs.

In the hall she rushed to Mrs Brunton and caught hold of her and seemed to break down properly. Mrs Brunton and Mrs Bayford tried to soothe her. I gave them permission to take her into the library, which opens just off the hall, so that she could lie down. I then entered the dining-room and began to call in the persons one by one. When I’d questioned Mr Harrison, Mrs Brunton and Mrs Bayford, Mr Adrian Brunton and Mr Hargreaves, I wanted to question Miss Lamort. I went into the library and found her. She was lying on the sofa. She was very pale and didn’t seem to appreciate what was going on.

Detective Inspector Syme then arrived with the divisional surgeon and took charge.

Thank you, Sergeant … Are there any further questions which the jury would wish to put to this witness at this stage? … No? … Very well. Thank you, Sergeant; you may stand down …

Call Inspector Syme.

II

DETECTIVE INSPECTOR JOHN SYME

WHAT is your full name?

John Syme.

Will you please take the oath?

I swear by Almighty God that what I shall say in evidence in this Court shall be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

You are a member of the Metropolitan Police Force?

Yes. I am a Detective Inspector of L.I. Division.

Will you please tell the Court, Inspector Syme, the circumstances under which you were called to 44 Rajah Gardens on the morning of Thursday, 12th July?

I was called on the telephone by Sergeant Crawley at 2.55 a.m. on Thursday last. Sergeant Crawley reported that there was a death at 44 Rajah Gardens, the deceased being Maxwell Brunton, the leaseholder of the house. Sergeant Crawley stated that the circumstances of the death were indicative of murder. I immediately called a car and fetched the Divisional Surgeon, Dr Crosby, and I then proceeded at once with him to 44 Rajah Gardens, reaching there at 3.12 a.m.

You heard Sergeant Crawley’s evidence, Inspector Syme?

Yes.

When you entered the house I assume that you went to the study and inspected the body?

Yes. I found everything as described by Sergeant Crawley and as shown on the plan which you have before you.

Were you able, Inspector, to form any theory as to whether death was caused by the deceased himself, by accident, or by some other person or persons?

I came to the definite conclusion that death could not have been caused either accidentally or by the deceased himself.

Will you please tell the Court, in your own words, Inspector Syme, what you did after your inspection of the study?

I followed the usual routine. I took official charge of the premises, put a constable on duty outside the study, sent for the Police photographers and notified the Divisional Chief Inspector, who asked me to notify Scotland Yard, which I did. I then questioned the inmates of the house. The statements made by them, both to Sergeant Crawley and myself, are with the Police papers which you have before you.

One more question, Inspector. I realise that it is unnecessary for us to get you to inform the Court as to the substance of the statements which you obtained from the members of the household since the gentlemen of the Jury have these statements before them, and, further, will hear the persons themselves giving evidence in due course. But I should like you to tell the Court in what state you found the various inmates when you did question them … We must bear in mind, gentlemen, that when Inspector Syme arrived he had his investigations to make of the scene of death and various other official duties to perform before he entered upon his questioning, and that, therefore, some considerable time would have elapsed between the time of the first questioning by Sergeant Crawley and the second questioning by Inspector Syme … How long would you say that time was, Inspector?