The Middle of Things | Page 8

ladies. "Yet--you're under his roof? This is his house, isn't
it?"
"Just so," assented Miss Wickham. "But when I say we don't know

much, I mean what I say. Mrs. Killenhall has only known Mr. Ashton a
few weeks, and until two months ago I had not seen Mr. Ashton for
twelve years. Therefore, neither of us can know much about him."
"Would you mind telling me what you do know?" asked Drillford.
"We've got to know something--who he is, and so on."
"All that I know is this," replied Miss Wickham. "My father died in
Australia, when I was about six years old. My mother was already dead,
and my father left me in charge of Mr. Ashton. He sent me, very soon
after my father's death, to school in England, and there I remained for
twelve years. About two months ago Mr. Ashton came to England, took
this house, fetched me from school and got Mrs. Killenhall to look after
me. Here we've all been ever since--and beyond that I know scarcely
anything."
Drillford looked at the elder lady.
"I know, practically, no more than Miss Wickham has told you," said
Mrs. Killenhall. "Mr. Ashton and I got in touch with each other through
his advertisement in the Morning Post. We exchanged references, and I
came here."
"Ah!" said Drillford. "And--what might his references be, now?"
"To his bankers, the London and Orient, in Threadneedle Street,"
answered Mrs. Killenhall promptly. "And to his solicitors, Crawle,
Pawle and Rattenbury, of Bedford Bow."
"Very satisfactory they were, no doubt, ma'am?" suggested Drillford.
Mrs. Killenhall let her eye run round the appointments of the room.
"Eminently so," she said dryly. "Mr. Ashton was a very wealthy man."
Drillford pulled out a pocketbook and entered the names which Mrs.
Killenhall had just mentioned.
"The solicitors will be able to tell something," he murmured as he put

the book back. "We'll communicate with them first thing in the
morning. But just two questions before I go. Can you tell me anything
about Mr. Ashton's usual habits? Had he any business? What did he do
with his time?"
"He was out a great deal," said Mrs. Killenhall. "He used to go down to
the City. He was often out of an evening. Once, since I came here, he
was away for a week in the country--he didn't say where. He was an
active man--always in and out. But he never said much as to where he
went."
"The other question," said Drillford, "is this: Did he carry much on him
in the way of valuables or money? I mean--as a rule?"
"He wore a very fine gold watch and chain," answered Mrs. Killenhall;
"and as for money--well, he always seemed to have a lot in his purse.
And he wore two diamond rings--very fine stones."
"Just so!" murmured Drillford. "Set upon for the sake of those things,
no doubt. Well, ladies, I shall telephone to Crawle's first thing in the
morning, and they'll send somebody along at once, of course. I'm sorry
to have brought you such bad news, but--"
He turned toward the door; Miss Wickham stopped him.
"Will Mr. Ashton's body be brought here--tonight?" she asked.
"No," replied Drillford. "It will be taken to the mortuary. If you'll leave
everything to me, I'll see that you are spared as much as possible. Of
course, there'll have to be an inquest--but you'll hear all about that
tomorrow. Leave things to us and to Mr. Ashton's solicitors."
He moved towards the door, and Viner, until then a silent spectator,
looked at Miss Wickham, something impelling him to address her
instead of Mrs. Killenhall.
"I live close by you," he said. "If there is anything that I can do, or that
my aunt Miss Penkridge, who lives with me, can do? Perhaps you will

let me call in the morning."
The girl looked at him steadily and frankly.
"Thank you, Mr. Viner," she said. "It would be very kind if you would.
We've no men folk--yes, please do."
"After breakfast, then," answered Viner, and went away to join the
Inspector, who had walked into the hall.
"What do you think of this matter?" he asked, when they had got
outside the house.
"Oh, a very clear and ordinary case enough, Mr. Viner," replied
Drillford. "No mystery about it at all. Here's this Mr. Ashton been
living here some weeks--some fellow, the man, of course, whom you
saw running away, has noticed that he was a very rich man and wore
expensive jewellery, has watched him, probably knew that he used that
passage as a short cut, and has laid in wait for him and murdered him
for what he'd got on him. It wouldn't take two minutes to do the whole
thing. Rings, now! They spoke of diamond