The Girl from Heavytree Farm

Chapter Two: Death of a maiden

CHAPTER TWO 

It would not be true to say that Mirabelle had never encountered death before. Her mother had died when she was too young to be aware of it, but she vividly remembered being informed of her father's death, far away in Angola, where he had been on a scientific expedition. She had witnessed the death of the terrible Gurther, that merciless agent of Dr Oberzohn, and she was aware that her husband had killed Oberzohn himself, using the same method that Oberzohn had used to kill his rivals and enemies: snake venom. 

But the fact that she had met Elsie and spoken with her, and heard Elsie express her fear that someone was trying to kill her, and that now Elsie was dead and she, Mirabelle, the Just Woman, had not been able to prevent it - this made her feel very guilty, as if she were in some measure responsible for Elsie's death. As she sat with Leon on the train that evening, rushing back to London, she found that she was blaming herself, over and over again. 

'I should have done something. Was there nothing we could have done? Couldn't we have protected her? Was there really nothing we could have done?' 

'We could have escorted her from the country,' said Leon cold-heartedly, 'or locked her up, but while she was in London and free we couldn't prevent her from trying to blackmail Armitage. That was what killed her - the blackmail. You said yourself that it was dangerous.' 

Mirabelle shivered. 'Did George say how it was done?' she asked. It was George who had phoned the message through to the hotel. 

'No. It's quite likely that he doesn't know yet. He should be able to tell us by the time we get back to Curzon Street.' 

Mirabelle didn't ask how George would find out; the Triangle Agency had agents everywhere. George might even find out through the proper police channels. 

'So what do we do now?' she asked, shuddering with cold - she had felt cold ever since she heard the news about Elsie. 

Leon put a warm arm about her and held her close. 'We'll go after Armitage,' he said. 'He's now a double murderer. Elsie may have courted death, but no one deserves to be murdered.' He paused. 'Well: I would make an exception for blackmailers,' he admitted, 'I once wrote an article for a London quarterly in which I argued that there is no adequate punishment but death for habitual offenders of that type. But silly young women don't deserve to be murdered, and Elsie was hardly more than a silly young woman.' 

Mirabelle remembered what he had been saying about Elsie's physiognomy only a short while before, but decided to let his comment go unchallenged. It's one thing to sermonise on theory and another to face up to horrible reality, she told herself. 

The train pulled in to Paddington at 11pm, and they caught a taxi to Curzon Street. George and Raymond were awaiting them in George's first floor reception room\/office. They didn't ask about the holiday, but got straight down to business. 

'Armitage will need a letter,' said George. 'Mirabelle - first thing in the morning.' 

'Yes,' she said, feeling slightly better at the thought of doing something, even if it was only writing a 'The Just Men are after you; you have seven days to repent' letter. 

'Leon, get over to Armitage's house and find out where he's been.' 

'I'll go now,' said Leon. 

'No, he's out at the theatre this evening and his servants have had the evening off. Go tomorrow morning.' 

'So he's given himself an alibi - tomorrow, then.' 

'Raymond, take your motorbike down to the area where Elsie was found and talk to a few of your friends.' Poiccart had an unparalleled acquaintance among the London underworld. 'And I'll go round to see Meadows and find out what he knows. We must try not to interfere with his investigation this time - it causes so much embarrassment all round.'