Death at Scarlet Leaf.

Chapter 7

"Can I finish cleaning the clock first?" I asked. "I've done the rest of the mantelpiece."

"The clock doesn't need cleaning" Newham sighed, leading me over to one of the chairs by the fire. "For goodness sake, you're going mad. Sit down, and stay there, and try and think some ordinary thoughts for a change. In fact, I'll fetch you your book. Now don't move."

Newham left, and I sat sulking on the chair. I was perfectly fine, thank you very much. Possibly a little excited, but perfectly fine. I didn't want to read. All of my earlier drowsiness had gone, and I was alert, and agitated. If I was right about the mousetraps and the arsenic, then I was another step closer to my solution. It felt good to be doing something, and sitting down reading was not on my list of somethings. Newham came back in, and I folded my arms stubbornly when he placed the book down in front of me.

"Alright" he sighed. "What do you want to do?"

"I want to talk about the case" I replied.

"So explain what you know to me, then."

"Right…" I sighed, biting my lip. "I'll explain as much as I can."

Newham nodded.

"Go ahead."

I took a deep breath.

Before Harvey died, I had eleven questions. Now I had fourteen.

"I can think of fourteen questions which we need to know" I began. "One, who was arguing in the summerhouse at one forty-five, Two, who burnt the will, Three, who actually killed Lord Morris, Four, what was the reason for one, Five, what was the reason for two, Six, what was the motive for three, Seven, why was Harvey not in the burnt will, Eight, what was the meaning of my strange conversation, Nine, how could Mrs. Ellis be in two places at once, Ten, who was Lord Morris and Knight arguing about in the study all that time ago, Eleven, where do the cufflink, the photograph and the white thread come into this, Twelve, who killed Harvey, Thirteen, what was the reason for twelve, and fourteen, how did twelve happen" I said carefully. Newham nodded, but I could tell he was already a little lost. Deciding not to go over it again, I carried on.

"I'm pretty sure I know the answer to question one, and I know about Harvey's cufflink, and why that was in the summerhouse. I…"

Newham butted in.

"How do you know that?" he asked. I sighed.

"I'm pretty sure it was Harvey and Mrs. Ellis that Alice heard arguing in the summerhouse, although I don't know why. Harvey lost his cufflink there." I said calmly. Newham nodded.

"That makes sense. Keep going" he said. I did.

 "I also think I know who burnt the new will, and why, but that all rests on my hunch about the strange conversation I had with Lord Morris on the day of his death, and I might be wrong about that, so it's not really proper evidence yet" I sighed.