I woke up nice and early the following morning, feeling sick with anticipation. After washing and getting dressed, I picked up the keys to the room from my shoe, where I had hidden them the previous night, and went downstairs to get breakfast at about nine o'clock. I was getting a lot of curious stares from the people already in the breakfast hall as I sat down on a single table in the corner and looked at the menu. Well, I looked at and over the top of the menu, as I wanted to see if Commander Armstrong, Newham, Nesbitt or even Hettie had come down to breakfast. They hadn't, but I could see Church and Hanson Grange over in another corner. Grange looked, and rightly so, extremely distressed, and Church was trying to calm the big man. I felt bad for him. I would have been in a similar state, if not worse, if I had ever lost Isabel the way he had lost Nathan.
I ordered a full English breakfast, but sadly couldn't quite stomach it all. Hettie and her husband had sat down across the room while I had been eating, and I decided not to bother them, since Hettie was probably still keeping the fact she was helping me a secret from her husband. It was nearly ten o'clock, and I hurried out into the foyer to wait for Dr. Scott. I wasn't waiting long, and soon the old man arrived, holding a suitcase full of, I hoped, important things.
"Miss Winter!" Dr. Scott smiled, coming over to me. I shook his hand heartily, beaming all over my face.
"It's been too long" I sighed, and he agreed.
"Where's the Lieutenant?" he asked worriedly. I shrugged, looking around.
"I haven't seen him all morning. I think he's having a lie in or something. Probably right, too. he was one of the four players in the poker room where the murder took place. He knows I'll have to treat him as a suspect for a while."
Dr. Scott bit his lip as he followed me down the hall to to the poker room. It was, calmingly, still locked, so I unlocked the door and we went in.
Everything was just as it had been the previous night. I led Dr. Scott over to where the body still lay, flopped over the table.
"Time of death was around half past ten" I told him. "Not that that's important, I mean, there were only four people in the room at the time, so it sort of narrows the field a little."
"Just a little" Dr . Scott murmured, humouring me.
"There's a couple of things I want you to check out" I carried on, crossing over to the sideboard where the drinks tray was. "First off, I need to know what this is."
I was pointing to the sprinkles of white powder on the side of the tray. Dr. Scott came over to look.
"I've also got a hunch that whatever that is" I said "is in one of the cups too. Can you take samples from all of them? I know which one it should be in, but it doesn't hurt to check."
"Is that everything?" the doctor asked. I looked around, nodding.
"For now, yes. If it's no trouble."
"No trouble at all, Miss Winter. In fact, I'm rather liking the change" Dr. Scott smiled, setting to work as I sat down on one of the armchairs, studying the scene. Four men. Three different suspects, ruling out suicide. Two innocents, one guilty. One game. One death. One apparent method, and currently, no motives. I frowned as I watched Dr. Scott at his work. I needed to talk to someone who knew all three suspects well, well enough to be able to give me an accurate history of them all. Church, perhaps.
Dr. Scott came over to see me, with four labelled test tubes and a sachet.
"All done?" I asked. He nodded.
"I'll get back to you as soon as I can. I'm going to ask for the body to be removed. Is that alright?"
I smiled.
"Perfectly fine. I'm going to be spending most of my time in here, and I'd rather not be sharing the room with a dead man."
"You said that so calmly" the doctor commented. "I remember how squeamish you used to be."
"Well, things change" I sighed, shuddering as I remembered Pansy's death a few months earlier. "People change."
"They certainly do, in your case" Dr Scott commented quietly.
"Can you ask the desk if they'll send Lieutenant Church in to see me?" I then asked, relaxing down on the chair. Dr. Scott nodded, and left. I sighed contentedly, and refrained from using the coffee table as a footrest. My investigation was off to an excellent start. I fancied that it wasn't going to be too difficult to crack this one. Compared to what I had already achieved, this was child's play.
Lieutenant Church poked his head nervously through the door a little while later. I was slumped on the chair, sadly with my feet on the coffee table. It was just too tempting.
"You wanted to see me?" he said, a little timidly. I nodded.
"I did. But I assure you now you've got nothing to worry about. I know perfectly well you've got nothing to do with all this. I just want some background on Nesbitt, Newham, the Commander and Nathan Grange, that's all. I reckoned you'd be the best person to ask. Please, take a seat."
I gestured to the other armchair, having removed my feet from the coffee table. Church sat down, and I smiled, netting my fingers together and leaning casually back on the chair.
"So" I prompted. "Is there anywhere you want to start? I've got all day."
"Well" Church started, a little uncomfortably. "I've known Newham longest. He is a good sort of chap, as you know, we met out in India. Everyone loved him. Everyone. He had no bad habits, barely drunk, never gambled, we struggled enough to get him into poker. He's good at it, y'know, has a very good poker face. Some of the chaps have started to wish they'd never taught him to play."
I tried to keep my own expression blank. Something about what Church had just said didn't add up.
"What did he do...before he came to the Army?" I asked carefully. Church's eyes flicked up to the right, and back at me again.
"Nobody knows" he replied guardedly. "He's a good sort of chap, no doubt you know. Not one to go murdering people."
My eyes narrowed, despite my attempts to stop them. Newham's past was something I'd never really thought about before. From Church's reaction, it didn't sound like something I really wanted to delve into.
"What about Commander Armstrong?" I asked. "I've heard he was returned home from India under suspicious circumstances, but not much else."
"There's not much anyone knows about him" Church replied. "He's got barely any family, is completely single, and seems determined to stay that way. He wasn't always like that, though. It all spiraled downhill after he was returned home from India."
"You and Newham were out there with him, no doubt?" I asked. Church nodded.
"I've already heard all of the rumours" I explained. "Newham told me."
"I see" Church said curtly.
"Nesbitt" I prompted again. The lieutenant took up my baton.
"Nesbitt's a good chap, too" Church told me. I nodded patiently.
"He came like all other soldiers did" Church carried on. "From a city, since he hadn't found work. It was his ego that stopped him from going anywhere, though. He enjoys being a soldier, I think. Runs yearly poker games for all the men. Expert dealer. Helped teach Newham to play, as a matter of fact."
"Hmmm" I sighed. "And Grange?"
"Kept himself to himself, really" Church said. "Very much overshadowed by his brother. Absolutely adored him, though. His brother, I mean. You wouldn't have found a kinder or more loyal soul on the planet than Nathan Grange. I can't think who would want to kill him."
"Where did you meet them both?" I asked. "Nesbitt and Nathan, I mean."
"The Grange brothers used to both be in the same regiment as Newham. He'd known them both longer than he'd known me. Nesbitt was a bit of a wild one. I didn't meet him until Newham introduced him to me when they all came back from India. They were out there much longer than I was."
"And there's the link" I murmured.
"I'm sorry?" Church asked. I instantly masked my excitement.
"Nothing for you to worry about, sir" I smiled. "Have you seen Newham or Nesbitt at all?"
Church bit his lip.
"They're both still in bed, I've heard" he replied. "Apparently they've both come down with something overnight. Your doctor friend's up having a look at them."
"Oh" I said worriedly. "I hope they're alright. Can you send the Commander in to see me? If he's got time, I mean."
"I'll ask" Church sighed doubtfully.
"Thank you" I smiled, as he left. I sat for a few more minutes in the room, mulling everything over. Granted, there was very little to mull over at that point, but I wanted to keep everything crystal clear. After a little while, I tired of waiting, and left, intending to go and sit again in the lounge area, and see what gossip I could pick up. I made sure I had locked the door safely behind me.