CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER THREE

Neele looked at Miss Griffith seriously. ‘So they wanted him to see a doctor. You didn’t tell me that.’

‘I didn’t think of it,’ said Miss Griffith. ‘He never seemed to me really ill - just unlike himself. Once or twice I thought he had been drinking… For most of the time I’ve been here he was always very secretive about his business affairs, but recently he’d been talking openly about them, and spending large amounts of money - which wasn’t like him. It seemed like he was looking forward to something exciting. And some very strange-looking people came to see him on business. It worried Mr Percival. Mr Fortescue was doing a lot of things that Mr Percival thought were unwise. But suddenly his father didn’t listen to him any more and Mr Percival was very upset.’

‘And they had a real fight about it all?’ Inspector Neele asked. ‘I don’t know about a fight, but once, Mr Fortescue came into the typists’ room with Mr Percival and he called him names and swore at him. He said Mr Percival was too scared to expand the business in a big way. He said, “I shall bring Lance home again. He’s worth ten of you - and he married well. Lance is fearless and brave, even if he did risk a criminal prosecution once.” Oh dear,

I wish I hadn’t said that!’

‘Don’t worry,’ said Inspector Neele comfortingly. ‘What’s past is past. Tell me a little more about the staff here.’