WHODUNNIT DRAMA

. General synopsis of case –

WALKING briskly through the park, DCI Darvel took a long draw on his pipe and tried to clear his mind. Fact: Karson Meyers was dead and, apparently, almost completely unlamented. Fact: Meyers had been stabbed through the throat with a poker snatched from beside the fire in his sitting room. Fact: Time of death looked to be somewhere between 7pm and 11pm. Fact: The maid had caught sight of Meyers lying on the floor in a pool of blood shortly before breakfast and raised the alarm. Fact: She told a few curious enquirers that the murder weapon had been a poker before Darvel had a chance to ask her to stop. Fact: Half a dozen people had motive to want the old miser dead, the opportunity to have done it, and a reasonable if flimsy alibi. Fact: Having interviewed all six, he didn’t seem to be any closer to identifying a suspect.

SCENE

SUCH A STATE OF AFFAIRS irked the proud Darvel. Puffing on his pipe, he reflected on the various interviews he had conducted in trying to bring this case to a close.

Michael Knight was a lumber distributor, and one of Meyers’ most vocal creditors. The two had been doing business for several years, but Meyers now owed him a substantial sum of money. According to Knight, Meyers had steadfastly refused to settle the debt. “I’m not surprised someone did him in,” Knight had said. “He was infuriating. It wasn’t me, though. I was at home with my wife all evening. Besides, I don’t hold out hope of getting any money out of his estate. Unfortunately, he owed me the money personally, rather than through his firm.”

Susan Hugo was Meyers’ long-estranged daughter, his only child. She was having a difficult time of it financially, and might possibly have hoped that she would be the main beneficiary of whatever her father had to leave. “I’d love to feel sad that he’s dead,” she had said. “One ought to feel sad when one’s father dies. But the truth is that he was never pleasant to me or my mother. I haven’t been alone in a room with him since mother died, and that was fifteen years ago. But being murdered with a poker, that’s horrible. I suppose I feel a bit sad about that. My husband, Paul, is sick at the moment. I was looking after him. I understand that you have to ask. He’ll confirm my alibi.”

Ian Goddard, one of Meyers’ managers, was unusually forthright in his interview. “I’m absolutely delighted that the old son of a bitch is dead. He was a coward, a bully and a skinflint, and he made my life miserable. Maybe now we’ll have a chance of getting the business back onto a firm footing. I thought about killing him myself, you know. Repeatedly. But he wasn’t worth it. I was playing bridge last night, with three friends. I can even give you a run-down of how the hands played out, if you want.”

Evan Patterson was the other manager. He seemed more reflective than bitter about the victim. “It’s difficult to think of him as dead, let alone stabbed. He was such a dominating presence. He only had to walk into a room, and it seemed as though all the air vanished. We shouldn’t speak ill of the dead, but God help me, I won’t miss him. The firm won’t miss him, either. I suppose we’ll have to put out some regretful-sounding statement and have an official day of mourning or something. I had dinner with my brother last night.”

Emma Moss was Meyers’ housekeeper. Her interview was short and to the point. “Heard he was dead.” Pressed on her whereabouts for the evening in question, she grudgingly added “Home, of course, with my family.”

Jerrold Stanton was Meyers’ butler. “I never had an employer like Mr Meyers. Oh, my. What a broken man. I tried to leave, six years ago, as soon as a I realised exactly what sort of person he was. He made it clear that if I did, he’d accuse me of theft and bribe the judge to send me to prison. I never dared even hint of leaving again. It’s been hard, but I kept my head down, and did as I was told. It’s time for a new chapter in my life. I was at the bar last night, having a beer or two.”

Darvel suddenly stopped dead. “Stupid of me,” he said. “Stupid!” he immediately turned on his heel and hurried back towards the station.

Who is the killer, and how does DCI Darvel know?