Read Mrs. Jeffries in the Nick of Time for Free Online Page A

telling the police that someone had shown an unnatural interest in a local murder. A bit of gossip was one thing, but asking too much could arouse suspicion. It was a fine line he walked. “But aren’t you supposed to stay close and wait for the police when there’s been a murder in the ’ouse?”
    “No one said anything when I left and there was police hanging about everywhere,” Cooper said defensively. “There were two constables standing right there on the back terrace when Mrs. Eames told me to go about my business and take the second coal cart down to Mrs. Bowden’s house. If the police wanted me to stay on the premises, one of the coppers should have said something. I weren’t hiding what I was doin’. It’s a ruddy great cart and both them coppers watched me wheel it down the path and off the property. I’ve done nothin’ wrong.”
    “Course you ’aven’t,” Wiggins assured him.
    Cooper pursed his lips and glanced down at his drink. “Mind ya, I probably should have gone back to the house instead of comin’ here. Mrs. Eames is goin’ to have my guts for garters if I don’t get back soon.”
    “Who’s Mrs. Eames?”
    “Who do ya think she is, she’s the housekeeper.” Cooper took another drink.
    “If the police are still there, not even your Mrs. Eames will notice you’ve not come back,” Wiggins retorted. The fear had faded from Cooper’s eyes and his color was back. “ ’Ave another one. It’s not often I get to talk to someone who’s been close to a real live murder. It’s ever so excitin’. Did ya hear the gun goin’ off?”
    “You’d had to have been deaf not to hear.” Cooper relaxed. Wiggins could see he was starting to enjoy himself. “I’d just come out of the small shed at the back of the garden when there was a crackin’ sound loud enough to raise the dead. Course I knew right away that it was a gunshot.”
    “Done a lot of shootin’, ’ave you?” Wiggins smiled to take the sting out of the comment. But it was important to know if the lad was just talking or if he actually had known the noise was indeed from a weapon. Over the years, everyone in the Witherspoon household had learned that understanding the details was very important.
    “I’ve never even touched a gun.” Cooper looked horrified by the idea. “But I used to go with Mr. Humphreys when he went on his hunting trips to Scotland. He wasn’t really much of a hunter. He told me once he didn’t like killin’ defenseless animals, but goin’ to Scotland was a good excuse to drink fine whisky.”
    “Was your Mr. Humphreys killed with a huntin’ rifle?” Wiggins asked. Cor blimey, if that was the case, no wonder the lad had headed for a pub.
    “I don’t think so.” Cooper thought for a moment. “There weren’t much blood. Besides, the shot I heard didn’t sound like it come from a rifle. Like I said, I used to go with Mr. Humphreys, and even though he didn’t hunt much he liked to practice shooting his Enfield when there was no one about.”
    “What’s an Enfield?” Wiggins asked. He knew perfectly well what kind of gun an Enfield was, but he wanted to see how much Cooper knew about weapons.
    “It’s a revolver. Mr. Humphreys wasn’t a very good shot, but he seemed to enjoy it. Poor fellow.”
    “Was he a good guv?”
    “He was no better or worse than most.” Cooper grinned. “Bit of a strange one, though. He always goin’ on about the trains and worryin’ about why they weren’t runnin’ on time. But for the most part, he treated the household decently.” He swallowed the last of his beer and put his glass down on the counter. “Mind ya, I can’t say the same for the way he treated his family.”
    “What do you mean?” Wiggins asked.
    “He weren’t mean or anything like that, but he could be right hard if he thought ya weren’t livin’ up to his expectations. He liked to lecture them about responsibility and obligations and behavin’ properly.”
    “Did he have