Read [Wexford 01] From Doon & Death for Free Online Page B

sweep of gravel, a row of cottages, before the fields began. He crossed the street at The Olive and Dove and went into a chemist's shop between a florist's and an estate agent s. Burden had sometimes bought shaving cream in this shop and he knew the man who came out from the dispensary at the back. But he shook his head at once. They didn't stock any cosmetics of that make.
    There were only two left a little poky place with jars of hair cream and toothbrushes in the window, and an elegant emporium, double-fronted, with steps up to the door and a bow window. The vendor of hair cream had never even heard of Arctic Sable. He climbed up a short ladder and took from a shelf a cardboard box of green plastic cylinders.
    'Haven't sold a lipstick inside a fortnight,' he said.
    Burden opened the door of the double-fronted shop and stepped on to wine-coloured carpet. All the perfumes of Arabia seemed to be assembled on the counters and the gilded tables. Musk and ambergris and new-mown hay assaulted his nostrils. Behind a pyramid of boxes, encrusted with glitter and bound with ribbon, he could see the back of a girl's head, a girl with short blonde curls wearing a primrose sweater. He coughed, the girl turned and he saw that it was a young man.
    Isn't it a delightful shade?' the young man said. 'So young and fresh and innocent. Oh, yes, definitely one of ours . I mark ever ything with this ’ And he picked up a purple ball-point pen from beside the cash register.
    ‘I don't suppose you could tell me who you sold this one to?'
    'But I love probing and detecting! Let’ s be terribly thorough and have a real investigation.'
    He opened a drawer with a knob made of cut glass and took out a tray of gilt lipsticks. There were several in each compartment.
    Xet me see,' he said. 'Mutation Mink, three gone. I started off with a dozen of each shade. Trinidad Tiger - good heavens, nine gone! Rather a common sort of red, that one. Here we are, Arctic Sable, four gone. Now for my thinking cap.'
    Burden said encouragingly that he was being most helpful.
    'We do have a regular clientele, what you might call a segment of the affluent society. I don't want to sound snobbish, but I do rather eschew the cheaper lines. I remember now. Miss Clements from the estate agenf s had one. No, she had two, one for herself and one for someone's birthday present Mrs Darrell had another. I do recall that because she took Mutation Mink and changed her mind just as she was going out of the shop. She came back and changed it and while she was making up her mind someone else came in for a pale pink lipstick. Of course, Mrs Missal! She took one look - Mrs Darrell had tried the shade out on her wrist - and she said, "That is absolutely me!" Mrs Missal has exquisite taste because, whatever you may say, Arctic Sable is really intended for red-heads like her.'
    'When was this?' Burden asked. 'When did you get the fur range in?'
    ‘J ust a tick.' He checked in a delivery book. 'Last Thursday, just a week ago. I sold the two to Miss Clements soon after they came in. Friday, I should say. I wasn't here on Saturday and Monday's always slack. Washing, you know. Tuesday's early closing and I know I didn't sell any yesterday. It must have been Tuesday morning.'
    'You've been a great help,' Burden said.
    'Not at all. You've brought a little sparkle into my workaday world. By the by, Mrs Missal lives in that rather lovely bijou house opposite the Olive and Dove, and Mrs Darrell has the maisonette with the pink curtains in the new block in Queen Street'
    As luck had it. Miss Clements had both lipsticks in her handbag, her own partly used, and the other one she had bought for a present still wrapped in cellophane paper. As Burden left the estate agent s he glanced at his watch. Half past five. He had just made it before they all closed. He ran Mrs Darrell to earth in the maisonette next to her own. She was having tea with a friend, but she went down the spiral staircase at the back of