“Indeed I can, Mrs. Plant,” Roger said with intense sympathy. “In fact, what surprises me is that nobody should ever have killed him before this.”
“Do you imagine that people never thought of that?” Mrs. Plant retorted passionately. “I did myself. Hundreds of times! But what would have been the use? Do you know what he did—in my case, at any rate, and so in everyone else’s, I suppose? He kept the documentary evidence against me in a sealed envelope addressed to my husband! He knew that if ever he met with a violent death the safe would be opened by the police, you see; and in that case they would take charge of the envelope, and presumably many other similar ones, and forward them all to their destinations. Just imagine that! Naturally nobody dared kill him; it would only make things worse than before. He used to gloat over it to me. Besides, he had always a loaded revolver in his hand when he opened the safe, in my presence at any rate. I can tell you, he took no chances. Oh, Mr. Sheringham, that man was a fiend! Whatever can have induced him to take his own life, I can’t conceive; but believe me, I shall thank God for it on my bended knees every night as long as I live!”
She sat biting her lip and breathing heavily in the intensity of her feelings.
“But if you knew the evidence was kept in the safe, why weren’t you frightened when it was being opened by the inspector?” Roger asked curiously. “I remember glancing at you, and you certainly didn’t seem to be in the least perturbed about it.”
“Oh, that was after I’d had his letter, you see,” Mrs. Plant explained readily. “I was before, of course; terribly frightened. But not afterwards, though it did seem almost too good to be true. Hullo! isn’t that the lunch bell? We had better be going indoors, hadn’t we? I think I have told you all you can want to know.” She rose to her feet and turned towards the house.
Roger fell into step with her.
“Letter?” he said eagerly. “What letter?”
Mrs. Plant glanced at him in surprise. “Oh, don’t you know about that? I thought you must do, as you seemed to know everything. Yes, I got a letter from him saying that for certain private reasons he had decided to take his own life, and that before doing so he wished to inform me that I need have no fears about anything, as he had burnt the evidence he held against me. You can imagine what a relief it was!”
“Jumping Moses!” Roger exclaimed blankly. “That appears to bash me somewhat sideways!”
“What did you say, Mr. Sheringham?” asked Mrs. Plant curiously.