Killing Cousins Read Online Free

laboratory have made me unnaturally suspicious? I can assure you-’
    Faro put a hand on his arm. 'There, there, lad. I take your word for it, that you had just cause for suspicions. What we need to know is who had direct access to Mrs Balfray, the family and retainers, in fact.'
    'That won't take long,' said Vince. 'Balfray Castle has long been on short commons. Francis, with the help of a ghillie and some workers, ran the estate until Thora's illness, then Captain Gibb, ex-Navy, distantly related, took over the factoring in return for a house on the estate.
    'There's Norma, Thora's stepsister, who is betrothed to the Balfray chaplain, Reverend John Erlandson - and that completes the family.' He gave his stepfather a stern look. 'I hardly think any of them could be included as suspects.'
    'What about staff?'
    'Precious few. One wing of the castle is closed off since it was seldom used and the twenty servants of the last laird, Sir Joseph Balfray, were reduced to three indoors, a housekeeper and two maids, and a stable boy who doubles as handyman. Your mother will no doubt be in possession of full family histories of all of them by now.'
    At Faro's wry smile, he continued, 'As for those with constant access to her food...'
    Faro held up his hand. 'No. I don't want to know. Not at this stage, if you please. Let us wait until you've proved the test positive.'
    'But all these people are unknown to you.'
    Faro nodded. 'I agree. Let us just say that I have
    known too many cases in the past of policemen tailoring the crime to fit a favourite suspect. I don't want to be guilty of that. If Mrs Balfray has been poisoned without any shadow of doubt, then, and then only, will be the time to consider suspects with motive and opportunity. And to reach my own conclusions.'
    'We can know for certain in half an hour, Stepfather. Just as long as it takes to set up this apparatus behind the locked door of my bedroom,' said Vince grimly, picking up the wooden box and holding it like some precious gift, on his knees.
    Despite his own misgivings and his hopes that Vince would be proved wrong in his suspicions, Faro was well aware of the infallibility of the Marsh Test. In constant use by police laboratories for the past forty years, it was capable of converting arsenic in body fluids and tissues into arsine gas by a simple apparatus so sensitive it could detect three-thousandths of a grain of arsenic.
    'What will you use - from the deceased, I mean?'
    'I kept a urine sample, that was the easiest to obtain. And some hair roots, for a double check.' Vince stood up. 'Well, shall we go?'
    Leaving the sheltered arbour they almost cannoned into a man who appeared, book in hand, with surprising alacrity from behind the hedge. Of indeterminate age, his heavy beard and hair, luxuriant and dark, were at youthful variance with a somewhat ravished and deeply lined countenance, with the suspiciously florid complexion of the heavy drinker. He bowed gravely to Vince.
    'Captain Gibb. This is my stepfather, Mr Faro.'
    The Captain murmured a greeting and hovered indecisively.
    'Are you returning to the castle with us?' asked Vince politely but, as Gibb declined the invitation and with a non-committal grunt resumed his walk down the path, Faro detected relief in Vince's response.
    'I trust you have no objections to being introduced informally, Stepfather.'
    'Not at all. Mr Faro sounds impressively off-duty,' was the reply, although Faro suspected that his mother must have already told everyone in Balfray the entire life story of her detective inspector son.
    'As I told you, Captain Gibb is related, a remote cousin on the distaff side, or so he tells me with rather constant repetition. According to Francis, he arrived a few months ago, recently retired from active service, anxious to meet the family and write a history of the Balfrays.'
    'He didn't strike me as being eager for our society.'
    Vince shook his head. 'Oh, he is quite anti-social. Devotes scant time and