“Were any of you expecting another guest? Any family members who are not here?” Prescott asked.
“Only Aunt Minny and Aunt Agnes,” Terrence said. “And we certainly weren’t expecting them.”
“My two sisters who are in the convent,” Mary Flannery explained. “They haven’t been outside the walls for years. And the only other family members are my daughter and son-in-law and their other children. My brother Brian didn’t approve of her marrying him against his wishes, so they are not invited here.”
“Could the husband be the man that my wife encountered last night?” Daniel asked. “Uncouth, thin, with a mustache?”
“Possible,” Joseph Hannan said, “but why on earth would he show up here? He knows he’s not welcome.”
“To touch Uncle Brian for money?” Terrence suggested with a grin.
“Then why come here? It would be more convenient to see him at his office in the city, any day of the week,” Joseph said. “They only live a stone’s throw away.”
As I watched him, an idea struck me. The whispered conversation at our cottage. The shadowy figure on the stairs and the feminine giggle. Joseph Hannan had conveniently forgotten to mention that he had brought somebody with him—someone who was not here now.
Eleven
“Your wife is not here, I believe, Mr. Hannan?” I said innocently and was glad to see a flash of annoyance cross his face.
“My wife never comes to family gatherings,” he said. “She is of a nervous disposition, easily upset by noise and too many people.”
I thought that someone who did good works among the poor, as described by Eliza, would quite often encounter noise and bustle in the slums of the Lower East Side. It was one of the noisiest places on Earth with the pushcart vendors shouting their wares and all the facets of life taking place in such close quarters.
I thought Eliza was going to say something but she glanced at Terrence and then looked out of the window.
“Is there anything else we can do to help at this moment?” Joseph Hannan went on. “I believe we’ve established that nobody saw Brian or knew that he had arrived. Now I don’t want to sound callous but I could do with some hot coffee and breakfast. So could we all. We’re all in a state of shock. You’re welcome to join us, Chief Prescott.”
Joseph rose to his feet. Other family members also got up. So did Daniel. He held up his hand. “One more question, if you don’t mind. Exactly why did Brian Hannan invite his family here in the middle of October? Not exactly the season, is it? And a long, awkward journey for all of you.”
“We asked ourselves the same thing,” Terrence said. “Didn’t we, sissy?”
“It was most inconvenient,” Eliza said. “I had volunteered to take part in a suffragist rally and I had to let them down.”
“Maybe that was why Uncle Brian did it.” Terrence grinned. “You know his feelings on giving women the vote.”
“Not amusing, Terrence. Your uncle is dead,” Joseph said. “Show a little respect, please.” He turned to Daniel and me. “And I take it you’ll have the decency to vacate the guest cottage and leave us to our private grief, given the circumstances.”
“Unless Chief Prescott would like us to stay.” Daniel looked across at the other policeman.
“Why would he want to do that?” Joseph asked.
“I don’t think that will be necessary,” Prescott said hastily. “The family will surely want to arrange for the burial, but that would not concern you. I see no reason that you’d not be free to go.”
“So you’ve completely ruled out the possibility of foul play, have you?” Daniel asked.
“Foul play?” Joseph asked. The other occupants of the room jerked their heads up as if they were puppets on strings.
Daniel nodded. “Mr. Hannan was a very rich and ambitious man, after all.”
“You’re hinting at murder?” The color drained from the police chief’s florid face. “Surely we’re talking about a tragic accident. Mr. Hannan took a wrong turn in the darkness and fell off the cliff. It’s easy enough to do here, as you all know too well.”
There was an uncomfortable silence among family members.
“And if he was pushed off the cliff, I don’t know how you’d ever prove it without a witness,” Prescott continued. “It’s not as if there would be a handprint in the middle of his back.”
“What an awful thing to say,” Mary Flannery gasped. “Who would want to kill dear Brian? The kindest man that ever lived, God rest his soul.”
“He’s a political figure and I’m sure that such a man has enemies,” Daniel said.
“If he did, would he be likely to meet with them near the edge of the cliff?” Terrence asked, again with a hint of amusement in his tone. “Uncle Brian certainly wasn’t stupid. What I want to know is why he didn’t come into the house and greet us when he arrived. He usually loves to have the family around him. That does seem odd, doesn’t it?”