But there was much to do the morning after the party, and I couldn’t leave all of that to my mother and Nell. And I was waiting for news of Helen Calder. Diana had promised to find out what she could. Simon had driven Melinda Crawford to the train and my mother had taken the last of the chicken, made up as a fricassee, to two elderly women in the village. My father had been summoned to Sandhurst for a ceremony of some sort, and I was rather at loose ends. Remembering that Victoria had telephoned Serena, I decided I would return the favor. As the call was being put through, I realized too late that I should have left well enough alone. This was borne in upon me by the coldness in Victoria Garrison’s voice when I told her who I was. “I should have thought I would be the last person you wished to speak with,” she said. “After what happened the other day.” Refusing to be drawn, I asked, “Miss Garrison, did Lieutenant Hart tell you why he wanted to go to London?” “Why don’t you ask Inspector Herbert?
