Page 82 of Murder of a Dead Man

She nodded.

“You were outside with Mr. Montgomery?”

She nodded again. “Then the curfew bell rang just as Ratman came down the path, yelling for Mr. Montgomery.”

“Ratman?” James repeated.

“That’s what Liddy calls Mr. Ratcliffe,” Cecilia explained.

Liddy nodded. “I don’t like him and neither did Mr. Montgomery. He’s a Ratman. I started to run back to the house, but Mr. Montgomery grabbed my hand and told me to go through his room instead.”

“Why did he do that?” James crouched down in front of Liddy, gently taking her hands in his.

“So no one would know I was still outside when I wasn’t supposed to be.”

“That was kind of Mr. Montgomery.”

She nodded. “He was like that. Then I heard Mr. Turnbull-Minchin and Dr. Worcham yelling for Mr. Montgomery. They sounded angry. I hid behind the bushes, right there,” she said, pointing right outside the door.

“So, you didn’t come in immediately like Mr. Montgomery told you to?” James asked.

She hung her head. “No.”

“It’s all right. I’m sure Mr. Montgomery would forgive you. What happened then?”

“Mr. Turnbull-Minchin said he wanted his book back. Said he knew Mr. Montgomery took it, but Mr. Montgomery wasn’t there then. Archie was there and he lied and said no, he didn’t have it.”

“Mr. Montgomery didn’t have it outside, did he?”

She tilted her head to the side. “No-o-o.” she said slowly, drawing the word out.

“Then he didn’t lie; he didn’t have it with him.” James advised somberly.

Liddy perked up at that and smiled. “Yes!” She sobered again. “Then Ratman told Mr. Turnbull-Minchin to go away. That he needed to speak to his cousin. Mr. Turnbull-Minchin didn’t listen, he came up to them and punched Mr. Montgomery.”

“Mr. Turnbull-Minchin punched Mr. Montgomery?”

She nodded. “Well, it wasn’t Mr. Montgomery it was Archie. He shouldn’t have done that. It made Archie mad.”

“What happened then?”

“Archie hit and hit Mr. Turnbull-Minchin. Ratman and Dr. Worcham tried to stop them. I got really scared then and ran into Mr. Montgomery’s room. I saw the book on the bed. I didn’t want Mr. Montgomery to get into any more trouble so I took it.”

“And you put it in the cupboard in our hall,” said Julia. “Why there?”

“Mr. Montgomery never went to your hall. Mr. Turnbull-Minchin wouldn’t think to look for it there,” she said simply with a small shrug.

“That was very clever, Liddy!” said Cecilia.

She grinned.

“It doesn’t sound like anyone deliberately set out to murder Mr. Montgomery,” Julia said.

“I don’t know,” said Mrs. Vance. “He was found in the canal in the morning. How did he get there?”

James and Cecilia acknowledged Mrs. Vance’s observation. “As far as Liddy knew before she ran away, all four men were involved,” Cecilia clarified.

“Possibly manslaughter,” James said. “Or this Mr. Turnbull-Minchin could have killed him because of the ledger. I don’t think Mr. Ratcliffe would have wanted Mr. Montgomery dead.”