DEATH BEFORE WICKET - Poisoned Pen Press (UK)

Death Before Wicket 1
Perhaps Bisset will go with him and make sure that he doesn’t
take to his heels?’ Bisset and the Dean left reluctantly.
‘We come now to the exposition of another little puzzle. Why
did Adam Harcourt not hand over the papyrus to that bounder
Marrin? Marrin was in complete control of him. He had to do
as Marrin said. But Marrin wasn’t actually here. The papyrus
ended up in Professor Kirkpatrick’s office because someone
else intervened. You saw it happen. Someone led the entranced
Harcourt down the corridor to the office of the one member of
staff that no one, however hysterical, could possibly suspect of
stealing anything. Someone walking beside him. Someone who
had no scruple about allowing Adam to be expelled. Someone
crafty enough to leave the papyrus there until it could be safely
removed and sold to the highest bidder.
‘Now, what do we know about your blackmailer, Mr. Ayers?
Someone who has come into possession of knowledge which
could destroy you. You haven’t been stealing. The Dean was
the thief. You knew something about the magicians, so it might
be that. And in dealing with Marrin and his form of magic, it
must be sex—good old sex. If we became hermaphroditic the
profession of blackmailer would cease to exist. Who would know
about you? Who would manage to terrify you so efficiently? One
of your lovers, of course. What could ruin a university lecturer
faster than the testimony of one of his male students whom he
had seduced? And who would do anything that didn’t involve
any effort for a beautiful life? And who tried to ruin this demonstration,
not caring that by that loud yell he risked Adam’s
sanity and perhaps his life?’
Clarence Ottery rose to his feet. ‘All right,’ he said insolently.
‘You’ve got me bang to rights, Miss Fisher. You’ve really done
terribly well, you know. When Joss wanted to bring you into it I
went along, because not to agree would have seemed suspicious,
but I never expected you to find out what really happened.’ He
smoothed back his hair, immaculate as ever. ‘There’s nothing you
can do to me, you know,’ he told the assembly. ‘I know that Ayers
will support anything I might like to suggest, eh, Ayers?’