Chapter 7: The Body In The Buick

Around 3:00 a.m., January 24, 1941, two African dairy workers discovered the wreck  death:

• Erroll's Buick
• main Nairobi-Ngong road
• car plunged into ditch facing wrong way; headlights still on
• body of a European in army uniform, crouched on all fours under the dashboard, hands clasped in front of the head

7:00 a.m.

• Alfred, the room boy, brought Broughton his morning tea
• Broughton was already awake, but not dressed
• dressed for tea and went on his usual morning walk
• on his return, feeling the hangover now, he undressed and went back to bde
• he called the boy for more tea

by 8:30 a.m.

• he was back up and breakfasted

9:00 a.m.

• Gerald Portman rang from his office to say Joss Erroll had had a motor accident and had broken his neck
• June Carberry took the call; she called Broughton to her room
• Broughton seemed shocked
• Inspectors begin their inquiry in Karen
• Diana was in a state of hysteria
• police did not interview her out of respect for her situation; hysterical
• Broughton takes a handkerchief Diana gave him to place on Erroll's body
• it took awhile for Broughton to find mortuary where Erroll laid
• Alice de Trafford and Gwladys Delamere already at the mortuary when Broughton arrived;
• Broughton was not allowed inside the building
• Alice suggested Erroll's history of heart trouble may have been the cause of death

Most interestingly:

• from there Broughton has presence of mind to go to the Union Castle steamer agent in Nairobi, to re-book his passage to Ceylon; he had canceled it some days previous;

12:30 p.m.: Broughton returns home

• June Carberry: who had made a lightning visit to Erroll's house, arrived carrying a small jewel case
• there were two other guests for lunch: Juanita Carberry, June's 15-y/o daughter; and, her governess, Isabel Rutt

Most interesting: the bonfire--

• three days earlier, Broughton had his head boy, Abdullah bin Ahmed place cans of petrol in his bedroom
• now he retrieved those cans of petrol
• started bonfire in the rubbish pit
• the fire put out by Abdullah as everyone else went to lunch
• Juanita noticed a pair of gym shoes in the bonfire; one never burned even a pair of worn out gym shoes; if nothing else, one game them to your houseboy.

Broughton asked to be left alone at Karen; last seen crying
Diana, June, Juanita and Isabel Rutt depart Karen; go to the Carberry's house at Nyeri

Broughton spoke to Gwladys three times that day, by phone

Gwladys refused Broughton's request to place a note from Diana on Erroll's grave

Half hour late to the funeral on January 25th, Broughton:

• he told Gwladys his car broke down
• he told the police he thought the funeral was a half-hour later

Broughton "threw" Diana's note on the grave after Gwladys again refused to do that.

Inspector Poppy takes first formal statement from Broughton
Poppy surprised to learn about the bonfire that Broughton set himself, and the fact it was so big
Poppy put guards around the dead bonfire
Broughton seemed concerned that the "inquiry/inquest/post mortem" had been delayed

Two days later, Broughton visits Diana at June's house; at first, only Juanita there; Diana and June show up two hours later.

"Broughton recognized that by now he was a prime suspect." -- page 91.

Poppy interviews Broughton again on January 29:

• the theft of the revolvers on the 21st
• the marriage pact with Diana
• the agreement with Erroll that he should take over
• his movements on the night of 23rd-24th
• the note in the grave
• the burning of the rubbish pit

The following day a search of the house ordered.

Another look at the rubbish pit: this time a golfing sock with blood stains still clearly visible;

It now seemed Poppy had one suspect and only one suspect.

From spies he placed in the house, Poppy learned:

• shooting practice at Soames' farm
• found spent bullets and sent them to Government chemist for comparison with the murder bullets -- a process that would take six weeks.

February 6, 1941: Broughton makes final statement and hands over firearms certificate for his Colt 32 which had been stolen in January.

Later in February, less than three weeks after the murder, Broughton and Diana set off, incredibly, on a full-scale shooting safari into the Southern Masai Reserve along the Mara River

• accompanied by the famous white hunter, John Hunter
• Hugh Dickinson whom they hadn't seen since the end of January
• he had been in hospital at time of the murder
• safari lasted eight days
• author describes how crazy this was -- to take such a safari
• Diana had recovered enough to shoot the first lion; she even took three photographs of her trophy before taking aim
• Broughton claimed a lion and a small antelope
• Dickinson: two lions

An energetic safari:

• Broughton carried an 11-pound double-barreled rifle;
• Broughton helped haul the carcass of a 450-poud lion into the truck
• one day he walked for seven miles, in the heat of the day, after buffalo

End of chapter.