“No,” said Kenneth, with a crooked smile. “I haven't.”
“Well, I have thought! And I want to know whether Tony really was with Mr Carrington till midnight. You needn't tell me that Murgatroyd saw him bring her back here: Murgatroyd would say anything. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me at all to discover that she had a great deal more to do with both these murders than we've any idea of!”
“One moment, Miss Williams,” said Giles. “You are forgetting my evidence, aren't you?”
“No, Mr Carrington, I'm not. But it's quite obvious that you'd say or do anything to shield Tony. I'm sorry if you're offended, but I can't and I won't stand by and see Kenneth taken to prison for want of a little plain speaking!”
At this point Hannasyde interposed by asking Kenneth if he was ready to go with him.
“No,” said Kenneth. “I'm not. I want a word in private with my cousin.”
“Certainly,” Hannasyde replied.
“Come to my room, will you?” Kenneth said to Giles.
“I've no intention of running away, Superintendent, so you needn't worry.”
Giles followed him out of the studio and across the little hall to his bedroom. He shut the door and watched Kenneth sit down on the end of his bed. Kenneth had a taut look about him, and when he spoke it was a little jerkily.
“Go on! You're my solicitor. What do I do now?”
“Keep your mouth shut,” answered Giles without hesitation. “Were you at Roger's flat last night, or were you not?”
A faint smile flickered in Kenneth's eyes. “Wouldn't you like to know?”
“If I don't know, I tell you in all seriousness, Kenneth, I won't touch your case.”
Kenneth shrugged. “I haven't needed you so far, but it looks as though I may. I was in Roger's flat.”
“At what hour?”
“Precisely the hour specified by our clever detective.”
“What did you go there for, Kenneth?”
“Private affairs.”
“Luckily I can interpret that,” said Giles. “You went to see if Violet Williams was there, didn't you?”
Kenneth flushed. “What a lively imagination you have!”
“Was she there?”
“She was not.”
“Quite sure of that?”
“Quite.”
“Your error, in fact.”
Kenneth burst out laughing. “Yes, blast you! My error.”
“Why did you think she was, Kenneth?”
“My unfortunate temperament,” said Kenneth lightly.
“I thought that might have been the reason she turned me down at the last minute over that ball. So I went to see for myself. She wasn't there, and hadn't been.”
“Did you part with Roger on good terms?”
“No, not at all.”
Giles sighed. “Why not? What was there to quarrel over if Violet hadn't been there?”
“I could always find something to quarrel over with Roger,” replied Kenneth. “In this case it was his Advice to a Young Man about to marry. But I didn't kill him.”
“All right, leave it at that. Does Violet know?”
“What, that I went to the flat in search of her? You bet she knows! Haven't you noticed the air of outraged virtue? If I have the least regard for her feelings or my own dignity, I shall keep my disgraceful conduct to myself. How long am I likely to be in jug?”
“I hope not more than a day or two. Don't annoy the police more than you can help.”
“The temptation,” said Kenneth, getting up and opening the door, “is pretty well irresistible!”
Hannasyde was waiting for him in the hall, and at the sight of him Kenneth's eyes gleamed. “Hush! Not a word!” he said. “This is where I fade out, skipping the leavetakings. On your way, my friend-the-Superintendent!”
Hannasyde, propelled towards the front door by an insistent hand on his elbow, looked back to say: “I'll send a man round to fetch what Mr Vereker needs. Would you ask Miss Vereker to pack a suit-case, Mr Carrington?”
“Tell her to shove my sketching-block in, and the usual appurtenances,” ordered Kenneth. “I'm going to do a series of black-and-white policemen. After you - Macduff!”
Giles went back into the studio. Violet was standing by the fireplace, her lips still tightly compressed, and a look in her face more of exasperation than concern. Leslie had put on her hat, and seemed to be on the point of departure. Antonia was lighting a cigarette from the stub of her old one. They all three looked towards the door as Giles entered, but it was Violet who spoke. “Well?” she said. “Where's Kenneth?”
“Gone,” replied Giles unemotionally.
“Gone!” exclaimed Antonia. “I quite thought you'd be able to think of something, Giles. Couldn't you get him out of it?”
“Not yet, Tony. Don't worry; he'll be all right.”
“I think,” said Violet, in a voice of still anger, “that this is the last straw!”
“Oh, damn you, shut up!” snapped Antonia. “How could he help going?”
Violet spoke with meticulous politeness. “Will you please not swear at me? I am quite aware that he had to go, but I don't in the least understand why he could not take the trouble to say good-bye. It is a piece of rudeness which -”
“If you don't hold your tongue there will be a third murder,” said Leslie, with deadly calm. “You've said more than enough already. In fact, there's only one thing you forgot; why didn't you advise the Superintendent to inquire into my movements last night?”
“I am quite sure that he had done so, dear,” replied Violet sweetly. “Not that I think you did the murder, for, after all, what motive could you have?”
“If it comes to that, what motive could Tony have had? She doesn't inherit.”
“Not while Kenneth is alive,” agreed Violet, with meaning.
Antonia, not in the least indignant at this remark, frowned thoughtfully. “Well, I don't know,” she said. “I should have to be pretty hard-boiled to commit three murders. It would be dam' silly too, because I'd be bound to get caught out.”
“It seems to me that anyone of normal intelligence can get away with murder,” said Violet scornfully. “What have the police done over this case? Absolutely nothing! They've no idea who murdered Arnold Vereker, and the best they can think of to do now is to arrest Kenneth.”
Utterly obvious, and utterly brainless.” She bent and picked up her gloves and handbag from the chair where she had left them, and began to draw on her gloves, working her fingers into them. “There's no point in my staying,” she said. “If Mr Carrington can't help Kenneth, I am sure I can't.”
Giles made no reply to this, but when the gloves were at last on, he moved in his leisurely way towards the door, and opened it for Violet to pass out.
“Well, Tony,” she said, tucking her bag under her arm, “if I've said anything I shouldn't, I'm sorry, but this thing is getting absolutely on my nerves. You had better come along, too, Leslie; Tony wants to talk to her cousin.”
Leslie said stiffly: “Of course. But please don't wait for me. I'm not going your way.”
“Oh, just as you like, my dear,” Violet replied, shrugging. She walked to the door, but paused there as a thought occurred to her. “I don't know if you've any of you realised it, but there's one person we've left out of our calculations. Where was Mr Mesurier last night?”
“Old Boy's Dinner,” said Antonia briefly.
“Really? But it wouldn't have been impossible for him to have left early, I suppose.”
“I do wish you'd stop making fatuous suggestions,” Antonia sighed. “What on earth should induce Rudolph to murder Roger?”
“You needn't be so high-and-mighty, my dear. I can think of one very good reason. We all know that he said he meant to murder Arnold Vereker because of his - well, really, I must call it pilfering. Now, if Roger knew about that, and meant to prosecute -”
“You're missing on all your cylinders,” interrupted Antonia “Roger knew, and he told Rudolph he wouldn't do anything about it. And if you don't believe me, I wrote a letter to Roger, thanking him. Can't you think of somebody else to suspect?”