She looked as if she were thunderstruck.
“Did you know?” asked Alleyn.
“No. He never told me that.”
“I see,” said Alleyn.
She looked piteously at him. She was rubbing her wrists where he had gripped them. As if on an impulse, she held out her hand.
“Can’t you believe me — and pity me?” she whispered.
A silence fell between them. For some seconds neither moved or spoke, and then he was beside her, her hand held close between both of his. He raised it, her fingers threaded through his own. He had bent his head and stood in what seemed to be a posture of profound meditation.
“You’ve won,” he said at last.
She leant forward and touched her face against his fingers, and then, with her free hand, she pulled aside the eiderdown quilt and let it slide to the floor.
“Last night I thought you were going to kiss my hand,” she said.
“To-night—” He kissed it deliberately. In the silence that followed they heard someone come at a brisk walk down the narrow street. The sound of footsteps seemed to bring her back to earth. She drew her hand away and stood up.
“I congratulate you,” she said.
“On what?”
“On your intelligence. You would have made a bad gaffe if you had arrested me. Will you let me go away now?”
“If you must.”
“Indeed I must. Tell me — what made you first suspect me?”
“Your cosmetic was on the cartridges. ”
She turned away to the window and looked into the street.
“But how extraordinary,” she said quietly. “That bottle was overturned on my table. Arthur himself knocked it over.” She seemed to ponder this for a moment and then she said quickly: “That means whoever did it was in my room?”
“Yes. Your room was empty just before it happened. You were talking to Gardener next door.”
“No, no. That’s all wrong. At least he may have gone in there. No, he didn’t. He was on the stage by that time. Arthur knocked the bottle over. He was splashed with the stuff. When he put the cartridges in the drawer, there was some on his hands. Probably there was still some more of it on his thumb when he loaded the revolver. He realised it was all up with him, and he wanted Felix accused of murder. Or me. He may have deliberately used my wet-white. It would have been like him.”
“Would it? You poor child!”
“Yes. Oh, I know that’s it.”
“I wonder if you can be right,” said Alleyn.
“I’m sure I am.”
“I’ll approach it again from that angle,” he said, but he scarcely seemed aware of what he said. He looked at her hungrily, as though he would never be satisfied with looking.
“I must go now. May I take — the letters — or must they come out?”
“You may have them.”
He went into the next room and got the letters. When he came back with them she looked them through carefully.
“But there’s one missing,” she said.
“I don’t think so.”
“Indeed, there is. Are you sure you didn’t drop it?”
“Those are all we found.”
She looked distractedly round the room.
“I must find it,” she insisted. “It must be somewhere here. He threatened to show that one, in particular, to Felix.”
“We sifted everything. He must have burnt it.”
“No, no. I’m sure he didn’t. Please let me look. I know where he kept all his things.” She hunted frantically through all the rooms. Once she stopped and looked at him.
“You wouldn’t—?”
“I have held back none of your letters, on my word of honour.”
“Forgive me,” she said, and fell to hunting again. At last she confessed herself defeated.
“If it’s found you shall have it,” Alleyn assured her. She thanked him, but was clearly not satisfied. At last he persuaded her to stop hunting.
“I’ll telephone for a taxi,” he said.
“No, don’t do that. I’ll walk to the corner and get one. I’d rather.”
“I’ll come with you. I’ve just got to lock up.”
“No. We’ll say good night now,” she laughed. “I can’t be seen out with you — you’re too compromising.”
“Nous avons change tout cela.”
“You think so, do you, inspector? Good night.”
“Good night, Stephanie. If I weren’t a policeman—”
“Yes?”
“Give me that key, madam.”
“Oh! The key of the flat. Where did I put it? Now that’s lost.”
“Is it on the chain?”
He pulled at the chain round her neck, found the key, which had been hidden under her dress, and slipped it off. This brought them close together, and he saw she was trembling.
“You are quite done up,” he said. “Shan’t I come with you? Give me that pleasure.”
“No, please. Good night again.”
He touched her hand.
“Goodnight.”
She took a step towards him, looked into his eyes, and smiled. In a moment he had her close-held in his arms.
“What’s this?” he said roughly. “I know you’re everything I most deplore — and yet — look at this. Shall I kiss you?”
“Why not?”
“Every reason why not.”
“How strangely you look at me. As if you were examining my face inch by inch.”
He released her suddenly.
“Please go,” he said.
In a moment she had gone. He leaned from the window and watched her come out on to the pavement below. She turned towards South Eaton Place. A few seconds later, a man came out of an alley-way by the flat, paused to light a cigarette, and then strolled off in the same direction.
Alleyn closed the window carefully and put out the light. In walking to the door he stubbed his toe on the little iron-bound box which was still lying where she had dropped it. He stooped down and opened it. A look of intense relief lightened his face. He picked it up and went out of the flat.
Left to itself the telephone rang again, insistently.
CHAPTER XVI
The Inquest
About ten minutes after Alleyn got back to his own flat that night, Nigel’s call came through.
“Got you at last,” he said.
“Did you ring up at Surbonadier’s flat about twenty minutes after you left it?” asked Alleyn.
“Yes. How did you know?”
“I heard you.”
“Well, why the deuce didn’t you answer?”
“I was under the bed.”
“What? This telephone’s very bad.”
“Never mind. What’s the matter?”
“I’ve been to see Felix. He asked me to. You were right.”
“Well, not over the telephone. Come to the Yard at nine to-morrow.”
“All right,” said Nigel. “Good night.”
“Flights of angels sing thee to thy rest,” said Alleyn wearily, and went to bed.
Next morning Nigel arrived at Scotland Yard with his copy and his messenger boy.
“This is becoming a habit,” said Alleyn. He censored the story and the remains were dispatched to Fleet Street
“Now,” said Nigel, “listen!”
He told his story of Gardener’s confession, and of the anonymous letter, which he produced. Alleyn listened attentively and examined the paper very carefully.
“I’m glad he decided to tell you this,” he said. “Do you think he would repeat it and sign a statement to the same effect?”
“I think so. As far as I could gather, after he had got over the first shock of having killed Surbonadier, he began to think you’d suspect him of malice aforethought. Later on, after I’d heard Miss Vaughan ask him not to repeat whatever it was, he felt it was she who was in danger and that he must tell you everything he knew that would be likely to draw your suspicions away from her. He realizes that what he has said definitely implicates Saint, and may implicate himself. He’s not at all sure Saint did it. He’s inclined to think it’s suicide.”