‘Look here, Pollock. All we want from you is some in formation. If you’ve got nothing to hide, why not answer a plain question?’
‘Well, what is the question? Were l off the Flat-Iron on Thursday? Yes, I were. Wot about it?’
‘You came along from your own place, I suppose?’
‘Well, I did, if you want to know. Where’s the ‘arm in that?’
‘None whatever. What time did you set out?’
‘About one o’clock. Maybe more; maybe less. Round about the slack.’
‘And you got to the Flat-Iron about two.’
‘Well, and where’s the ‘arm in that?’
‘
‘Did you see anybody on the shore at that time?’
‘Yus, I did.’ ‘You did?’
‘Yus. I’ve got eyes in me’ed,’aven’t I?’
‘Yes. And you may as well have a civil tongue in your head.
Where did you see this person?’
‘On the, shore by, the Vlat Iron-round about two o’clock.’ ‘Were you close enough into see who it was?’
‘No, I weren’t. Not to come into your bleedin’ court and swear to a pimple, I wasn’t; and you can put that in your pipe, Mr Cocky Superintendent, and smoke it.’
‘Well, what did you see?’
‘I zee a vule of a woman, caperin’; about on the beach, goin’ on as if she was loony. She runs a bit an’ stops a bit, an’ pokes, in the sand and then runs on a bit. That’s what I zee.’ ‘I must tell Miss Vane that,’ said Wimsey to the Inspector.
‘It will appeal to her sense of humour.’
‘Oh, you saw a woman, did you? Did you see what she did after that?’.
‘She runs up to the Vlat-Iron an’ starts messin’. About there.’
‘Was there anybody else on the Flat-Iron?’
‘There was a chap lyin’ down. At least, it looked so. ‘And then?’
‘Then she starts a yowlin’ an’ wavin’ her arms.’ ‘Well?’
‘Wells what? I — didn’t take no notice. I never takes no notice of vemayles!’
‘Now, Pollock, did you see anybody else at all on the shore that morning?’
‘Not a zoul.’
‘Were you within sight of shore all the time?’ ‘Yes, I were.’
‘And you saw nobody except this woman and the man lying down?’
‘Ain’t I tellin’ you? I zee nobody.’
‘About this man on the Flat-Iron? Was he lying down when you first saw him?’
‘Yes, he were.’
‘And when did you first see him?’
‘Soon as I come in zight of ’un, I zee un.’
‘When’ was’ that?’
“Ow can ‘ I tell to a minute. Might be a quarter to two, might, be ten minutes to. I wasn’t takin’ perticklers for the perlice. I were attendin’ to my own business, same as I wish other folks would.’
‘What business?’
‘Zailin’ the bloody boat. That’s my business!
‘At any rate, you saw the man some time before you saw the woman, and he was then lying on the rock. Was he dead, do you think, when you first saw him?’
“Ow wur I to know if ’e wur dead or alive? ’E didn’t kiss ’is ‘and to me. And if ’e ’ad, I shouldn’t, a’ seen’un, dye zee? I wur too far out’
‘But you said you were within sight of shore the whole time.’
‘Zo I wur. But shore’s a big. thing. A man couldn’t very well miss it. But that’s not to zay I could zee every vule on it playin’ at kiss-me-’and’
‘I see. Were you right out on the Grinders, then?’
‘Woes it matter where I wur? I weren’t speckylatin’ about corpses, nor yet what vemayles was after with their young men. I’ve got zummat more to do than zit about watchin’ bathin’ parties.’
‘What had you to do?’
That’s my business.’
‘Well, whatever your business was, it was out in the deep water off the Grinders?’
Mr Pollock was obstinately silent ‘Was anybody with you in the boat?’
‘No there weren’t.’
‘Then what was that grandson of yours doing?’
‘Oh, him? He was with me. I thought you meant was
there somebody else, that didn’t ought to have been there.’ ‘What do you mean by that?’ ‘Nothing, only perlicemen is a pack of vules, mostly.’
‘Where is your grandson?’
‘Over to Cork. Went last Zatterday, he did.’ ‘Cork,’ eh’ Smuggling goods into Ireland?’ Mr Pollock spat profusely. “Course not. Business. My business.!
‘Your, business seems to be rather mysterious, Pollock.
You’d better be careful. We’ll want to see that young man when he gets back. Anyway, you say that when the young lady saw you, you had come in, and were putting out again’ ‘Why not?’
‘What did you come in for?’ ‘That’s my business, ain’t it?’ The Superintendent gave it up.
‘At any rate, are you in a position to say whether you saw anybody, walking along the shore between your cottage and the Flat Iron?’
‘Yes, I am. I zee nobody. Not up to quarter to two, anyway. After that, I couldn’t swear one way nor, t’other, ‘avin’ my own business to mind, like I zaid.’
‘Did you see any other boat in the neighbourhood?’ ‘No, I didn’t’
‘Very,well. If your memory should improve in the next few days, you’d better let us know.’
Mr Pollock muttered something uncomplimentary, and removed himself.
Not an agreeable old gentleman,’ said Wimsey.
‘An old scoundrel,’ said Superintendent Glaisher. ‘And the worst of it is, you can’t believe a word he says. I’d like to know what he was really up to.’
‘Murdering Paul Alexis, perhaps?’ suggested the Inspector.
‘Or conveying the murderer to the scene of the crime for a consideration,’ added Wimsey. ‘That’s more likely, really. What motive should he have for murdering Alexis?’
‘There’s the three hundred pounds, my lord. We mustn’t forget that. I know I said it was suicide, and I still think so, but we’ve got a much better motive for a murder than we ‘had before.’
‘Always supposing Pollock knew about the £300. But how should he?’
‘See here,’ said the Superintendent. ‘Suppose Alexis was wanting to leave England.’
‘That’s what I say,’ interjected Umpelty.
‘And suppose he had hired Pollock to meet him somewhere off-shore with his boat and take him across to a yacht or something. And suppose, in paying Pollock, he’d happened to show him the rest, of the money. Couldn’t Pollock have put him ashore and cut his throat for him and made away with the gold?’
But why?’’ objected Umpelty. ‘Why put him ashore?’ Wouldn’t it have been easier to cut his throat aboard the boat and drop the body into the sea?’