No. 25 was still making a brave show. The lawn had been recently cut, and although the paintwork was at its last gasp, the curtains were bright and clean.
I dug my thumb into the bell push. There was a delay before the front door opened. A girl, blonde, bright looking, with the standard prettiness you would expect from a girl who earns her living in show business, looked inquiringly at me. She had on a blue housecoat, pulled in tight at her waist, and her small feet were in quilted satin blue bed slippers.
‘Miss Shelley?’ I said, raising my hat.
‘Yes. If you’re hoping to sell something you’re wasting your time,’ she said briskly. ‘Don’t tell me I haven’t warned you.’
‘I’m not selling anything. I’m Chet Sladen from Crime Facts. Ever read our paper. Miss Shelley?’
‘I don’t like crime.’
‘That’s as good a reason as any. I want to ask you a few questions. Would you mind? I’m trying to get some background dope on Joan Nichols.’
She lifted blonde, nicely shaped eyebrows.
‘But Joan’s dead. She died more than a year ago.’
‘That’s right. Would it be convenient if I stepped inside? I won’t keep you long.’
She stood aside.
‘If this is a stunt to rob me,’ she said, smiling, ‘it’ll be a waste of time. I haven’t anything of value in the house.’
I took out my billfold and gave her one of my business cards.
‘If that doesn’t set your mind at rest, you can call up Sergeant Scaife at police headquarters. He’ll vouch for me.’
She laughed.
‘Well, you do read odd things in the papers. Come in. I’m sorry I can’t offer you a drink.’ She led the way into the sitting-room that was spick and span, but austere. It contained only the bare necessities. ‘Do sit down. I hope you won’t keep me long, I’ve got to go out in a little while.’
‘I won’t keep you long,’ I said, sitting down in an armchair that looked comfortable, but turned out to be far from it. If she had told me it had been stuffed with rocks I shouldn’t have been surprised. I took from my billfold the photograph of Fay Benson and offered it to her. ‘Ever seen this girl before?’
She took the photograph, studied it, shook her head and handed it back.
‘I don’t think I have. Her face is familiar, but that doesn’t mean anything. So many girls in show business look like that.’
I thought about this, studied Fay Benson’s features and was inclined to agree with her.
‘You’re sure she wasn’t one of the girls in your troupe when you went to Paris?’
‘Oh no, I’m quite sure of that.’
‘Joan Nichols went with you?’
‘Yes. It would be much more fun for me, Mr. Sladen, if I knew what this was all about.’
‘Sorry; briefly, this girl, Fay Benson, disappeared fourteen months ago under mysterious circumstances. Joan Nichols seemed to have known her. Anyway, she called at Fay’s hotel three days after Fay had disappeared. Miss Nichols asked the reception clerk to let her know if Fay showed up. She then returned to her apartment, fell downstairs and broke her neck.’
‘I know she fell downstairs,’ Janet Shelley said, looking questioningly at me. ‘It was an accident, wasn’t it?’
‘The coroner said so; the police think so, but I’m not so sure. She could have been pushed.’
‘But why... why do you think that?’
‘It’d take too long to go into now, Miss Shelley. I may be wrong, but I don’t think so. I’m trying to find out if Miss Nichols was a friend or just an acquaintance of Fay’s. Would you know?’
She shook her head.
‘She never mentioned Fay Benson to me.’
‘Were you and Miss Nichols friends?’
‘Not particularly. She was rather difficult. None of the girls got on well with her.’
‘In what way — difficult?’
She hesitated, then shrugged.
‘I don’t like gossiping about people, but as she’s dead, I don’t suppose it matters. She was always short of money. She tried to borrow from us. After all, we were all hard up, and we had to make do with what we were paid, but Joan would never stint herself. She was always in debt, always worrying someone for a loan. If she didn’t get it, she could be rather horrible. She had a very sharp tongue.’
‘What did she spend her money on?’
Janet Shelley shrugged.
‘What do girls spend their money on? She never went without a thing. Of course, she had to dress better than we other girls. She moved in a better circle. She had an amazing talent for making friends with people with money. When she was in Paris she got friendly with Mrs. Cornelia Van Blake, the millionaire’s wife. Don’t ask me how she did it, but she did. Twice she went to Mrs. Van Blake’s hotel and had dinner with her. She borrowed a dress from me for the occasion, and somehow she squeezed twenty dollars out of some of the girls to put on a front. They never did get their money back, and I had a lot of trouble getting my dress back.’
All this wasn’t interesting me very much, but I let her talk in the hope she would say something eventually that would be news to me.
‘Did you ever see her with a tall, sun-tanned guy around thirty-five who has an eyebrow moustache?’ I asked hopefully.
She shook her head.
‘No. She didn’t have any young boy friends. All her male friends were old: business men; sugar daddies if you like.’
For a girl who didn’t like gossiping about people she was doing all right, I thought.
‘Have you ever met a guy who fits that description? His name might be Henry Rutland. He owns a cream and green Cadillac.’
She laughed ruefully.
‘I wish I had. He sounds fun. My boy friends never run to more than a Ford.’
There didn’t seem any use my wasting her time or mine any further. I was getting nowhere fast.
‘Did Miss Nichols have any enemies, do you know?’ I asked as a final question.
‘I should say she had a flock of them, but none of them would want to kill her. All they’d want to do would be to avoid her.’
‘Okay,’ I said getting up. I was glad to be out of the armchair. ‘I’m sorry to have taken up your time, but it’s been nice to meet you.’ I looked around the austere room, then at her. ‘I’m going to embarrass you, Miss Shelley. My editor doesn’t expect me to waste people’s time asking all sorts of questions for nothing.’ I fished out two tens, folded them and put them on the table. ‘That represents a fee for information.’
If Fayette could have heard me he would have blown his top, but I liked this girl and it was pretty obvious she was having a thin time.
She blushed prettily.
‘Gee! I didn’t expect.’ She stopped short. ‘I haven’t told you anything.’
‘Call it a rain check. I might be back for more information,’ I said. ‘So long for now.’
Before she could protest further, I went into the hall, opened the front door and legged it down the path to the car.
Chapter VI
I
I picked Scaife up at headquarters at seven-forty. It was a warm evening and the sky was cloudless. It looked as if we were going to have a nice night for the barrel lifting job.
‘Did you see the Shelley girl?’ Scaife asked as he settled comfortably on the bench seat of the Buick.
‘I did, but I didn’t get much out of her.’ I gave him the gist of our conversation. ‘Do you know if any of your boys took Joan’s fingerprints before she was buried?’
Scaife shook his head.
‘I don’t know. I’d say they did, but I wouldn’t swear to it. Why?’
‘It might be an idea to check to see if she had a record. A girl who is always after money more often than not gets into trouble.’