Out of the depths of his experience the Inspector commented on this to the effect that a drunk would do anything-“And I take it, Mr. Renshaw, that you heard Mr. Foster say, ‘Shooting’s too good for him’-meaning Mr. Craddock.”
Peter smiled affably.
“Rather assuming that, aren’t you? Now,, leaving this somewhat controversial subject, I really came to tell yotf that I have been talking to my cousin Miss Lucy Craddock.”
“You rang her up?”
“She rang me up. She wants to make a statement.”
“She wants to make a statement?”
“Apparently. It seems to surprise you. She-” he hesitated for a moment-“well, she’s a very conscientious person and she thinks she ought to. But she’d had a shock, and she’s naturally timid, and-well, in fact she wants me to be there.”
The Inspector considered the point.
“I don’t see any objection.” He considered still further. “I’m very anxious to get a statement from Miss Craddock, and I’m thinking of sending Abbott to take it down. If she’s an elderly lady and timid, my coming in on her after a shock and all-well, it might, so to speak, dry her up. But there’s something about the young ones, especially if they’ve got fair hair, that’s wonderfully disarming with old ladies. Just bits of lads they think them, and they get the feeling they’re setting them to rights. It loosens their tongues a lot, I’ve noticed.”
When they were in a taxi Peter said,
“Look here, Fug, is it possible to have an unofficial conversation with you? I mean, are you on duty all the time, or could there be some sort of a hiatus?”
Abbott shook his head.
“My superior officer has made a point of reminding me that a policeman on a murder case is a policeman all the time-he doesn’t, properly speaking, come off duty at all. What did you want to talk about?”
“Nothing, if it’s going to be your duty to take it all down in shorthand and decode it for old Lamb. As a matter of fact, it’s nothing confidential. It’s only-hang it all, man, can’t you see what an infernal mess this is for all of us? I thought if we could talk like human beings and get rid of the condemned cell sort of atmosphere it might do both of us a bit of good.”
Fug Abbott looked out of the window.
“I don’t take shorthand notes all the time. If you want to talk, talk-only don’t forget you’re talking to a policeman.”
Peter laughed a little angrily.
“I wasn’t going to offer you a nice, neat confession. What I really wanted to do was to talk to you about my cousin Lucy Craddock. You’re going to get a statement from her, and I want you to realize what sort of person she is. She’s very easily frightened, and when she’s frightened she dithers and goes to bits, but-and this is what I want you to get hold of-however frightened she was, or however much in bits, it wouldn’t be possible to induce her to tell a lie. She might hold her tongue about something, but what she says will be the truth.”
Abbott said, “I see.” What he thought he saw was that Peter was very anxious for him to believe what Miss Lucy Craddock was going to say. He said without any expression in his voice,
“You know what her statement is going to be?”
“No, I do not. Horrible minds you policemen have. She rang me up, and I’ll tell you exactly what she said to me. First of all she said she was better, and then she said Mavis Grey had been to see her, and how dreadful it all was, and perhaps she ought to make a statement, but please would I come too, because she was afraid she might get flustered and she would like to feel I was there-‘and I won’t say any more on the telephone, dear boy, because you never know who may be listening.’ There, Fug, I give you my solemn word of honour that that is every word she said as far as I can remember. There’s one thing more. I told you that whatever Lucy said would be the truth. Well, one reason for that is that she was brought up to tell the truth, and another is that she definitely wouldn’t know how to make a story up. She’s got what I call a photographic mind-quite accurate, quite uninspired, no imagination at all. There-that’s all. Now tell me why you are a policeman.”
Abbott continued to look out of the window. He said laconically,
“I was reading for the Bar. My father died. There wasn’t any money.”
“Any prospects?”
“Quite good, I think. I should probably never have got a brief anyway.”
Chapter XXV
Miss Challoner opened the door to them herself, and at once remarked, “I disapprove of all this very much. Lucy is not at all fit to be worried by the police. Dr. Clarke said she was to be kept extremely quiet. I fail to see how anyone can maintain that making statements to the police about a murder is an occupation suitable for an invalid. However, she insists on seeing you, so I have no choice.”
She opened her sitting-room door and ushered them in.
“Well, Lucy, here they are-and if you have thought better of it, I shall insist on their going away again.”
Miss Lucy Craddock held out both hands to Peter. She was ensconced upon the sofa, fully dressed, but looking very white and shaky.
“Oh, my dear boy-I am so glad you have come,” she said.
Peter kissed her. Her hands clung to his.
“Well, Lucinda, what have you been up to? Look here, if you’re going to tremble, Miss Challoner will turn us out. There’s nothing to be frightened about. This is Frank Abbott who used to be my fag at school, and he’s come to take down anything you want to say.”
Lucy Craddock said, “How do you do?” Then she turned to Miss Challoner.
“Phoebe, dear, if you would kindly leave us-”
“Certainly not!” said Miss Challoner. “You are not at all fit to be left with two young men. Suppose you were to feel faint. I shall certainly not go.”
“I should prefer it, Phoebe.”
Detective Abbott opened the door.
“I am afraid, Miss Challoner,” he said, “that it would be quite out of the question for you to remain. I shall do my best not to alarm Miss Craddock.”
“I shall inform Dr. Clarke!” said Miss Challoner indignantly.
The door closed behind her.
“Dear Phoebe,” said Miss Craddock-“she has been so very kind. Now, Mr. Abbott, will you make yourself quite comfortable? I don’t know what I ought to do, but you will help me, won’t you?” Her voice trembled perceptibly. “I don’t have to take an oath, do I?”
“Oh, no, Miss Craddock. Peter will sit by you, and I will bring this chair up to the foot of the couch. I can write on my knee, and all you’ve got to do is just to tell me what you know about Tuesday evening.”
“It wasn’t the evening,” said Lucy Craddock faintly. “It was the dreadful, dreadful night.”
Frank Abbott brought up his chair, opened a notebook, and said in an encouraging voice,
“Now I am quite ready. Just tell me anything you want to.”
“It is all so dreadful,” said Lucy Craddock. “I don’t know where to begin, indeed I don’t. You know I was going away on a cruise. We had been having a very sad time with my sister Mary’s death-but Peter will have told you-”
“Yes, he knows all that, Lucinda.”
“So I was going away-for a little change. Things had been very disturbing and worrying, and my sister had wanted me to go-but then on the other hand I felt as if I ought to be on the spot. It was all so very difficult.”
“Well, you started off for Victoria, Lucinda, and we know you got there, because that’s where you met Lee and handed her over the key of your flat. She left you at the barrier. Now suppose you begin there and tell us what happened after that.”