"Oh God!" said Jim, with deep misgiving.
Mr. Harte danced with impatience. "Oh, Jim, don't be a cad!"
"Well, if you swear it isn't anything hellish, and if it really means that you'll remove yourself till teatime," began Jim, taking out his notecase.
"Oh, good of you!" exclaimed Mr. Harte, waiting to hear no more. He pocketed a pound note with fervid thanks and was about to hurry away when a thought occurred to him, and he paused. "I say, can I keep the change?" he asked anxiously.
Jim nodded.
"Say, you're a swell guy!" declared Mr. Harte in a burst of gratitude and vanished.
Jim and Patricia ensconced themselves on the terrace.
They enjoyed peace for nearly an hour, at the end of which time a stately procession issued out of the house. Emily had cut her siesta short and elected to join the rest of the party. This entailed the summoning of the footman and the chauffeur to carry her downstairs; the butler to bear her favourite chair out on to the terrace; and Ogle to bring up the rear with her rug, her shawl, and her spectacles.
By the time Emily had been settled in her chair, a table placed at her elbow, her ebony cane propped up within her reach, and her sunshade fetched for her, the party had been further augmented by the arrival of Oscar Roberts. He was ushered on to the terrace by Pritchard and after bowing to Mrs. Kane and Patricia went up to Jim and shook hands. "I met Timothy in the town," he said. "What he had to say made me feel I'd like to come right on up to see you. Are you still telling me I'm crazy?"
"I don't think I ever said that, did I?" replied Jim, pulling forward a chair, "Sit down, won't you? Cigarette?"
Roberts took one from the case held out to him and lit it. "Might I know just what happened to your car this morning, Kane? I can't say I made much of my friend Timothy's story. It sounded mighty lurid."
"Oh, it wasn't lurid at all!" replied Jim easily. "Just something put out of action in the steering. No damage done."
Roberts smiled. "Quit stalling, Kane!"
"Well, we're not saying too much about it, you know. A nut had worked loose and came off. We might have crashed badly, but we didn't."
"We?"
"Miss Allison was with me."
"Say, Miss Allison, you'd better stop riding around with this guy: it seems to be kind of dangerous!" Roberts said humorously. "If you take my advice, young man, you'll leave that car of yours in the garage till this case is cleared up."
"As she's a bit bent I shall probably have to," replied Jim. "Not that I think anyone would pull the same trick twice."
"What was the trick?"
"The nut holding one of the ball joints on the track rod was loosened. The split pin securing it was missing when we inspected the car."
Roberts interposed. "Sorry, Kane, but that doesn't mean a thing to me. What kind of a steering system is this?"
"Quite a usual one. Certain makes of car have it. I can soon show you." He produced a pencil and an envelope from his pocket and drew a rough diagram, elucidating it as he did so.
Roberts watched with knit brows, putting one or two questions as the drawing progressed. He took the envelope from Jim presently and studied it. "Guess you'd have to be familiar with the car to be able to pull this one," he remarked. "Now, this nut, you say, came off; if you knew the car, it wouldn't be a difficult job to pull that pin out and loosen the nut?"
"No. Dead easy, given a spanner and a pair of pliers."
"Could it have been done in a few minutes, do you suppose?"
"I should think so."
Roberts gave back the envelope. "Well, that certainly is interesting," he said. "Looks like you're up against something, Kane. Can't help blaming myself for this one. I ought to have thought of your car standing in that yard just crying out to be tampered with."
Emily, who had been listening to him with ill-concealed impatience, said crossly: "I don't know why, I'm sure. You're not a detective, are you?"
Roberts turned courteously towards her. "Mrs. Kane, when a man sees murder rife under his very nose, he's apt to take notice of it."
"Scotland Yard has the matter in hand," said Emily in her stiffest voice.
Roberts smiled a little. "Sure they have. I expect when it comes to solving problems they're swell. Maybe they're not quite so clever at preventing crime."
At this moment Sir Adrian came out on to the terrace with Superintendent Hannasyde. Jim said at once: "My God, sir, has it come to this?"
"No, not yet," replied Sir Adrian calmly. "I am still a free man. The superintendent wishes to have a word with Mrs. Kane."
Emily felt no particular animosity towards Superintendent Hannasyde, who had at their first meeting handled her with consummate tact; but her inevitable reaction towards anyone requiring anything of her was of hostility. She looked him up and down and said: "I don't know what he thinks I can tell him."
Patricia got up. "I expect you'd like to speak to Mrs. Kane alone, Superintendent."
"Sit down!" said Emily sharply. "I've no secrets. If I knew anything I should have told it in the first place. Well, what do you want?"
Hannasyde took the chair Jim had thrust forward.
"I take it that you have been informed of the accident to your great-nephew's car, Mrs. Kane?"
"Yes, I have," said Emily; "and I'll thank you to see that nothing of the sort happens again! I don't know what the police think they're for."
"I'll do my best," promised Hannasyde. "I think you may be able to help me." He glanced fleetingly round the assembled company. "Do you wish me to speak frankly, or would you like to see me alone?"
"No, I shouldn't," replied Emily.
"Then I'm going to be very frank indeed," said Hannasyde. "I have seen the foreman of Lamb's Garage, and I have seen Mr. Kane's car. I am satisfied that the accident did not occur naturally. It remains for me to discover who tampered with the car. Sir Adrian will, I hope, forgive me if I say that his presence in the garage this morning makes it necessary for me to consider the possibility of his being the guilty person."
"Stuff and nonsense!" interrupted Emily with a snort.
"A thought occurs to me," said Sir Adrian, disposing himself in a deck chair. "Had I a motive for murdering Clement Kane?"
Hannasyde's eyes twinkled appreciatively. "I have not yet discovered it, sir."
"Murder begets murder," said Jim. "You didn't murder Clement, Adrian. His murder just put the idea of murdering me into your head."
Sir Adrian wrinkled his brow. "I never take my ideas at second hand," he complained.
"Waiving you for the moment, sir," interposed Hannasyde, "I am apparently left with only two suspects."
"Joe Mansell wouldn't murder anyone, if that's what you mean," said Emily. "I don't know anything about his son, and I don't want to."
"We'll waive him too," said Hannasyde. "There is one other person who would benefit by Mr. Kane's death, and that is his heir."
Emily stared at him. "Maud? Rubbish, she's in Australia!"
"Are you sure of that, Mrs. Kane?"
"I had a letter from her, posted in Sydney. I don't know what more you want."
"May I see that letter?"
For a moment it seemed as though Emily would refuse; then she turned towards Miss Allison and commanded her to fetch it from the davenport in her sitting room.
Patricia got up and went into the house. Hannasyde said: "When did you last see your great-niece, Mrs. Kane?"
"When she was a child." replied Emily. "I don't know when. I never took any stock in that Australian lot."
"Then it is safe to assume that you would not recognise her today?"
"I've no idea. She was a plain child. I remember they dressed her very unsuitably. Just like them! If they had a penny to bless themselves with it went on grand clothes and trips to England. They never got any encouragement from me."