“Very sorry, sir. I’m under orders and it can’t be done.”
“Yes, but look, old boy. Here—”
Mr. Ackroyd appeared to make an attempt to place his tiny hand confidingly in Cass’s. Cass stepped back a pace.
“No, so, sir. We don’t do things that way. Quite out of the question, thank you all the same.”
“Oh, blast! Well, what the hell am I supposed to do? Buy new shirts?”
“If you’ll wait a little, sir, I’ll inquire—”
“Here, Cass!” called Wade.
“Sir?”
“Just a minute. Come in, Mr. Ackroyd, come in.”
The comic face was thrust round the door and distorted into a diverting grimace.
“Hullo, hullo! All the stars in one piece, including the Great Noise from the Yard. Any room for a little one?”
He came in, followed by Cass, and perched on the edge of Alfred Meyer’s desk, cocking his hat jauntily Over his left eye.
“Well. How’s things?” he inquired.
“I’m glad you looked in, Mr. Ackroyd,” said Wade. “There’s just one little matter I wanted to see you about.”
“Is there, by gum! Well, there’s another little matter I’d like to see you about. I want to get at my wardrobe.”
“In the statement you gave us on the night of the fatality,” continued Wade in a monotonous chant, “you said that you went from the dressing-rooms to the party.”
“That’s right.”
“Remaining on the stage until after the fatality?”
“Yes. What’s wrong with that?” demanded Ackroyd.
“You didn’t come out into the yard, at all?”
“Eh? — I — how d’you mean?”
“Just that, Mr. Ackroyd. You didn’t leave the stage before the party and walk along to the office?”
“Oh, God! Look here, old boy, I–I believe I did.”
“You did?”
“Yes. It was only for a minute. Just to tell George people were beginning to come in.”
“Why didn’t you tell us this before, Mr. Ackroyd?”
“Damn it all, I’d forgotten all about it.”
“But now you state definitely that you did come here?”
“Yes,” said Ackroyd uncomfortably.
“We’ll have to get a new statement to that effect.” said Wade. “Will you tell us exactly what happened, Mr. Ackroyd?”
“Just what I said. I came along and stood in the doorway there. I said: ‘The party’s started, George,’ and George said: ‘Right you are. I’ve got a job here and then I’ll be along,’ or something. The job he had seemed to be a perfectly good drink. Well, I passed a remark or two and went back to the party.”
“Was Mr. Mason alone?”
“What? No, I rather fancy the black quack was there.”
“Pardon?” asked Wade, genteelly. “Who did you say?”
“The black quack.”
“Can Mr. Ackroyd possibly mean Dr. Te Pokiha?” asked Alleyn of nobody in particular.
“You’d hardly think so, would you?” said Wade.
“Oh, no offense,” said Ackroyd. “I forgot there was no colour bar in this country. The light-brown medico was on-stage. That better?”
“You want to be very very careful when you make statements, Mr. Ackroyd,” said Wade austerely. “We’ll have to get you to sign a new one. Seems funny, you forgetting you came along here.”
“Why the hell!” shouted Ackroyd hotly. “What’s funny about it? Why should I remember? Don’t be silly.”
“Did you go straight back to the stage?”
“Yes, I did go straight back, I — hullo George!”
George Mason’s unhappy face had appeared round the door.
“Hullo,” he mumbled. “Can I come in?”
“Come in, Mr. Mason,” said Wade. “Take a seat. You’re just the man we wanted to see. Do you remember Mr. Ackroyd, here, coming along to the office before the party?”
Mason passed his hand wearily over his forehead and slumped into a chair.
“Do I remember—? Yes, I do. Didn’t I tell you that? I’m sorry.”
“Quite all right. We just have to check up these little points. I don’t think I asked you, definitely. Cass, take Mr. Ackroyd along to his dressing-room and let him get anything he wants. Will you call in at the station between two and three this afternoon, Mr. Ackroyd? Thank you. Good morning.”
“And that,” said Ackroyd bitterly, “takes me right off. Good morning.”
When he had gone, Mason turned to Wade.
“Is there any mail here for me?” he asked.
“I think there is, Mr. Mason. We’ll let you have it.”
Mason groaned. “I suppose you’ve nothing definite to tell me, Mr. Wade? I’ve got our advance going nearly crazy in Wellington, not knowing whether he’s representing a repertory company or a murder gang.”
“It won’t be much longer.” Wade fell back on his stock opening gambit. “I’m sorry to give you the trouble of coming down this morning but there’s just one little matter I’d like to see you about, Mr. Mason. We’ve been talking to old Singleton, the doorkeeper, about the people that were outside, as you might say, before the party.”
“Boozy old devil. Was an actor once. Makes you think, doesn’t it? There but for the wrath of God, or whatever it is?”
Alleyn chuckled.
“He’s a bit too boozy for our liking,” continued Wade. “He’s given us one bit of information, and Dr. Te Pokiha’s given us another that contradicts it point-blank. It’s only a silly little thing—”
“Don’t talk to me about silly little things,” interjected Mason peevishly. “I’m sick of the phrase. There’s that Gaynes kid making a scene in fifteen different positions every five minutes, and demanding to be sent home to daddy because she’s ‘a silly little thing’ and so, so upset. And I ate some of this native crayfish for dinner last night and it kept me awake till dawn — silly little thing! Ugh!”
“Mr. Alleyn knows more about this than I do. He spoke about it to Dr. Te Pokiha.”
“Te Pokiha’s coming here, by the way. He looked in at the pub and said you wanted him.”
“If Mr. Alleyn—?” said Wade with a glance into the corner of the room where Alleyn sat peacefully smoking.
“It’s just this,” said Alleyn. “The old gentleman tells us that when you went out to the stage-door to warn him about asking the guests’ names, you were bareheaded and in your dinner-jacket.”
“Oh Lor’,” groaned Mason, “what of it? So I was.”
“And Dr. Te Pokiha says that he came in here just as you returned from the stage-door and you were wearing an overcoat and hat.”
“It’s a case of the drunk being right and the sober man wrong, as far as I can remember. I don’t think I put on my coat to go out. No, I’m sure I didn’t. I recollect old Singleton started one of his interminable reminiscences and I said it was too cold to stand about and made that the excuse to run away. I believe I did slip my coat on after I got back. Probably had it on when the doctor came in.”
“That explains that,” said Alleyn. “It sounds idiotic, but we have to fiddle about with these things.”
“Well, if it’s any help, that’s what I think happened. Look here, Alleyn, are you any further on with this case? I don’t want to make a nuisance of myself but this game is literally costing the Firm hundreds. It’s driving me silly, honestly it is. What about the affair on the train, can’t you get a lead from that?”
Alleyn got up and walked across to the fireplace.
“Wade,” he said, “I don’t know whether you’ll approve of this but I’m going to take Mr. Mason into our confidence over the affair on the train.”
“Just as you please, Mr. Alleyn,” said Wade, looking rather blank. “You do just as you think best.”
“It’s this,” said Alleyn, turning to Mason. “You remember that before we got to Ohakune everyone in the carriage was asleep.”