Five

IColonel Melchett was facing a much annoyed hotel manager. With himwas Superintendent Harper of the Glenshire Police and the inevitable In-spector Slack—the latter rather disgruntled at the Chief Constable’s wilfulusurpation of the case.

Superintendent Harper was inclined to be soothing with the almost tear-ful Mr. Prestcott—Colonel Melchett tended towards a blunt brutality.

“No good crying over spilt milk,” he said sharply. “The girl’s dead —strangled. You’re lucky that she wasn’t strangled in your hotel. This putsthe inquiry in a different county and lets your establishment down ex-tremely lightly. But certain inquiries have got to be made, and the soonerwe get on with it the better. You can trust us to be discreet and tactful. So Isuggest you cut the cackle and come to the horses. Just what exactly doyou know about the girl?”

“I knew nothing of her—nothing at all. Josie brought her here.”

“Josie’s been here some time?”

“Two years—no, three.”

“And you like her?”

“Yes, Josie’s a good girl—a nice girl. Competent. She gets on with people,and smoothes over differences — bridge, you know, is a touchy sort ofgame—” Colonel Melchett nodded feelingly. His wife was a keen but an ex-tremely bad bridge player. Mr. Prestcott went on: “Josie was very good atcalming down unpleasantnesses. She could handle people well—sort ofbright and firm, if you know what I mean.”

Again Melchett nodded. He knew now what it was Miss JosephineTurner had reminded him of. In spite of the makeup and the smartturnout there was a distinct touch of the nursery governess about her.

“I depend upon her,” went on Mr. Prestcott. His manner became ag-grieved. “What does she want to go playing about on slippery rocks in thatdamn’ fool way? We’ve got a nice beach here. Why couldn’t she bathefrom that? Slipping and falling and breaking her ankle. It wasn’t fair onme! I pay her to dance and play bridge and keep people happy andamused — not to go bathing off rocks and breaking her ankle. Dancersought to be careful of their ankles—not take risks. I was very annoyedabout it. It wasn’t fair to the hotel.”

Melchett cut the recital short.

“And then she suggested this girl—her cousin—coming down?”

Prestcott assented grudgingly.

“That’s right. It sounded quite a good idea. Mind you, I wasn’t going topay anything extra. The girl could have her keep; but as for salary, thatwould have to be fixed up between her and Josie. That’s the way it was ar-ranged. I didn’t know anything about the girl.”

“But she turned out all right?”

“Oh yes, there wasn’t anything wrong with her—not to look at, anyway.

She was very young, of course—rather cheap in style, perhaps, for a placeof this kind, but nice manners — quiet and wellbehaved. Danced well.

People liked her.”

“Pretty?”

It had been a question hard to answer from a view of the blue swollenface.

Mr. Prestcott considered.

“Fair to middling. Bit weaselly, if you know what I mean. Wouldn’t havebeen much without makeup. As it was she managed to look quite attract-ive.”

“Many young men hanging about after her?”

“I know what you’re trying to get at, sir.” Mr. Prestcott became excited.

“I never saw anything. Nothing special. One or two of the boys hungaround a bit — but all in the day’s work, so to speak. Nothing in thestrangling line, I’d say. She got on well with the older people, too—had akind of prattling way with her—seemed quite a kid, if you know what Imean. It amused them.”

Superintendent Harper said in a deep melancholy voice:

“Mr. Jefferson, for instance?”

The manager agreed.

“Yes, Mr. Jefferson was the one I had in mind. She used to sit with himand his family a lot. He used to take her out for drives sometimes. Mr. Jef-ferson’s very fond of young people and very good to them. I don’t want tohave any misunderstanding. Mr. Jefferson’s a cripple; he can’t get aboutmuch—only where his wheelchair will take him. But he’s always keen onseeing young people enjoy themselves — watches the tennis and thebathing and all that—and gives parties for young people here. He likesyouth—and there’s nothing bitter about him as there well might be. A verypopular gentleman and, I’d say, a very fine character.”

Melchett asked:

“And he took an interest in Ruby Keene?”

“Her talk amused him, I think.”

“Did his family share his liking for her?”

“They were always very pleasant to her.”

Harper said:

“And it was he who reported the fact of her being missing to the police?”

He contrived to put into the word a significance and a reproach towhich the manager instantly responded.

“Put yourself in my place, Mr. Harper. I didn’t dream for a minute any-thing was wrong. Mr. Jefferson came along to my office, storming, and allworked up. The girl hadn’t slept in her room. She hadn’t appeared in herdance last night. She must have gone for a drive and had an accident, per-haps. The police must be informed at once! Inquiries made! In a state, hewas, and quite high-handed. He rang up the police station then and there.”

“Without consulting Miss Turner?”

“Josie didn’t like it much. I could see that. She was very annoyed aboutthe whole thing—annoyed with Ruby, I mean. But what could she say?”

“I think,” said Melchett, “we’d better see Mr. Jefferson. Eh, Harper?”

Superintendent Harper agreed.