III

In the big bedroom overlooking the sea, Conway Jefferson was sitting inhis wheeled chair by the window.

No sooner were you in the room with him than you felt the power andmagnetism of the man. It was as though the injuries which had left him acripple had resulted in concentrating the vitality of his shattered body intoa narrower and more intense focus.

He had a fine head, the red of the hair slightly grizzled. The face wasrugged and powerful, deeply suntanned, and the eyes were a startlingblue. There was no sign of illness or feebleness about him. The deep lineson his face were the lines of suffering, not the lines of weakness. Here wasa man who would never rail against fate but accept it and pass on to vic-tory.

He said: “I’m glad you’ve come.” His quick eyes took them in. He said toMelchett: “You’re the Chief Constable of Radfordshire? Right. And you’reSuperintendent Harper? Sit down. Cigarettes on the table beside you.”

They thanked him and sat down. Melchett said:

“I understand, Mr. Jefferson, that you were interested in the dead girl?”

A quick, twisted smile flashed across the lined face.

“Yes—they’ll all have told you that! Well, it’s no secret. How much hasmy family said to you?”

He looked quickly from one to the other as he asked the question. It wasMelchett who answered.

“Mrs. Jefferson told us very little beyond the fact that the girl’s chatteramused you and that she was by way of being a protégée. We have onlyexchanged half a dozen words with Mr. Gaskell.”

Conway Jefferson smiled.

“Addie’s a discreet creature, bless her. Mark would probably have beenmore outspoken. I think, Melchett, that I’d better tell you some facts ratherfully. It’s important, in order that you should understand my attitude.

And, to begin with, it’s necessary that I go back to the big tragedy of mylife. Eight years ago I lost my wife, my son, and my daughter in an aero-plane accident. Since then I’ve been like a man who’s lost half himself—and I’m not speaking of my physical plight! I was a family man. My daugh-ter-in-law and my son-in-law have been very good to me. They’ve done allthey can to take the place of my flesh and blood. But I’ve realized—espe-cially of late, that they have, after all, their own lives to live.

“So you must understand that, essentially, I’m a lonely man. I like youngpeople. I enjoy them. Once or twice I’ve played with the idea of adoptingsome girl or boy. During this last month I got very friendly with the childwho’s been killed. She was absolutely natural — completely na?ve. Shechattered on about her life and her experiences — in pantomime, withtouring companies, with Mum and Dad as a child in cheap lodgings. Sucha different life from any I’ve known! Never complaining, never seeing it assordid. Just a natural, uncomplaining, hardworking child, unspoilt andcharming. Not a lady, perhaps, but, thank God, neither vulgar nor—abom-inable word—‘lady-like.’

“I got more and more fond of Ruby. I decided, gentlemen, to adopt herlegally. She would become—by law—my daughter. That, I hope, explainsmy concern for her and the steps I took when I heard of her unaccount-able disappearance.”

There was a pause. Then Superintendent Harper, his unemotional voicerobbing the question of any offence, asked: “May I ask what your son-in-law and daughter-in-law said to that?”

Jefferson’s answer came back quickly:

“What could they say? They didn’t, perhaps, like it very much. It’s thesort of thing that arouses prejudice. But they behaved very well—yes, verywell. It’s not as though, you see, they were dependent on me. When myson Frank married I turned over half my worldly goods to him then andthere. I believe in that. Don’t let your children wait until you’re dead. Theywant the money when they’re young, not when they’re middle-aged. Inthe same way when my daughter Rosamund insisted on marrying a poorman, I settled a big sum of money on her. That sum passed to him at herdeath. So, you see, that simplified the matter from the financial angle.”

“I see, Mr. Jefferson,” said Superintendent Harper.

But there was a certain reserve in his tone. Conway Jefferson pouncedupon it.

“But you don’t agree, eh?”

“It’s not for me to say, sir, but families, in my experience, don’t alwaysact reasonably.”

“I dare say you’re right, Superintendent, but you must remember thatMr. Gaskell and Mrs. Jefferson aren’t, strictly speaking, my family. They’renot blood relations.”

“That, of course, makes a difference,” admitted the Superintendent.

For a moment Conway Jefferson’s eyes twinkled. He said: “That’s not tosay that they didn’t think me an old fool! That would be the average per-son’s reaction. But I wasn’t being a fool. I know character. With educationand polishing, Ruby Keene could have taken her place anywhere.”

Melchett said:

“I’m afraid we’re being rather impertinent and inquisitive, but it’s im-portant that we should get at all the facts. You proposed to make full pro-vision for the girl—that is, settle money upon her, but you hadn’t alreadydone so?”

Jefferson said:

“I understand what you’re driving at—the possibility of someone’s bene-fiting by the girl’s death? But nobody could. The necessary formalities forlegal adoption were under way, but they hadn’t yet been completed.”

Melchett said slowly:

“Then, if anything happened to you—?”

He left the sentence unfinished, as a query. Conway Jefferson was quickto respond.

“Nothing’s likely to happen to me! I’m a cripple, but I’m not an invalid.

Although doctors do like to pull long faces and give advice about not over-doing things. Not overdoing things! I’m as strong as a horse! Still, I’m quiteaware of the fatalities of life—my God, I’ve good reason to be! Suddendeath comes to the strongest man—especially in these days of road casual-ties. But I’d provided for that. I made a new will about ten days ago.”

“Yes?” Superintendent Harper leaned forward.

“I left the sum of fifty thousand pounds to be held in trust for RubyKeene until she was twenty-five, when she would come into the principal.”

Superintendent Harper’s eyes opened. So did Colonel Melchett’s. Harpersaid in an almost awed voice:

“That’s a very large sum of money, Mr. Jefferson.”

“In these days, yes, it is.”

“And you were leaving it to a girl you had only known a few weeks?”

Anger flashed into the vivid blue eyes.

“Must I go on repeating the same thing over and over again? I’ve noflesh and blood of my own — no nieces or nephews or distant cousins,even! I might have left it to charity. I prefer to leave it to an individual.”

He laughed. “Cinderella turned into a princess overnight! A fairy- god-father instead of a fairy-godmother. Why not? It’s my money. I made it.”

Colonel Melchett asked: “Any other bequests?”

“A small legacy to Edwards, my valet—and the remainder to Mark andAddie in equal shares.”

“Would—excuse me—the residue amount to a large sum?”

“Probably not. It’s difficult to say exactly, investments fluctuate all thetime. The sum involved, after death duties and expenses had been paid,would probably have come to something between five and ten thousandpounds net.”

“I see.”

“And you needn’t think I was treating them shabbily. As I said, I dividedup my estate at the time my children married. I left myself, actually, avery small sum. But after—after the tragedy—I wanted something to oc-cupy my mind. I flung myself into business. At my house in London I hada private line put in connecting my bedroom with my office. I workedhard—it helped me not to think, and it made me feel that my—my mutila-tion had not vanquished me. I threw myself into work”—his voice took ona deeper note, he spoke more to himself than to his audience—“and, bysome subtle irony, everything I did prospered! My wildest speculationssucceeded. If I gambled, I won. Everything I touched turned to gold. Fate’sironic way of righting the balance, I suppose.”

The lines of suffering stood out on his face again.

Recollecting himself, he smiled wryly at them.

“So you see, the sum of money I left Ruby was indisputably mine to dowith as my fancy dictated.”

Melchett said quickly:

“Undoubtedly, my dear fellow, we are not questioning that for a mo-ment.”

Conway Jefferson said: “Good. Now I want to ask some questions in myturn, if I may. I want to hear—more about this terrible business. All Iknow is that she—that little Ruby was found strangled in a house sometwenty miles from here.”

“That is correct. At Gossington Hall.”

Jefferson frowned.

“Gossington? But that’s—”

“Colonel Bantry’s house.”

“Bantry! Arthur Bantry? But I know him. Know him and his wife! Metthem abroad some years ago. I didn’t realize they lived in this part of theworld. Why, it’s—”

He broke off. Superintendent Harper slipped in smoothly:

“Colonel Bantry was dining in the hotel here Tuesday of last week. Youdidn’t see him?”

“Tuesday? Tuesday? No, we were back late. Went over to Harden Headand had dinner on the way back.”

Melchett said:

“Ruby Keene never mentioned the Bantrys to you?”

Jefferson shook his head.

“Never. Don’t believe she knew them. Sure she didn’t. She didn’t knowanybody but theatrical folk and that sort of thing.” He paused and thenasked abruptly:

“What’s Bantry got to say about it?”

“He can’t account for it in the least. He was out at a Conservative meet-ing last night. The body was discovered this morning. He says he’s neverseen the girl in his life.”

Jefferson nodded. He said:

“It certainly seems fantastic.”

Superintendent Harper cleared his throat. He said:

“Have you any idea at all, sir, who can have done this?”

“Good God, I wish I had!” The veins stood out on his forehead. “It’s in-credible, unimaginable! I’d say it couldn’t have happened, if it hadn’thappened!”

“There’s no friend of hers—from her past life—no man hanging about—or threatening her?”

“I’m sure there isn’t. She’d have told me if so. She’s never had a regular‘boyfriend.’ She told me so herself.”

Superintendent Harper thought:

“Yes, I dare say that’s what she told you! But that’s as may be!”

Conway Jefferson went on:

“Josie would know better than anyone if there had been some manhanging about Ruby or pestering her. Can’t she help?”

“She says not.”

Jefferson said, frowning:

“I can’t help feeling it must be the work of some maniac—the brutalityof the method—breaking into a country house—the whole thing so uncon-nected and senseless. There are men of that type, men outwardly sane, butwho decoy girls—sometimes children—away and kill them. Sexual crimesreally, I suppose.”

Harper said:

“Oh, yes, there are such cases, but we’ve no knowledge of anyone of thatkind operating in this neighbourhood.”

Jefferson went on:

“I’ve thought over all the various men I’ve seen with Ruby. Guests hereand outsiders—men she’d danced with. They all seem harmless enough—the usual type. She had no special friend of any kind.”

Superintendent Harper’s face remained quite impassive, but unseen byConway Jefferson there was still a speculative glint in his eye.

It was quite possible, he thought, that Ruby Keene might have had a spe-cial friend even though Conway Jefferson did not know about it.

He said nothing, however. The Chief Constable gave him a glance of in-quiry and then rose to his feet. He said:

“Thank you, Mr. Jefferson. That’s all we need for the present.”

Jefferson said:

“You’ll keep me informed of your progress?”

“Yes, yes, we’ll keep in touch with you.”

The two men went out.

Conway Jefferson leaned back in his chair.

His eyelids came down and veiled the fierce blue of his eyes. He lookedsuddenly a very tired man.

Then, after a minute or two, the lids flickered. He called: “Edwards!”

From the next room the valet appeared promptly. Edwards knew hismaster as no one else did. Others, even his nearest, knew only hisstrength. Edwards knew his weakness. He had seen Conway Jeffersontired, discouraged, weary of life, momentarily defeated by infirmity andloneliness.

“Yes, sir?”

Jefferson said:

“Get on to Sir Henry Clithering. He’s at Melborne Abbas. Ask him, fromme, to get here today if he can, instead of tomorrow. Tell him it’s urgent.”