IV

Superintendent Harper’s manner was slow and pleasant and absolutelynoncommittal. These cases where the police of two counties had to collab-orate were always difficult. He liked Colonel Melchett and considered himan able Chief Constable, but he was nevertheless glad to be tackling thepresent interview by himself. Never do too much at once, was Superin-tendent Harper’s rule. Bare routine inquiry for the first time. That left thepersons you were interviewing relieved and predisposed them to be moreunguarded in the next interview you had with them.

Harper already knew Raymond Starr by sight. A fine-looking specimen,tall, lithe, and good-looking, with very white teeth in a deeply-bronzedface. He was dark and graceful. He had a pleasant, friendly manner andwas very popular in the hotel.

“I’m afraid I can’t help you much, Superintendent. I knew Ruby quitewell, of course. She’d been here over a month and we had practised ourdances together and all that. But there’s really very little to say. She wasquite a pleasant and rather stupid girl.”

“It’s her friendships we’re particularly anxious to know about. Herfriendships with men.”

“So I suppose. Well, I don’t know anything! She’d got a few young menin tow in the hotel, but nothing special. You see, she was nearly alwaysmonopolized by the Jefferson family.”

“Yes, the Jefferson family.” Harper paused meditatively. He shot ashrewd glance at the young man. “What did you think of that business,Mr. Starr?”

Raymond Starr said coolly: “What business?”

Harper said: “Did you know that Mr. Jefferson was proposing to adoptRuby Keene legally?”

This appeared to be news to Starr. He pursed up his lips and whistled.

He said:

“The clever little devil! Oh, well, there’s no fool like an old fool.”

“That’s how it strikes you, is it?”

“Well—what else can one say? If the old boy wanted to adopt someone,why didn’t he pick upon a girl of his own class?”

“Ruby Keene never mentioned the matter to you?”

“No, she didn’t. I knew she was elated about something, but I didn’tknow what it was.”

“And Josie?”

“Oh, I think Josie must have known what was in the wind. Probably shewas the one who planned the whole thing. Josie’s no fool. She’s got a headon her, that girl.”

Harper nodded. It was Josie who had sent for Ruby Keene. Josie, nodoubt, who had encouraged the intimacy. No wonder she had been upsetwhen Ruby had failed to show up for her dance that night and Conway Jef-ferson had begun to panic. She was envisaging her plans going awry.

He asked:

“Could Ruby keep a secret, do you think?”

“As well as most. She didn’t talk about her own affairs much.”

“Did she ever say anything—anything at all—about some friend of hers— someone from her former life who was coming to see her here, orwhom she had had difficulty with—you know the sort of thing I mean, nodoubt.”

“I know perfectly. Well, as far as I’m aware, there was no one of thekind. Not by anything she ever said.”

“Thank you, Mr. Starr. Now will you just tell me in your own words ex-actly what happened last night?”

“Certainly. Ruby and I did our ten-thirty dance together—”

“No signs of anything unusual about her then?”

Raymond considered.

“I don’t think so. I didn’t notice what happened afterwards. I had myown partners to look after. I do remember noticing she wasn’t in the ball-room. At midnight she hadn’t turned up. I was very annoyed and went toJosie about it. Josie was playing bridge with the Jeffersons. She hadn’t anyidea where Ruby was, and I think she got a bit of a jolt. I noticed her shoota quick, anxious glance at Mr. Jefferson. I persuaded the band to play an-other dance and I went to the office and got them to ring up to Ruby’sroom. There wasn’t any answer. I went back to Josie. She suggested thatRuby was perhaps asleep in her room. Idiotic suggestion really, but it wasmeant for the Jeffersons, of course! She came away with me and said we’dgo up together.”

“Yes, Mr. Starr. And what did she say when she was alone with you?”

“As far as I can remember, she looked very angry and said: ‘Damnedlittle fool. She can’t do this sort of thing. It will ruin all her chances. Who’sshe with, do you know?’

“I said that I hadn’t the least idea. The last I’d seen of her was dancingwith young Bartlett. Josie said: ‘She wouldn’t be with him. What can she beup to? She isn’t with that film man, is she?’”

Harper said sharply: “Film man? Who was he?”

Raymond said: “I don’t know his name. He’s never stayed here. Ratheran unusual-looking chap—black hair and theatrical-looking. He has some-thing to do with the film industry, I believe—or so he told Ruby. He cameover to dine here once or twice and danced with Ruby afterwards, but Idon’t think she knew him at all well. That’s why I was surprised whenJosie mentioned him. I said I didn’t think he’d been here tonight. Josiesaid: ‘Well, she must be out with someone. What on earth am I going to sayto the Jeffersons?’ I said what did it matter to the Jeffersons? And Josiesaid it did matter. And she said, too, that she’d never forgive Ruby if shewent and messed things up.

“We’d got to Ruby’s room by then. She wasn’t there, of course, but she’dbeen there, because the dress she had been wearing was lying across achair. Josie looked in the wardrobe and said she thought she’d put on herold white dress. Normally she’d have changed into a black velvet dress forour Spanish dance. I was pretty angry by this time at the way Ruby had letme down. Josie did her best to soothe me and said she’d dance herself sothat old Prestcott shouldn’t get after us all. She went away and changedher dress and we went down and did a tango—exaggerated style and quiteshowy but not really too exhausting upon the ankles. Josie was veryplucky about it—for it hurt her, I could see. After that she asked me tohelp her soothe the Jeffersons down. She said it was important. So, ofcourse, I did what I could.”

Superintendent Harper nodded. He said:

“Thank you, Mr. Starr.”

To himself he thought: “It was important, all right! Fifty thousandpounds!”

He watched Raymond Starr as the latter moved gracefully away. Hewent down the steps of the terrace, picking up a bag of tennis balls and aracquet on the way. Mrs. Jefferson, also carrying a racquet, joined himand they went towards the tennis courts.

“Excuse me, sir.”

Sergeant Higgins, rather breathless, stood at Harper’s side.

The Superintendent, jerked from the train of thought he was following,looked startled.

“Message just come through for you from headquarters, sir. Labourerreported this morning saw glare as of fire. Half an hour ago they found aburnt-out car in a quarry. Venn’s Quarry—about two miles from here.

Traces of a charred body inside.”

A flush came over Harper’s heavy features. He said:

“What’s come to Glenshire? An epidemic of violence? Don’t tell me we’regoing to have a Rouse case now!”

He asked: “Could they get the number of the car?”

“No, sir. But we’ll be able to identify it, of course, by the engine number.

A Minoan 14, they think it is.”