Watson's Choice (19 page)

‘Quite so. I see what you mean. What about Mrs Dance?’

‘Mrs Dance will have told you about Mrs Dance. She is dangerous, that woman, and scruples not to obtain what she wants. I think she would be divorced and marry Sir Bohun for his money, if she could. And perhaps if I were a little older, I would ask her to marry
me
. But not if she is divorced! You see?’

‘It’s a theory, certainly, Mr Lupez. And Mr Grimston was jealous because Miss Campbell was engaged to Sir Bohun, eh? We’ve heard that one before, and there’s probably something in it. By the way, where were you on Thursday afternoon, January eleventh, and what were you doing?’

‘You think that was when Miss Linda Campbell was killed?’

‘Yes.’

‘I was showing my natural father how we use the
espada
.’

‘What’s that?’

‘The sword we bull-fighters are using.’

‘So you and Sir Bohun were together?’

‘Of course. A loving father and a loving son – what else?’

‘Where was this sword-play going on?’

‘In my father’s library. The good Bell, who makes my father write letters, was on holiday, so we pushed away the big table and we took turns to be the bull – and to be the
toreador
, too, of course.’

‘I see. Thank you, Mr Lupez. I take it you’ll be staying on here for a bit? Not going back to your own country yet, I mean? We may need you again. You understand?’

Manoel accepted this dismissal graciously, smiled, and walked quickly from the room. Collins gazed at the closed door speculatively for a moment, then crossed to the fire and warmed his hands.

‘What do you make of him, Baines?’ he enquired of the sergeant.

‘Could bear watching, sir. The only thing is – ’ The sergeant, who was young, keen, and modest, hesitated.

‘Go ahead, lad.’

‘Well, sir, he gave us a pretty sound personal motive for putting Miss Campbell out of the way, but I’d be inclined to think that, if he did it, he did it for another reason.’

‘I should have thought Sir Bohun’s money was a pretty sound reason.’

‘Yes, sir. But everybody seems to know about Lupez and Sir Bohun’s money, and I don’t think he’s a fool, sir. Besides, from what gets around, he’s got plenty of money of his own.’

‘Granted. All right. Go on.’

‘I think his motive would have been dog in the manger, sir.’

‘Come again? I don’t think I get it.’

‘His view that Miss Campbell was more attractive than Miss Menzies seemed to me to be a genuine opinion, sir. Isn’t it possible, then, that he decided, when the engagement to Sir Bohun was announced, that if he himself couldn’t marry Miss Campbell, nobody should?’

‘Bit romantic for nowadays, Baines.’

‘Even in the case of a Spaniard, sir, do you think?’

‘Hm! That might very well make a difference. Odd chaps, these Latins, although the Spaniards aren’t like any others. Anyway, I’ll keep the point in mind. Anything else strike you?’

‘Only that, with him, honesty, he thinks, is the best policy
up to a point
. People whose minds work like that are even less to be trusted than the out-and-out liars, sir. They’re a whole lot cleverer, for one thing.’

‘So you think Lupez is our man?’

‘It’s only a hunch, sir. But I don’t like him, so I may be prejudiced.’

‘Hm! It’s something that you recognize the fact. Go and get Grimston. He should have been brought back by now. I can’t think what possessed Sir Bohun to let him go away from here at a time like this.’

‘He sacked him, I understand, sir.’

Grimston entered with an air of having screwed himself up to make a speech, but Collins, sensing this, cut briskly across his first words.

‘Good morning, sir,’ he said. ‘I know you’ve been put about,
but
I’m sure you’ll understand that it has been in your own interests for us to have you back while we make our routine enquiries.’

Grimston sat down in the chair which the Superintendent indicated, but jumped up almost immediately. He strode to the window and back, picked up a book which was lying on the table and replaced it with exaggerated exactness in the centre of a panel of the wood. Collins nodded to the sergeant.

‘Now, sir,’ he said, ‘where were you, and – ’

‘I want to speak to you particularly,’ burst out Grimston. ‘It is quite wrong for you to trust me. I am the man you want for murder.’

He paused, his lips parted. The Superintendent nodded indulgently.

‘Yes, sir, I see,’ was all that he said. Grimston stared at him in perplexity.

‘Didn’t you hear what I said?’ he demanded.

‘Yes, I heard what you said, sir. You claim to have been the murderer of Miss Campbell. You will need to convince us of that, sir. What evidence can you bring to prove it?’

‘Evidence? Isn’t my confession enough for you, then?’

‘Not by itself, I’m afraid, sir. So many people confess to murder. We’ve had seventeen confessions and four eye-witness’ reports already. All bogus. Wouldn’t stand up even to a preliminary investigation, more’s the pity. It would save us a lot of time and trouble if we could get just one genuine confession instead of a lot of blah from all these people who want to sell their story to the Sunday papers.’ He regarded Grimston tolerantly.

‘But my confession is the genuine thing!’ cried Grimston. Collins drew out a notebook, and settled his solid frame more comfortably in his chair.

‘Go ahead, then, sir,’ he said. Grimston took out a cigarette lighter and fiddled with it. ‘Smoke if you want to, sir. It’s as well to relax when we can.’

‘No, no. Look here, Superintendent, you remember that dream of mine? Well, of course, it wasn’t a dream. I mean, I never dreamt anything of the kind, as no doubt you guessed. That dream was a bit of wishful thinking. I had proposed to Linda – to Miss Campbell – and she had turned me down. Well, I don’t overrate myself, but the way she did it – contemptuously, you know – got under my
skin.
I may be a poor blasted usher, but she was only a nursery governess, after all. I saw red. I invented the dream, hoping it would sublimate matters for me and take away the wish to kill, but, far from that being the case, the urge became stronger and stronger, and at last – well, I did it. I killed her.’

‘Yes, sir? Can you give us the details?’

‘Certainly. I have been thinking things over and I’ve decided to make a clean breast of everything. It was Fate playing into my hands, I think. I knew that Linda was in the habit of going to the
Queen of the Circus
to meet her brother. He was a bit of a no-good, I gathered. In with a bookmaker’s gang. Shady doings on the turf have never interested me, although I like a flutter with anybody in the normal way. She had told me about this brother. He used to give her money. He was good to her that way, because her pay here wasn’t very much. I found out about the brother first because I followed her once or twice, thinking she was meeting a lover. However, she satisfied me that that was not the case, and sometimes I would walk with her as far as the road-house and buy myself a drink in the public bar while the two of them chin-wagged in the saloon.’

‘Did you ever overhear their conversation, sir?’ Collins had heard from Gavin, who had had the information from Mrs Bradley, of the man whom Linda Campbell had met in the road-house saloon lounge, and he was anxious to know more of him. But Grimston shook his head.

‘Once I was certain there was nothing involved that would worry me, I took no more interest,’ he explained. ‘Besides, it had been understood from the beginning that I was not to interfere in any way.’

‘Yes, I understand, sir. You were saying – ’

‘I was going to tell you about that particular morning. I hadn’t been sleeping at all well since the Sherlock Holmes party. It was that night when Linda finally gave me to understand that I could give up all hope of marrying her. I’ve learnt since that some of our conversation was overheard by one of the guests. Detective-Inspector Gavin told me that Mrs Bradley caught the drift of what we were saying, so there’s your proof, if you want it.’

‘Proof of the fact that Miss Campbell told you she did not intend to marry you, coupled with strong supposition that she intended to marry Sir Bohun, sir? Proof that you made up your
mind
to kill her? Exactly how did you set about it? That’s what we should very much like to know.’

‘She went off to the road-house before breakfast on the day of her death. I went out after her. She had hinted of terrible trouble, and I was afraid she might have decided to take her own life. When she reached the road-house she turned down the lane beside it and went on to the heath. It was my opportunity. I followed her, keeping to the bushes. I had the weapon with me. I always carried it. It was a long, two-edged knife, razor sharp and rather heavy. I bought it in London. I can’t show it you. I’ve thrown it away.

‘Just as she approached the gravel pits she looked round. I supposed she had heard me, so I crouched down behind a bush, but the early morning was inclined to be foggy, and it did not seem as though she could have seen me. Suddenly she pulled out a gun, but before she could use it I was on her and had knocked it out of her hand. She gave a little scream and I pulled her towards me and shouted out that she must marry me, or something to that effect. She pulled away, and said some things to me which I forget, but I know they maddened me. I said: “All right, then, Linda, you’ve bought it. I’ll show you whether I’m as weak as you think.” With that I swung her round so that her back was towards me, and then I stabbed her through the breast.’

‘How many times did you stab her, sir?’

‘I think it could only have been once.’

‘What did you do after that?’

‘Nothing. I ran towards the flooded gravel pit and threw the knife in. You’ll probably find it if you drag. Then I walked about for a bit, and then I came back here. That was all, I think, but my mind is still rather confused. I’ve tried to reconstruct the scene, but there are bits which seem quite blacked-out. I don’t think I can add any more.’

‘Thank you, sir. Got all that down, Sergeant? All right. Type it out, and perhaps, later on, we’ll get Mr Grimston to sign it.’

‘I suppose I am to consider myself under arrest,’ said Grimston. Collins shook his head.

‘All in good time, sir,’ he said. ‘We shall have to check this statement of yours very carefully. Either
you
have slipped up on one or two points, or
we
have. But, of course, as you say, you are rather hazy as to details. You won’t go too far away, sir? We may need you again later to-day.’

‘Don’t you believe me? Hang it, Superintendent, you’ve jolly well got to! Would I confess to the murder if I hadn’t done it? Use your common sense, for goodness sake.’

‘Very good, sir. Just give us time to find the weapon. The jury always like to see the weapon in these cases of sudden violence. Gives them an idea of whether there might be extenuating circumstances, or so I’m told. I wonder, when you go out, sir, whether you would be kind enough to ask Mr Dance to step this way? I understand that he is staying in the house. Well?’ he demanded of the sergeant when Grimston had gone.

‘Mad as a March hare, sir.
He
didn’t do it! Doesn’t know a thing about it!’

‘I’m not so sure, my lad. It may be a way of trying to throw dust in our eyes. I’m keeping a very open mind for the present about Mr Loony Grimston. As I see it, he’s a dark horse, and there’s no doubt at all that he was very sweet on the girl. Sir Bohun Chantrey is certain of that. It’s no new thing for a jealous man to kill a girl if he can’t have her.’

The sergeant said, ‘Yes, sir,’ but not in the tone of one who has been convinced. There came a tap at the door. The sergeant got up and opened it to admit Toby Dance.

‘Ah, thank you for coming along so promptly, sir,’ said Collins. ‘Take a seat, will you? There are just one or two points over which you may be able to help us. I understand that you were not staying in the neighbourhood when this shocking business took place?’

‘No. I was living in Town.’

‘Your wife was staying here, I believe?’

‘Yes. Sir Bohun Chantrey thought it would look better to have somebody else here when his engagement to Miss Campbell was announced, as Miss Campbell was going to continue living in the house.’

‘I understand Sir Bohun’s niece was staying here, though.’

‘Yes, of course, but she’s rather young and inexperienced – not quite one’s idea of a chaperone.’

‘I see, sir. Very good. Now, sir, just as a formality – can you tell me where you were and what you were doing between three o’clock and five on the afternoon of the eleventh of January?’

Toby Dance pursed up his lips and, to Collins’ surprise, obviously hesitated before he answered:

‘No, I’m afraid I can’t.’

‘
Can’t
, sir?’

‘No.’

‘Anything you tell me is received on the note of strict confidence, sir, unless it is needed in evidence later on.’

‘Oh, it isn’t that I
won’t
tell you. I simply can’t remember.’

‘Take it a bit at a time, sir. You would have got up at …?’

‘Eight-thirty. I never get to the office until ten or half past. My secretary is kept busy opening the morning’s correspondence until then.’

‘So we can take it you had arrived at your office on the eleventh by half past ten? At what time do you knock off for lunch, sir?’

‘A quarter past one. I go to the
Jardin des Gourmets
mostly.’

‘And how long do you take over lunch, sir?’

‘Depends upon whom I’m with. If it’s a client, anything up to a couple of hours if I think it’s worth it. Nobody hurries over lunch at that restaurant, anyway. It ’ud be a sin.’

‘So we’re getting near the time I want to know about, sir. Now, then, you’re through with lunch. Whom did you lunch with on the eleventh of January?’

‘I can’t remember.’

‘Were you, perhaps, alone?’

‘I must have been. I’d remember if I’d had anybody with me.’

‘Very good, sir. You lunched alone. I dare say the waiter would remember you, sir?’

‘Yes, of course. I always have the same table, but … O Lord! Now I come to think, that must have been the day I
didn’t
go to the restaurant. Yes, that’s right. I – I lunched somewhere else.’