At Bertram's Hotel - Agatha Christie [42]
“What sort of thing?” said Miss Gorringe, looking perplexed.
“Oh, just some chance word that might give one a clue. Something like ‘I’m going to see an old friend tonight that I haven’t seen since we met in Arizona.’ Something like that. Or ‘I’m going to stay next week with a niece of mine for her daughter’s confirmation.’ With absentminded people, you know, clues like that are a great help. They show what was in the person’s mind. It may be that after his dinner at the Athenaeum, he gets into a taxi and thinks ‘Now where am I going?’ and having got—say—the confirmation in his mind—thinks he’s going off there.”
“Well, I see what you mean,” said Miss Gorringe doubtfully. “It seems a little unlikely.”
“Oh, one never knows one’s luck,” said Father cheerfully. “Then there are the various guests here. I suppose Canon Pennyfather knew some of them since he came here fairly often.”
“Oh yes,” said Miss Gorringe. “Let me see now. I’ve seen him talking to—yes, Lady Selina Hazy. Then there was the Bishop of Norwich. They’re old friends, I believe. They were at Oxford together. And Mrs. Jameson and her daughters. They come from the same part of the world. Oh yes, quite a lot of people.”
“You see,” said Father, “he might have talked to one of them. He might have just mentioned some little thing that would give us a clue. Is there anyone staying here now that the Canon knew fairly well?”
Miss Gorringe frowned in thought.
“Well, I think General Radley is here still. And there’s an old lady who came up from the country—who used to stay here as a girl, so she told me. Let me see, I can’t remember her name at the moment, but I can find it for you. Oh yes, Miss Marple, that’s her name. I believe she knew him.”
“Well, we could make a start with those two. And there’d be a chambermaid, I suppose.”
“Oh yes,” said Miss Gorringe. “But she has been interviewed already by Sergeant Wadell.”
“I know. But not perhaps from this angle. What about the waiter who attended on his table. Or the headwaiter?”
“There’s Henry, of course,” said Miss Gorringe.
“Who’s Henry?” asked Father.
Miss Gorringe looked almost shocked. It was to her impossible that anyone should not know Henry.
“Henry has been here for more years than I can say,” she said. “You must have noticed him serving teas as you came in.”
“Kind of personality,” said Davy. “I remember noticing him.”
“I don’t know what we should do without Henry,” said Miss Gorringe with feeling. “He really is wonderful. He sets the tone of the place, you know.”
“Perhaps he might like to serve tea to me,” said Chief-Inspector Davy. “Muffins, I saw he’d got there. I’d like a good muffin again.”
“Certainly if you like,” said Miss Gorringe, rather coldly. “Shall I order two teas to be served to you in the lounge?” she added, turning to Inspector Campbell.
“That would—” the inspector began, when suddenly the door opened and Mr. Humfries appeared in his Olympian manner.
He looked slightly taken aback, then looked inquiringly at Miss Gorringe. Miss Gorringe explained.
“These are two gentlemen from Scotland Yard, Mr. Humfries,” she said.
“Detective-Inspector Campbell,” said Campbell.
“Oh yes. Yes, of course,” said Mr. Humfries. “The matter of Canon Pennyfather, I suppose? Most extraordinary business. I hope nothing’s happened to him, poor old chap.”
“So do I,” said Miss Gorringe. “Such a dear old man.”
“One of the old school,” said Mr. Humfries approvingly.
“You seem to have quite a lot of the old school here,” observed Chief-Inspector Davy.
“I suppose we do, I suppose we do,” said Mr. Humfries. “Yes, in many ways we are quite a survival.”
“We have our regulars you know,” said Miss Gorringe. She spoke proudly. “The same people come back year after year. We have a lot of Americans. People from Boston, and Washington. Very quiet, nice people.”
“They like our English atmosphere,” said Mr. Humfries, showing his very white teeth in a smile.
Father looked at him