Body in the Library - Agatha Christie [28]
“Good lord!” said the Colonel. “No wonder the people who turn out these creams and messes make a fortune.”
“Easy money, that’s what it is,” said Slack. “Easy money. Got to spend a bit in advertisement, of course.”
Colonel Melchett jerked his mind away from the fascinating and age-long problem of woman’s adornments. He said to Harper, who had just joined them:
“There’s still this dancing fellow. Your pigeon, Superintendent?”
“I suppose so, sir.”
As they went downstairs Harper asked:
“What did you think of Mr. Bartlett’s story, sir?”
“About his car? I think, Harper, that that young man wants watching. It’s a fishy story. Supposing that he did take Ruby Keene out in that car last night, after all?”
IV
Superintendent Harper’s manner was slow and pleasant and absolutely noncommittal. These cases where the police of two counties had to collaborate were always difficult. He liked Colonel Melchett and considered him an able Chief Constable, but he was nevertheless glad to be tackling the present interview by himself. Never do too much at once, was Superintendent Harper’s rule. Bare routine inquiry for the first time. That left the persons you were interviewing relieved and predisposed them to be more unguarded 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-bronzed face. He was dark and graceful. He had a pleasant, friendly manner and was very popular in the hotel.
“I’m afraid I can’t help you much, Superintendent. I knew Ruby quite well, of course. She’d been here over a month and we had practised our dances together and all that. But there’s really very little to say. She was quite a pleasant and rather stupid girl.”
“It’s her friendships we’re particularly anxious to know about. Her friendships with men.”
“So I suppose. Well, I don’t know anything! She’d got a few young men in tow in the hotel, but nothing special. You see, she was nearly always monopolized by the Jefferson family.”
“Yes, the Jefferson family.” Harper paused meditatively. He shot a shrewd 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 adopt Ruby 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’t know what it was.”
“And Josie?”
“Oh, I think Josie must have known what was in the wind. Probably she was the one who planned the whole thing. Josie’s no fool. She’s got a head on her, that girl.”
Harper nodded. It was Josie who had sent for Ruby Keene. Josie, no doubt, who had encouraged the intimacy. No wonder she had been upset when Ruby had failed to show up for her dance that night and Conway Jefferson 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, or whom she had had difficulty with—you know the sort of thing I mean, no doubt.”
“I know perfectly. Well, as far as I’m aware, there was no one of the kind. Not by anything she ever said.”
“Thank you, Mr. Starr. Now will you just tell me in your own words exactly what happened last night?”
“Certainly. Ruby and I did our ten-thirty dance together—”
“No signs of anything unusual about her then?