Callander Square - Anne Perry [90]
“Not fond of blondes myself,” Pitt agreed. “Not the very fair ones. Always look a little cold to me.”
Maybe the fellow was not so bad; human, anyway.
“Quite,” Reggie agreed. “Nice girl, always civil and conducted herself well, far as I know. Pity. Great pity.”
Pitt’s bright eyes were still on him.
“Who did admire her, do you know? There must have been some who did.”
“Oh, of course,” Reggie agreed. Good opportunity, this. “Alan Ross was very much in love with her, at the time. But I suppose you knew that?”
“Alan Ross?”
“Yes. Fellow who just married Christina Balantyne, this morning, in fact.”
“Oh yes, of course; yes, I had heard he was fond of Helena Doran.”
“Damn sight more than fond of her; crazy about her. Terribly upset when she ran off—or I suppose I should say, was murdered.” He looked up at Pitt. “I suppose she was murdered?”
“Oh, yes. I’m afraid there is no doubt.”
“How can you tell? Thought the body was—well—”
“So it was. But a few rags of the clothes left, and of course the bones. The flesh was eaten away, but the bones were all there. The neck was broken. Must have been very powerful hands to do it so neatly.”
Reggie flinched in disgust.
“Yes, nasty, isn’t it?” Pitt agreed, although Reggie detected a tone in his voice he could not entirely place. Peculiar fellow. Still, no doubt he served his purpose; and with care, he could serve Reggie’s as well.
“Very cut up, he was,” Reggie went on. “Quite unhinged the poor chap for a while. Not that I want to suggest—of course—!”
“But it’s a possibility,” Pitt finished for him.
Reggie assumed an air of reluctance. “Have to admit it,” he said slowly.
“Did he ever say anything to you about another man, a lover?”
Reggie screwed up his face in an effort to bring something to mind.
“Can’t recall. But my dear fellow, you can’t expect me to repeat some casual word, even if I could remember it, that might hang a chap!” he protested.
“Won’t hang anybody on a few words,” Pitt said softly, smiling again. “And you have a moral duty, after all.”
“Oh, quite,” Reggie agreed. This was turning out very well: unfortunate about Alan Ross, but then he might very well have killed Helena in a fit of jealousy. It was the most likely explanation, after all!
Pitt was waiting.
“Well—” Reggie hesitated, not through reluctance, but because he had not yet thought of anything suitable to say. “Can’t bring back words, of course,” he lifted his voice a little at the end, as if to question whether Pitt really wished him to continue; then he hurried on, in case Pitt, by chance, should take it into his mind to stop him. “Just the general meaning. He was very much in love with her. We all thought they would marry, quite soon, in fact. Of course the rest of us had no idea there was another lover. I suppose Ross found out. No idea how. Never said anything to us; but then he wouldn’t, would he? Make rather a fool of him, what? Woman you loved taking some other fellow into her bed.”
“Yes,” Pitt agreed solemnly. “Very painful. A man might react on the spur of the moment.”
“Quite,” Reggie said quickly. “Quite.”
“Then,” Pitt said after a moment’s thought, “on the other hand, it could have been the lover.”
“Lover?” Reggie was taken aback. “Why, for heaven’s sake? Would think he had everything his way, what?” He tried to smile, but felt it a bit stiff on his face. “No reason to hurt her, far as I can see.”
“She was with child,” Pitt reminded him. “The lover’s child.”
“So?” A dark thought had come into Reggie’s mind, a beginning of a very unpleasant fear.
“Would have married her, if he were free to, don’t you suppose?” Pitt was staring at him, bright eyes wide.
Reggie’s mind whirled. This was stupid. He had never touched the girl. No need whatsoever to be nervous. But there was always Freddie and his damned tongue. If the police ever got to know that Reggie played around a little, they might not understand the difference!
“Perhaps he wasn’t suitable, as a husband, I mean,” he faced Pitt squarely. “Might have been a tradesman,