Cat Among the Pigeons - Agatha Christie [58]
At the house he was received by Miss Johnson. She was shaken but preserved her self-control.
“It’s terrible, Inspector,” she said. “Two of our mistresses killed. Poor Miss Chadwick’s in a dreadful state.”
“I’d like to see her as soon as I can.”
“The doctor gave her something and she’s much calmer now. Shall I take you to her?”
“Yes, in a minute or two. First of all, just tell me what you can about the last time you saw Miss Vansittart.”
“I haven’t seen her at all today,” said Miss Johnson. “I’ve been away all day. I arrived back here just before eleven and went straight up to my room. I went to bed.”
“You didn’t happen to look out of your window towards the Sports Pavilion?”
“No. No, I never thought of it. I’d spent the day with my sister whom I hadn’t seen for some time and my mind was full of home news. I took a bath and went to bed and read a book, and I turned off the light and went to sleep. The next thing I knew was when Miss Chadwick burst in, looking as white as a sheet and shaking all over.”
“Was Miss Vansittart absent today?”
“No, she was here. She was in charge. Miss Bulstrode’s away.”
“Who else was here, of the mistresses, I mean?”
Miss Johnson considered a moment. “Miss Vansittart, Miss Chadwick, the French mistress, Mademoiselle Blanche, Miss Rowan.”
“I see. Well, I think you’d better take me to Miss Chadwick now.”
Miss Chadwick was sitting in a chair in her room. Although the night was a warm one the electric fire had been turned on and a rug was wrapped round her knees. She turned a ghastly face towards Inspector Kelsey.
“She’s dead—she is dead? There’s no chance that—that she might come round?”
Kelsey shook his head slowly.
“It’s so awful,” said Miss Chadwick, “with Miss Bulstrode away.” She burst into tears. “This will ruin the school,” she said. “This will ruin Meadowbank. I can’t bear it—I really can’t bear it.”
Kelsey sat down beside her. “I know,” he said sympathetically, “I know. It’s been a terrible shock to you, but I want you to be brave, Miss Chadwick, and tell me all you know. The sooner we can find out who did it, the less trouble and publicity there will be.”
“Yes, yes, I can see that. You see, I—I went to bed early because I thought it would be nice for once to have a nice long night. But I couldn’t go to sleep. I was worrying.”
“Worrying about the school?”
“Yes. And about Shaista being missing. And then I began thinking of Miss Springer and whether—whether her murder would affect the parents, and whether perhaps they wouldn’t send their girls back here next term. I was so terribly upset for Miss Bulstrode. I mean, she’s made this place. It’s been such a fine achievement.”
“I know. Now go on telling me—you were worried, and you couldn’t sleep?”
“No, I counted sheep and everything. And then I got up and took some aspirin and when I’d taken it I just happened to draw back the curtains from the window. I don’t quite know why. I suppose because I’d been thinking about Miss Springer. Then you see, I saw … I saw a light there.”
“What kind of a light?”
“Well, a sort of dancing light. I mean—I think it must have been a torch. It was just like the light that Miss Johnson and I saw before.”
“It was just the same, was it?”
“Yes. Yes, I think so. Perhaps a little feebler, but I don’t know.”
“Yes. And then?”
“And then,” said Miss Chadwick, her voice suddenly becoming more resonant, “I was determined that this time I would see who it was out there and what they were doing. So I got up and pulled on my coat and my shoes, and I rushed out of the house.”
“You didn’t think of calling anyone else?”
“No. No, I didn’t. You see I was in such a hurry to get there, I was so afraid the person—whoever it was—would go away.”
“Yes. Go on, Miss Chadwick.”
“So I went as fast as I could. I went up to the door and just before I got there I went on tiptoe so that—so that I should be able to look in and nobody would hear me coming. I got there. The door was not shut—just ajar and I pushed it very slightly open. I looked round it and—and there she was. Fallen forward on