Spider's Web - Agatha Christie [22]
Hugo walked about in a complete circle. ‘I–I–’ he spluttered, waving his hands in the air.
Clarissa went on issuing her instructions. ‘You wear gloves, of course,’ she told them, ‘so as not to leave fingerprints on anything. I’ve got them here all ready for you.’ Pushing past Jeremy to the sofa, she took three pairs of gloves from under one of the cushions, and laid them out on an arm of the sofa.
Sir Rowland continued to stare at Clarissa. ‘Your natural talent for crime leaves me speechless,’ he informed her.
Jeremy gazed at her admiringly. ‘She’s got it all worked out, hasn’t she?’ he declared.
‘Yes,’ Hugo admitted, ‘but it’s all damned foolish nonsense just the same.’
‘Now, you must hurry,’ Clarissa ordered them vehemently. ‘At nine o’clock Henry and Mr Jones will be here.’
‘Mr Jones? Who on earth is Mr Jones?’ Sir Rowland asked her.
Clarissa put a hand to her head. ‘Oh dear,’ she exclaimed, ‘I never realized what a terrible lot of explaining one has to do in a murder. I thought I’d simply ask you to help me and you would, and that is all there’d be to it.’ She looked around at all three of them. ‘Oh, darlings, you must.’ She stroked Hugo’s hair. ‘Darling, darling Hugo–’
‘This play-acting is all very well, my dear,’ said Hugo, sounding distinctly annoyed, ‘but a dead body is a nasty, serious business, and monkeying about with it could land you in a real mess. You can’t go carting bodies about at dead of night.’
Clarissa went to Jeremy and placed her hand on his arm. ‘Jeremy, darling, you’ll help me, surely. Won’t you?’ she asked, with urgent appeal in her voice.
Jeremy gazed at her adoringly. ‘All right, I’m game,’ he replied cheerfully. ‘What’s a dead body or two among friends?’
‘Stop, young man,’ Sir Rowland ordered. ‘I’m not going to allow this.’ He turned to Clarissa. ‘Now, you must be guided by me, Clarissa. I insist. After all, there’s Henry to consider, too.’
Clarissa gave him a look of exasperation. ‘But it’s Henry I am considering,’ she declared.
Chapter 9
The three men greeted Clarissa’s announcement in silence. Sir Rowland shook his head gravely, Hugo continued to look puzzled, while Jeremy simply shrugged his shoulders as though giving up all hope of understanding the situation.
Taking a deep breath, Clarissa addressed all three of them. ‘Something terribly important is happening tonight,’ she told them. ‘Henry’s gone to–to meet someone and bring him back here. It’s very important and secret. A top political secret. No one is supposed to know about it. There was to be absolutely no publicity.’
‘Henry’s gone to meet a Mr Jones?’ Sir Rowland queried, dubiously.
‘It’s a silly name, I agree,’ said Clarissa, ‘but that’s what they’re calling him. I can’t tell you his real name. I can’t tell you any more about it. I promised Henry I wouldn’t say a word to anybody, but I have to make you see that I’m not just–’ she turned to look at Hugo as she continued, ‘–not just being an idiot and play-acting as Hugo called it.’
She turned back to Sir Rowland. ‘What sort of effect do you think it will have on Henry’s career,’ she asked him, ‘if he has to walk in here with this distinguished person–and another very distinguished person travelling down from London for this meeting–only to find the police investigating a murder–the murder of a man who has just married Henry’s former wife?’
‘Good Lord!’ Sir Rowland exclaimed. Then, looking Clarissa straight in the eye, he added, suspiciously, ‘You’re not making all this up now, are you? This isn’t just another of your complicated games, intended to make fools of us all?’
Clarissa shook her head mournfully. ‘Nobody ever believes me when I’m speaking the truth,’ she protested.
‘Sorry, my