a fully occupational hazard. Film stars marry often. Sometimes happily, sometimes disastrously, but seldom permanently. In that respect I should not say that Marina has had any undue cause to complain, but to one of her temperament things of that kind matter very deeply. She imbued herself with the idea that she was unlucky, that nothing would ever go right for her. She has always been looking desperately for the same things, love, happiness, affection, security. She was wildly anxious to have children. According to some medical opinion, the very strength of that anxiety frustrated its object. One very celebrated physician advised the adoption of a child. He said it is often the case that when an intense desire for maternity is assuaged by having adopted a baby, a child is born naturally shortly afterwards. Marina adopted no less than three children. For a time she got a certain amount of happiness and serenity, but it was not the real thing. You can imagine her delight when eleven years ago she found she was going to have a child. Her pleasure and delight were quite indescribable. She was in good health and the doctors assured her that there was every reason to believe that everything would go well. As you may or may not know, the result was tragedy. The child, a boy, was born mentally deficient, imbecile. The result was disastrous. Marina had a complete breakdown and was severely ill for years, confined to a sanatorium. Though her recovery was slow she did recover. Shortly after that we married and she began once more to take an interest in life and to feel that perhaps she could be happy. It was difficult at first for her to get a worthwhile contract for a picture. Everyone was inclined to doubt whether her health would stand the strain. I had to battle for that.’ Jason Rudd’s lips set firmly together. ‘Well, the battle was successful. We have started shooting the picture. In the meantime we bought this house and set about altering it. Only about a fortnight ago Marina was saying to me how happy she was, and how she felt at last she was going to be able to settle down to a happy home life, her troubles behind her. I was a little nervous because, as usual, her expectations were too optimistic. But there was no doubt that she was happy. Her nervous symptoms disappeared, there was a calmness and a quietness about her that I had never seen before. Everything was going well until —’ He paused. His voice became suddenly bitter. ‘Until this happened! That woman had to die — here! That in itself was shock enough. I couldn’t risk — I was determined not to risk — Marina’s knowing that an attempt had been made on her life. That would have been a second, perhaps fatal, shock. It might have precipitated another mental collapse.’
He looked directly at Dermot.
‘Do you understand — now?’
‘I see your point of view,’ said Craddock, ‘but forgive me, isn’t there one aspect that you are neglecting? You give me your conviction that an attempt was made to poison your wife. Doesn’t that danger still remain? If a poisoner does not succeed, isn’t it likely that the attempt may be repeated?’
‘Naturally I’ve considered that,’ said Jason Rudd, ‘but I am confident that, being forewarned so to speak, I can take all reasonable precautions for my wife’s safety. I shall watch over her and arrange that others shall watch over her. The great thing, I feel, is that she herself should not know that any danger threatened her.’
‘And you think,’ said Dermot cautiously, ‘that she does not know?’
‘Of course not. She has no idea.’
‘You’re sure of that?’
‘Certain. Such an idea would never occur to her.’
‘But it occurred to you,’ Dermot pointed out.
‘That’s very different,’ said Jason Rudd. ‘Logically it was the only solution. But my wife isn’t logical, and to begin with she could not possibly imagine that anyone would want to do away with her. Such a possibility would simply not occur to her mind.’
‘You may be right,’ said Dermot slowly, ‘but that leaves us now with several other questions. Again, let me put this bluntly. Whom do you suspect?’
‘I can