The Mirror Crack'd - Agatha Christie [57]
‘Did you look at Marina Gregg herself at all as you were coming up?’
‘Yes, of course I did.’
‘She didn’t look upset or as though she’d had a shock or was frightened?’
‘It’s odd you should say that. I did think for a moment or two she was going to faint.’
‘I see,’ said Craddock thoughtfully. ‘Thanks. There’s nothing else you’d like to tell me?’
McNeil gave him a wide innocent stare.
‘What could there be?’
‘I don’t trust you,’ said Craddock.
‘But you seem quite sure I didn’t do it. Disappointing. Suppose I turn out to be her first husband. Nobody knows who he was except that he was so insignificant that even his name’s been forgotten.’
Dermot grinned.
‘Married from your prep school?’ he asked. ‘Or possibly in rompers! I must hurry. I’ve got a train to catch.’
III
There was a neatly docketed pile of papers on Craddock’s desk at New Scotland Yard. He gave a perfunctory glance through them, then threw a question over his shoulder.
‘Where’s Lola Brewster staying?’
‘At the Savoy, sir. Suite 1800. She’s expecting you.’
‘And Ardwyck Fenn?’
‘He’s at the Dorchester. First floor, 190.’
‘Good.’
He picked up some cablegrams and read through them again before shoving them into his pocket. He smiled a moment to himself over the last one. ‘Don’t say I don’t do my stuff, Aunt Jane,’ he murmured under his breath.
He went out and made his way to the Savoy.
In Lola Brewster’s suite Lola went out of her way to welcome him effusively. With the report he had just read in his mind, he studied her carefully. Quite a beauty still, he thought, in a lush kind of way, what you might call a trifle over-blown, perhaps, but they still liked them that way. A completely different type, of course, from Marina Gregg. The amenities over, Lola pushed back her Fiji Islander hair, drew her generous lipsticked mouth into a provocative pout, and flickering blue eyelids over wide brown eyes, said:
‘Have you come to ask me a lot more horrible questions? Like that local inspector did.’
‘I hope they won’t be too horrible, Miss Brewster.’
‘Oh, but I’m sure they will be, and I’m sure the whole thing must have been some terrible mistake.’
‘Do you really think so?’
‘Yes. It’s all such nonsense. Do you really mean that someone tried to poison Marina? Who on earth would poison Marina? She’s an absolute sweetie, you know. Everybody loves her.’
‘Including you?’
‘I’ve always been devoted to Marina.’
‘Oh come now, Miss Brewster, wasn’t there a little trouble about eleven or twelve years ago?’
‘Oh that.’ Lola waved it away. ‘I was terribly nervy and distraught, and Rob and I had been having the most frightful quarrels. We were neither of us normal at the moment. Marina just fell wildly in love with him and rushed him off his feet, the poor pet.’
‘And you minded very much?’
‘Well, I thought I did, Inspector. Of course I see now it was one of the best things that ever happened for me. I was really worried about the children, you know. Breaking up our home. I’m afraid I’d already realized that Rob and I were incompatible. I expect you know I got married to Eddie Groves as soon as the divorce went through? I think really I’d been in love with him for a long time, but of course I didn’t want to break up my marriage, because of the children. It’s so important, isn’t it, that children should have a home?’
‘Yet people say that actually you were terribly upset.’
‘Oh, people always say things,’ said Lola vaguely.
‘You said quite a lot, didn’t you, Miss Brewster? You went about threatening to shoot Marina Gregg, or so I understand.’
‘I’ve told you one says things. One’s supposed