They came to Baghdad - Agatha Christie [52]
‘Of course not.’
‘Because, I mean, it seems such an absolutely impossible thing to have happened.’
‘Well, it did happen,’ said Victoria touchily.
‘And all that melodramatic stuff about world forces and mysterious secret installations in the heart of Tibet or Baluchistan. I mean, all that simply couldn’t be true. Things like that don’t happen.’
‘That’s what people always say before they’ve happened.’
‘Honest to God, Charing Cross – are you making all this up?’
‘No!’ cried Victoria, exasperated.
‘And you’ve come down here looking for someone called Lefarge and someone called Anna Scheele –’
‘Whom you’ve heard of yourself,’ Victoria put in. ‘You had heard of her hadn’t you?’
‘I’d heard the name – yes.’
‘How? Where? At the Olive Branch?’
Edward was silent for some moments, then said:
‘I don’t know if it means anything. It was just – odd –’
‘Go on. Tell me.’
‘You see, Victoria. I’m so different from you. I’m not as sharp as you are. I just feel, in a queer kind of way, that things are wrong somehow – I don’t know why I think so. You spot things as you go along and deduce things from them. I’m not clever enough for that. I just feel vaguely that things are – well – wrong – but I don’t know why.’
‘I feel like that sometimes, too,’ said Victoria. ‘Like Sir Rupert on the balcony of the Tio.’
‘Who’s Sir Rupert?’
‘Sir Rupert Crofton Lee. He was on the plane coming out. Very haughty and showing-off. A VIP. You know. And when I saw him sitting out on the balcony at the Tio in the sun, I had that queer feeling you’ve just said of something being wrong, but not knowing what it was.’
‘Rathbone asked him to lecture to the Olive Branch, I believe, but he couldn’t make it. Flew back to Cairo or Damascus or somewhere yesterday morning, I believe.’
‘Well, go on about Anna Scheele.’
‘Oh, Anna Scheele. It was nothing really. It was just one of the girls.’
‘Catherine?’ said Victoria instantly.
‘I believe it was Catherine now I think of it.’
‘Of course it was Catherine. That’s why you don’t want to tell me about it.’
‘Nonsense, that’s quite absurd.’
‘Well, what was it?’
‘Catherine said to one of the other girls, “When Anna Scheele comes, we can go forward. Then we take our orders from her – and her alone”.’
‘That’s frightfully important, Edward.’
‘Remember, I’m not even sure that was the name,’ Edward warned her.
‘Didn’t you think it queer at the time?’
‘No, of course I didn’t. I thought it was just some female who was coming out to boss things. A kind of Queen Bee. Are you sure you’re not imagining all this, Victoria?’
Immediately he quailed before the glance his young friend gave him.
‘All right, all right,’ he said hastily. ‘Only you’ll admit the whole story does sound queer. So like a thriller – a young man coming in and gasping out one word that doesn’t mean anything – and then dying. It just doesn’t seem real.’
‘You didn’t see the blood,’ said Victoria and shivered slightly.
‘It must have given you a terrible shock,’ said Edward sympathetically.
‘It did,’ said Victoria. ‘And then on top of it, you come along and ask me if I’m making it all up.’
‘I’m sorry. But you are rather good at making things up. The Bishop of Llangow and all that!’
‘Oh, that was just girlish joie de vivre,’ said Victoria. ‘This is serious, Edward, really serious.’
‘This man, Dakin – is that his name? – impressed you as knowing what he was talking about?’
‘Yes, he was very convincing. But, look here, Edward, how do you know –’
A hail from the balcony interrupted her.
‘Come in – you two – drinks waiting.’
‘Coming,’ called Victoria.
Mrs Clayton, watching them coming towards the steps, said to her husband:
‘There’s something in the wind there! Nice couple of children – probably haven’t got a bean between them. Shall I tell you what I think, Gerald?’
‘Certainly, dear. I’m always interested to hear your ideas.’
‘I think that girl has come out here to join her uncle on his Dig simply and solely because