‘Oh! Well, this one wasn’t. A very decent sort of woman she seemed to be. Drove a big red open Bentley. Made no bones about it at all.’
‘You don’t know her name I suppose?’’
‘I never thought to ask. But I do remember the number of the car — it was a comic one: 01 0101—sort of thing you couldn’t help remembering, — Oi-oi-oi! I’ said to this woman what a funny one it was and we laughed about it, a good bit.’
‘Ha ha!’ said Wimsey, ‘that’s a good one. Oi-oi-oi!’
‘Yes it made us both laugh. I remember saying it was a bit unfortunate having a number like that, because it ‘ud stick in a bobby’s mind. Oi-oi-oi!’ Mr Weldon yodelled
gleefully.
‘So you go to Wilvercombe?’ ‘Yes.’
‘And what did you do there?’
‘The good lady put me down in the Market Square and asked me if I would like to be taken back. So I said that was very kind of her and when would she be leaving. She said she had to go just before-one o’clock because she had an appointment in Heathbury, so I said that would do me all right, and she arranged to meet me in the Market Square again. So then I had a wander round and went down to the Winter Gardens. The chap I’d talked to said that this girl of Alexis had something to do with the Winter Gardens — sung, or something.’
‘She doesn’t, as a matter of fact. Her present young man plays in the orchestra there.’
‘Yes; I know that now. He’d got it all wrong. Anyhow, that’s where I went, and I wasted a good bit of time listening, to a tom-fool classical concert — my God! Bach and stuff at eleven in the morning! and wondering when the real show began.’
‘Were there many people there?
‘Lord, yes — packed with tabbies and invalids! I soon got fed-up and went round to the Resplendent. I wanted to get hold of the people there, only of course I had the luck to run slap-bang into my mother. She was just going out, and I dodged behind one of these silly palm-trees they have there so that she couldn’t see me, and then I thought she might be going off to meet Alexis, so I padded after her.’
‘And did she meet Alexis?’
No; she went to some damned milliner’s place.’
‘How provoking!’
‘I believe you. I waited a bit, and she came out and went to the Winter Gardens. “Hullo!” I said to myself, “what’s all this? Is she on the same tack as I am?” So away I toddled again, and dash it! If it wasn’t the same infernal concert, and if she didn’t sit through it all by herself! I can tell you what they played, too. A thing called the Eroica Symphony. Such stuff!’
‘Tut-tut! How wearisome.’
‘Yes, I was wild,’ I can tell you. And the funny thing was, Mother looked as if she was waiting for somebody because she kept looking round and fidgeting. She sat on right through the programme, but when it came to God Save the King, she chucked it and went back to the Resplendent, looking as sick as a cat when you’ve taken its mouse away. Well, then I looked at my watch, and dashed if it wasn’t twenty to one!’
‘A sad waste of time! So I suppose you had to give up your drive home with the kindly lady in the Bentley?’
‘What, me? Not a bit of it. She was a dashed fine woman. There wasn’t such a devil of a hurry about Alexis. I went back to the Market Square, and there she was and we went home. I think that was all. No, it wasn’t. I bought some collars at a shop near the War Memorial, and I believe I’ve got the bill about me somewhere, if that’s evidence. — Yes, here we are. One stuffs these things into one’s pocket, you know. I’ve got one of the collars on now, if you’d like to look at it.’
‘Oh, no — I believe you.’
‘Good! Well, that’s all, except that I went along and had some lunch at the Feathers. My good lady dropped me there and I think she went off up the Heathbury Road. After lunch, that is, at about 1.45, I went and had another go at the car, but couldn’t get the slightest sign of a spark, So I thought I’d see if the local man could make anything of it. I went and got him and he came, and after a time they traced the trouble to a fault in the H. T. lead and put it right.’
‘Well, that seems pretty clear. What time did you and the lady in the Bentley get to the Feathers?’
‘Just on one o’clock. I remember hearing the church clock strike and saying I hoped she wouldn’t be late for her tennis-party.’
‘And what time did you go to the garage?’
‘Blest if I know. About three or half-past I should think. But they could probably tell you.’
‘Oh, yes, they’ll be able to check that up all right. It’s, very lucky you’ve got so many witnesses to your alibi, isn’t it? Otherwise, as you say, it might have looked fishy. Now, here’s another thing. While you were in Hinks’s Lane on Thursday, did you happen to notice anybody or anything going along the shore?’
‘Not a soul. But, as I’ve been trying to explain, I; was only there up to ten o’clock and after 1.45, so it wasn’t very likely I should see anything.’
‘Nobody passed between 1.45 and three o’clock?’
‘Oh! between 1.45 and three o’clock? I thought you meant earlier. Yes, there was a chap a little pip-squeak of a — fellow, in shorts, with horn-rimmed goggles on. He came down Hinks’s Lane just after I got back — at 1.55, to be exact — and asked the time.’
‘Did he? Where did he come from?’
‘From the village. I mean, from the direction of the village ‘ he seemed to be a stranger. I told him the time, and he went down to the shore and had his lunch on the beach. He cleared off later — at least, he wasn’t there after I came back from the garage, and I think he went earlier than that. I didn’t have much conversation with him. In fact, he wasn’t keen for any, after I’d booted him one in the behind.’
‘Great Scott! What for?’
‘Nosey-parkering. I was struggling with the infernal car, and he stood about asking silly questions. I told him to clear out — standing there bleating “Won’t it start?” Blasted little idiot!’
Wimsey laughed. ‘He can’t be our man, anyhow.’
‘What man? The murderer? You still want to make out it’s murder? Well, I’ll swear that little shrimp had nothing to do with it. Sunday-school teacher, that’s what he looked like.’
‘And he was the only person you saw? Nothing else: neither man, woman nor child? Neither bird nor beast?’
‘Why, no. No. Nothing.’
‘H’m. Well, I’m much obliged to you for being so frank. I’ll have to tell Umpelty about all this, but I don’t imagine he’ll bother you much and I don’t see the least need to inform Mrs Weldon.’
‘I told you there was nothing in it.’
‘Exactly. What time did you leave on Friday morning, by the way?’
‘Eight o’clock.’
‘Early start, wasn’t it?’
‘There was nothing to stay for.’
‘Why?’
‘Well, Alexis was dead, wasn’t he?’
‘How did you know that?’