‘I always wear it!’
‘It didn’t occur to you that the other stones might be loose?’
‘No, it didn’t!’
‘But you told us just now that it was for this reason that you were not wearing the ring.’
Her eyes were bright with anger.
‘I didn’t think of it at first, and then I did! Any objection to that?’
‘When did you first notice that the stone was gone?’
‘I have no idea.’
‘Think carefully, Mrs Harrison. This seems to be a valuable ring. Since you wear it always, it must be valuable to you. When you discovered that one of the stones was missing you would naturally be upset.’
‘Anyone would be!’
‘I quite agree with you. It is an unpleasant thing to happen. You would naturally speak about it to your maid – ask her to look for it very carefully in case it had dropped in the house.’
‘Well, I didn’t!’
Her foot was tapping again. If he would only stop these questions and give her time to think. He didn’t give her a moment. He went on,
‘It would seem to have been the natural thing to do.’
‘Well then, it wasn’t! I knew I hadn’t dropped it in the house.’
‘May I ask how you knew that?’
She had to make up her mind quickly. When you hadn’t time to think you had to do what you could and chance your luck. She said,
‘Because I knew the ring was all right when I went out.’
‘Oh, you have remembered which day you missed the stone?’
She said smoothly,
‘It must have been the last time I went to the Grahams’, if that was where it was found.’
Frank said, ‘Yes,’ and gave it a moment to sink in before he went on, ‘The last time you went to the Grahams’ – that would be on Tuesday after the bridge party at the Reckitts’?’
‘What are you trying to make me say? I wasn’t anywhere near them on Tuesday evening! It was the week before – Wednesday or Thursday, I don’t remember which. I was there to tea, and Mrs Graham took me into the garden afterwards to show me some plant or other.’
‘Who else was there?’
‘No one. It was just Mrs Graham and me.’
‘I thought you said you played bridge after tea.’
‘I couldn’t have. There wasn’t anyone to play with – even Thea was out. We were in the garden.’
‘Did you say you went up into the gazebo?’
‘Yes, I did. Mrs Graham wanted me to see the view.’
‘She didn’t go with you?’
‘No.’
‘And when you came home and discovered that a stone out of your ring was missing you would naturally make inquiries as to whether you had dropped it at the Grahams’?’
She met his searching look with a hardy one.
‘Yes, I did.’
‘Curious that Mrs Graham should not have mentioned the fact to her daughter.’
‘I suppose she forgot. She wasn’t really interested in anything that didn’t happen to herself.’
‘You didn’t mention the loss of the stone to your maid, and Mrs Graham didn’t mention it to her daughter. Quite a coincidence, isn’t it? I suppose you mentioned the loss to your husband?’
If Jack had been out – if she could have been certain of the opportunity of telling him what to say – but he was in the study – she couldn’t be certain of anything. She took the next best chance and said,
‘I didn’t want him to know. It’s a ring from his side of the family. He gave it to me when we were married.’
Frank thought, ‘She’s lying all along the line.’ Out loud he said,
‘You are quite sure about these dates, Mrs Harrison?’
‘I’m not sure whether it was Wednesday or Thursday when I went to the Grahams’ – Wednesday or Thursday last week.’
‘But you are sure that it was last week?’
‘Quite sure.’
‘And that that was when you lost the stone out of your ring?’
‘Yes.’
‘Mrs Harrison, Miss Pimm is extremely definite in stating that she saw that ring on your right hand at the Reckitts bridge party, and that all the stones were there. She says she counted them.’
Ella Harrison’s blazing anger broke. Her furious voice leapt at them.
‘Then she’s a damned liar as well as a damned fool! Anyone – anyone with a grain of sense could see what she and her sisters are – spiteful old maids with nothing to do but gather up gossip and peddle it round to a lot of credulous nitwits who don’t know any better than to lap it up! Just try putting your Lily Pimm in the box and see what kind of shape she’d be in by the time a lawyer had finished with her! You just try it!’
There were a number of unprintable words in this speech. Some shocked Inspector Sharp a good deal, coming from a lady in Mrs Harrison’s position. In court he might have characterized them as obscene. In his own mind he set them down as low. He really wondered where she had picked them up.
Frank Abbott, waiting until she was done, saw the door open behind her and Mr Harrison come into the room – a small quiet man with greying hair and a patient look about the eyes. He said, ‘What is the matter?’ and Ella Harrison whirled round upon him.
‘I’m being insulted, that’s what! A pretty state of things when the police come tramping into your drawing-room without a with your leave or by your leave and insult you!’ She swung back again.
‘Perhaps you’ll be a bit more careful what you say now my husband’s here – bursting in and calling me a liar in my own house!’
Jack Harrison stood where he was. He had a certain half bewildered dignity as he said,
‘Perhaps someone will tell me what is going on.’
Frank Abbott told him quietly and succinctly. The air of bewilderment deepened.
‘A stone from my wife’s ring – in the gazebo at The Lodge? Are you sure there is no mistake? But she was wearing the ring on Tuesday evening – I saw it myself. There was no stone missing then.’
The fool – the immeasurable fool! Just for a moment she couldn’t think – speak – move.
Frank Abbott said,
‘Are you sure about that?’
Jack Harrison said, ‘Oh, yes.’ He was neither quick nor clever. He found the situation confusing. His wife’s anger daunted him. He steadied himself on the plain question of fact. Ella couldn’t have dropped a stone out of her ring last week, because she was wearing it at the Reckitts’ on Tuesday. He said so, repeating himself as he was rather inclined to do.
‘Oh, yes, it was all right when we were at the Reckitts’. We were playing at the same table for part of the time. It’s a beautiful ring, and I noticed it particularly. The stones came from Golconda. A great-uncle of mine brought them home and had them cut. They are well matched. They were certainly all there on Tuesday.’
Ella Harrison had been going back step by step.
It was a purely instinctive movement. In a moment she would think of something to say, to do. The moment wasn’t yet. She would have to wait for it. She went back until the fireplace brought her up short. There was a Sèvres jar in the middle of the mantelpiece with a delicate china figure on either side of it. Eighteenth-century figures – a lady in a hooped skirt with powdered hair, a gentleman in a brocaded coat with red heels to his shoes. She picked up the lady by her slender neck and slung her at Jack Harrison.
THIRTY
MR HARRISON DUCKED. The china lady in her applegreen gown and flowered petticoat smashed against the door which he had closed behind him and fell in splinters on the parquet floor. The head rolled under a small gold gimcrack chair. Ella Harrison stood against the mantelpiece, heavily flushed and breathing deep. Nobody spoke until Frank Abbott said, his voice very cool and detached.
‘Perhaps it would be better to defer the rest of this interview until Mrs Harrison is calmer.’
Jack Harrison spoke.
‘I think it would be better. If you want me, I shall be in the study.’ He turned and went out of the room.