‘You did not try to stop him?’
‘I had no reason to do so. It was not until next day that I had any reason to suspect that he had probably murdered Mrs Graham.’
Frank Abbott said,
‘Well go on. He got up…’
‘And rushed away. My wife was getting to her feet at the entrance to the gazebo. If she was expecting to meet Mr Worple, and I think there is no doubt that she was, it must have been a great shock to be knocked down by a violent stranger. She came limping down the path towards me, breathing in a distressed manner. I stood perfectly still behind a clump of hollyhocks and let her go by.’
Frank Abbott leaned forward across the polished table.
‘Did she go into the gazebo?’
Jack Harrison shook his head.
‘Oh, no – she hadn’t a chance – she was knocked down on the threshold.’
‘But afterwards – when she got up again?’
‘Oh, no. She was groaning and getting up – I could hear her all the time. I think her one idea was to get away. She came down the steps and down the path and went round the house and out into the road. And then she went home.’
‘You’re sure about that?’
‘I followed her. When she got inside the drive she stood for a bit. There is a path that goes off to the left through a shrubbery. I went that way because I wanted to get in first. I had some thoughts of locking her out, but I considered that she had been very badly frightened, and that it would be a cruel thing to do, so I just went up to my room and left the door unlocked.’
‘You are sure she came in?’
‘Oh, yes. I waited by the window until I saw her come round the house and go in. I had set my door ajar, and I heard her come up the stairs and go away to her own room.’
‘You didn’t speak to her about what had happened, either then or next day?’
‘No.’
‘Why didn’t you?’
‘I didn’t wish to have a scene with my wife.’
Having been privileged to witness one of these conjugal scenes, the two Inspectors believed him. Frank Abbot said,
‘You said nothing to her at all even when you had heard about Mrs Graham’s murder?’
‘No, I didn’t say anything.’
‘Mr Harrison, you must have realized the importance of your encounter with this man on the scene of the murder. He was at any rate an intruder upon private property, and his behaviour is, to say the least of it, highly suspicious. He hasn’t any business in the gazebo. He knocks a woman down and makes a bolt for it when he is discovered there. You must surely have realized that it was your duty to go to the police?’
‘Oh, yes. But you see my wife was involved.’
Frank Abbott’s light, cool gaze rested upon him.
‘We have a witness who heard Mrs Graham speaking to someone in the gazebo at just after twenty past eleven. This witness was frightened and ran down to the corner to catch the bus. If, as you say, the bus was at the corner and a woman was running down towards it when you turned into Hill Rise, this witness’s statement is confirmed, and it becomes clear that Mrs Graham was murdered between the time when she was heard to call out and the moment when you saw this man whom you have described rush out of the gazebo.’
‘I suppose so.’
‘You did very wrong not to report the matter at once.’
Jack Harrison said,
‘I suppose I did. But I wouldn’t have let an innocent person be arrested – I had quite made up my mind about that. That is why I have come to you now. My cousin said he was going to be arrested, and I couldn’t let that happen.’
‘Well, I think we shall have to have another interview with Mrs Harrison. You’re sure she doesn’t know you followed her?’
‘Yes, I’m sure. What I wanted was to avoid having a scene.’
He hesitated, and then came out with,
‘There’s just one thing more…’
‘What is it?’
‘When this man fell there was a sound as if he had dropped something. He might have had it in his hand, or perhaps it fell out of his pocket – I don’t know. The yard is paved and it made a sort of metallic sound against the stone. I had a torch in my pocket, and when my wife had gone away round the house I switched it on. I found the thing quite easily, and by hurrying after her I was able to come up as near to my wife as I wanted to.’
Frank Abbott said,
‘And what did you pick up?’
Jack Harrison dived into the pocket of his raincoat and produced an object wrapped in tissue paper. He unwrapped it, holding it gingerly, and laid it down upon the table. It was a forked rod made of metal. Frank Abbott looked at it, Inspector Sharp looked at it, Miss Silver looked at it. Jack Harrison said,
‘I don’t know what it is, but I took care how I picked it up. I really only touched the ends of the fork – if you want to try it for fingerprints.’
Frank Abbott said in his most expressionless voice,
‘The really up-to-date dowser affects a metal rod.’
FORTY-ONE
NICHOLAS AND ALTHEA had been together for an hour. They had not spoken very much. He had come to say good-bye. Memory brought back to both of them that other time five years ago when they had said good-bye in the gazebo. Then it had been for five long, cold, sterile years which had taken youth, joy, everything. But he had come back. The dead years were restored again. Life flowed in and the wilderness blossomed. If he went now, not to the risks and dangers of far places but to the cold unsparing judgement of the law, perhaps this was the very last time that they would see each other except with bars between them – the very last time that they would touch, or kiss, or say a word that others did not hear. And yet on the edge of such a separation they had no words to say. And if they were to touch, how could they bear to part? To each of them there was present the thought that it would be better to make an end, to wrench away and have done with this long unconscionable dying of all that had been just within their grasp.
When presently Miss Silver came into the room there was half the width of it between them – Althea in the sofa corner, her face quite drained of colour, her hands clasped rigidly upon the black stuff of her skirt; Nicholas at the window with his back to her, staring out at the path and the road beyond the gate. Three men had come through the front door and shut it behind them. They went out by the gate and turned the corner into Hill Rise. They were Detective Inspector Sharp, Detective Inspector Abbott, and Jack Harrison. Nicholas wondered why they had not arrested him. Behind his back Miss Silver gave the slight cough with which she was wont to call an audience to attention and said,
‘Mr Harrison has made a very important statement.’
The two Inspectors and Jack Harrison walked up Hill Rise and turned into Grove Hill Road. Frank Abbott noted that it did take just five minutes to reach the front door of Grove Hill House. In the porch Jack Harrison said apprehensively,
‘You won’t want me, will you?’
The reply being in the negative, he exhibited considerable relief, remarked that they had better ring the bell, and slipped away round the house to the side door.
When the maid had gone to summon Mrs Harrison and the other two were alone in the drawing-room, Sharp said,
‘I wonder what she’ll smash this time. The poor chap’s afraid of her, you know. What do you think about that statement of his?’
‘I should say it was true.’
And with that the door opened and Ella Harrison came in. She wore the same plaid skirt as before, but the jumper and cardigan were scarlet instead of emerald, and the effect was even more startling. She had on a good deal of make-up, and she looked as if her temper might get away with her at any moment. Without even the slightest of greetings she said,
‘Well, what is it now? I suppose you think I’ve got nothing to do but answer a lot of stupid questions! And I don’t have to answer anything I don’t want to – I know enough about the law to know that!’