Hotel if anything urgent turns up.”
“Yes, sir.”
199
“And find out anything you can about
blackbirds,” added Neele over his shoulder.
“Blackbirds, sir?” Sergeant Hay repeated,
thoroughly mystified.
“That’s what I said—not blackberry
jelly-blackbirds.”
“Very good, sir,” said Sergeant Hay
bewilderedly.
200
17
NSPECTOR NEELE found Mr. Ansell
the type of solicitor who was more easily
intimidated than intimidating. A member
of a small and not very prosperous firm, he
was anxious not to stand upon his rights but
instead to assist the police in every way
possible.
V
Yes, he said, he had made a will for the late
Mrs. Adele Fortescue. She had called at his
office about five weeks previously. It had
seemed to him rather a peculiar business but
naturally he had not said anything. Peculiar
things did happen in a solicitor’s business,
and of course the Inspector would understand
that discretion, etc., etc. The Inspector
nodded to show he understood. He had
already discovered Mr. Ansell had not transacted
any legal business previously for Mrs.
Fortescue or for any of the Fortescue family.
“Naturally,” said Mr. Ansell, “she didn’t
want to go to her husband’s firm of lawyers
about this.”
Shorn of verbiage, the facts were simple.
201
Adele Fortescue had made a will leaving
everything of which she died possessed to
Vivian Dubois.
“But I gathered,” said Mr. Ansell, looking
at Neele in an interrogating manner, “that
she hadn’t actually much to leave.”
Inspector Neele nodded. At the time Adele
Fortescue made her will that was true
enough. But since then Rex Fortescue had
died, and Adele Fortescue had inherited
100,000 pounds and presumably that 100,000 pounds (less
death duties) now belonged to Vivian Edward
Dubois.
II
At the Golf Hotel, Inspector Neele found
Vivian Dubois nervously awaiting his arrival.
Dubois had been on the point of leaving,
indeed his bags were packed, when he had
received over the telephone a civil request
from Inspector Neele to remain. Inspector
Neele had been very pleasant about it, quite
apologetic. But behind the conventional
words the request had been an order. Vivian
Dubois had demurred, but not too much.
He said now:
202
“I do hope you realise. Inspector Neele, that it is very inconvenient for me to have to
stay on. I really have urgent business that
needs attending to.”
“I didn’t know you were in business, Mr.
Dubois,” said Inspector Neele, genially.
“I’m afraid none of us can be as leisured as
we would like to appear to be nowadays.”
“Mrs. Fortescue’s death must have been a
great shock to you, Mr. Dubois. You were
great friends, were you not?”
“Yes,” said Dubois, “she was a charming
woman. We played golf quite often together.”
“I expect you’ll miss her very much.”
“Yes, indeed.” Dubois sighed. “The whole
thing is really quite, quite terrible.”
“You actually telephoned her, I believe, on
the afternoon of her death?”
“Did I? I really cannot remember now.”
“About four o’clock, I understand.”
“Yes, I believe I did.”
“Don’t you remember what your conversation
was about, Mr. Dubois?”
“It wasn’t of any significance. I think I
asked her how she was feeling and if there
was any further news about her husband’s
death–a more or less conventional inquiry.”
_ “/ see,” said Inspector Neele. He added,
203
“And then you went out for a walk?”
“Er— yes— yes, I—I did, I think. At least,
not a walk, I played a few holes of golf.”
Inspector Neele said gently:
“I think not, Mr. Dubois. . . . Not that
particular day. . . . The porter here noticed
you walking down the road towards Yewtree
Lodge.”
Dubois’s eyes met his, then shied away
again nervously.
“I’m afraid I can’t remember. Inspector.”
“Perhaps you actually went to call upon
Mrs. Fortescue?”
Dubois said sharply:
“No. No, I didn’t do that. I never went
near the house.”
“Where did you go, then?”
“Oh, I—went on down the road, down as
far as the Three Pigeons and then I turned
around and came back by the links.”
“You’re quite sure you didn’t go to
Yewtree Lodge?”
“Quite sure. Inspector.”
The Inspector shook his head.
“Come, now, Mr. Dubois,” he said, “it’s
much better to be frank with us, you know.