Alex told her the police had taken it away. Did you?’ Instead of replying to the question, Inspector Curry said: ‘Miss Bellever was upset, you say?’ ‘Oh! Jolly always fusses,’ said Gina carelessly. ‘She likes fussing. Sometimes I wonder how Grandam can stand it.’ ‘Just one last question, Mrs Hudd. You’ve no ideas yourself as to who killed Christian Gulbrandsen and why?’ ‘One of the queers did it, I should think. The thug ones are really quite sensible. I mean they only cosh people so as to rob a till or get money or jewellery – not just for fun.
But one of the queers – you know, what they call mentally maladjusted – might do it for fun, don’t you think?
Because I can’t see what other reason there could be for killing Uncle Christian except fun, do you? At least I don’t mean fun, exactly – but ‘ ‘You can’t think of a motive?’
‘Yes, that’s what I mean,’ said Gina gratefully. ‘He wasn’t robbed or anything, was he?’
‘But you know, Mrs Hudd, the College buildings were locked and barred. Nobody could get out from there without a pass.’
‘Don’t you believe it,’ Gina laughed merrily. ‘Those boys could get out from anywhere! They’ve taught me a lot of tricks.’
‘She’s a lively one,’ said Lake when Gina had departed.
‘First time I’ve seen her close to. Lovely figure, hasn’t she. Sort of a foreign figure, if you know what I mean.’
Inspector Curry threw him a cold glance. Sergeant Lake said hastily that she was a merry one. ‘Seems to have enjoyed it all, as you might say.’
‘Whether Stephen Restarick is right or not about her marriage breaking up, I notice that she went out of her way to mention that Walter Hudd was back in the Great Hall before that shot was heard.’
‘Which, according to everyone else, isn’t so?’ ‘Exactly.’
‘She didn’t mention Miss Believer leaving the Hall to look for keys, either.’
‘No,’ said the Inspector thoughtfully, ‘she didn’t…’
CHAPTER 14
Mrs Strete fitted into the library very much better than Gina Hudd had done. There was nothing exotic about Mrs Strete. She wore black with an onyx brooch, and she wore a hairnet over carefully arranged grey hair.
She looked, Inspector Curry reflected, exactly as the relict of a Canon of the Established Church should look – which was almost odd, because so few people ever did look like what they really were.
Even the tight line of her lips had an ascetic ecclesias-tical flavour. She expressed Christian Endurance, and possibly Christian Fortitude. But not, Curry thought, Christian Charity.
Moreover it was clear that Mrs Strete was offended.
‘I should have thought that you could have given me some idea of when you would want me, Inspector. I have been forced to sit around waiting all the morning.’
It was, Curry judged, her sense of importance that was hurt. He hastened to pour oil on the troubled waters.
‘I’m very sorry, Mrs Strete. Perhaps you don’t quite know how we set about these things. We start, you know, with the less important evidence – get it out of the way, so to speak. It’s valuable to keep to the last a person on whose judgment we can rely – a good observer – by whom we can check what has been told us up to date.’
Mrs Strete softened visibly.
‘Oh I see. I hadn’t quite realized…’
‘Now you’re a woman of mature judgment, Mrs Strete. A woman of the world. And then this is your home – you’re the daughter of the house, and you can tell me all about the people who are in it.’ ‘I can certainly do that,’ said Mildred Strete.
‘So you see that when we come to the question of who killed Christian Gulbrandsen, you can help us a great deal.’ ‘But is there any question? Isn’t it perfectly obvious who killed my brother?’ Inspector Curry leant back in his chair. His hand stroked his small neat moustache.
‘Well – we have to be careful,’ he said. ‘You think it’s obvious?’ ‘Of course. That dreadful American husband of poor Gina’s. He’s the only stranger here. We know absolutely nothing about him. He’s probably one of these dreadful American gangsters.’ ‘But that wouldn’t quite account for his killing Christian Gulbrandsen, would it? Why should he?’ ‘Because Christian had found out something about him. That’s what he came here for so soon after his last visit.’ ‘Are you sure of that, Mrs Strete?’ ‘Again it seems to me quite obvious. He let it be thought his visit was in connection with the Trust – but that’s nonsense. He was here for that only a month ago.