The police car stopped outside the distorted rustic gate of Mr. Booker’s fancy, and Colonel Melchett, with a glance of distaste at the excessive half timbering of Chatsworth, strode up to the front door and attacked it briskly with the knocker. It was opened much more promptly than he had expected. A young man with straight, somewhat long black hair, wearing orange corduroy trousers and a royal-blue shirt, snapped out, “Well, what do you want?”
“Are you Mr. Basil Blake?”
“Of course I am.”
“I should be glad to have a few words with you if I may, Mr. Blake.”
“Who are you?”
“I am Colonel Melchett, the chief constable of the county.”
Mr. Blake said insolently, “You don’t say so. How amusing.”
And Colonel Melchett, following the other in, understood precisely what Colonel Bantry’s reactions had been. The toe of his own boot itched. Containing himself, however, he said, with an attempt to speak pleasantly, “You’re an early riser, Mr. Blake.”
“Not at all. I haven’t been to bed yet.” “Indeed?” “But I don’t suppose you’ve come here to inquire into my hours of bed-going, or if you have it’s rather a waste of the county’s time and money. What is it you want to speak to me about?” Colonel Melchett cleared his throat. “I understand, Mr. Blake, that last weekend you had a visitor a… er… fair-haired young lady.”
Basil Blake stared, threw back his head and roared with laughter. “Have the old cats been on to you from the village? About my morals? Damn it all, morals aren’t a police matter. You know that.”
“As you say,” said Melchett dryly, “your morals are no concern of mine. I have come to you because the body of a fair-haired young woman of slightly… er… exotic appearance has been found murdered.”
Blake stared at him. “Where?”
“In the library at Gossington Hall.”
“At Gossington? At old Bantry’s? I say, that’s pretty rich. Old Bantry! The dirty old man!”
Colonel Melchett went very red in the face. He said sharply through the renewed mirth of the young man opposite him, “Kindly control your tongue, sir. I came to ask you if you can throw any light on this business.”
“You’ve come round to ask me it I’ve missed a blonde? Is that it? Why should- Hullo, ‘ullo, ‘ullo! What’s this?”
A car had drawn up outside with a scream of brakes. Out of it tumbled a young woman dressed in flapping black-and-white pajamas. She had scarlet lips, blackened eyelashes and a platinum-blond head. She strode up to the door, flung it open, and exclaimed angrily, “Why did you run out on me?” Basil Blake had risen. “So there you are. Why shouldn’t I leave you? I told you to clear out, and you wouldn’t.”
“Why should I, because you told me to? I was enjoying myself.”
“Yes, with that filthy brute, Rosenberg. You know what he’s like.”
“You were jealous, that’s all.”
“Don’t flatter yourself. I hate to see a girl I like who can’t hold her drink and lets a disgusting Central European paw her about.”
“That’s a lie. You were drinking pretty hard yourself and going on with the black-haired Spanish girl.”
“If I take you to a party, I expect you to be able to behave yourself.”
“And I refuse to be dictated to, and that’s that. You said we’d go to the party and come on down here afterward. I’m not going to leave a party before I’m ready to leave it.”
“No, and that’s why I left you flat. I was ready to come down here and I came. I don’t hang round waiting for any fool of a woman.”
“Sweet, polite person you are.”
“You seem to have followed me down, all right.”
“I wanted to tell you what I thought of you.”
“If you think you can boss me, my girl, you’re wrong.”
“And if you think you can order me about, you can think again.”
They glared at each other. It was at this moment that Colonel Melchett seized his opportunity and cleared his throat loudly. Basil Blake swung round on him. “Hullo, I forgot you were here. About time you took yourself off, isn’t it? Let me introduce you Dinah Lee. Colonel Blimp, of the county police…. And now, Colonel, that you’ve seen that my blonde is alive and in good condition, perhaps you’ll get on with the good work concerning old Bantry’s little bit of fluff. Good morning.”