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'Quite,' Pitt conceded. 'But if Arthur was perverted, perhaps he went to Albie Frobisher and contracted it there. We didn't test Albie either, did we?'
Gillivray was flushed. There was no need of admission; he saw the neglect immediately. He despised Albie. He should have been aware of the possibility and put it to the proof without being told. It would have been easy enough. And certainly Albie would have been in no position to protest.
'But Albie identified Jerome,' he said, going back to more positive ground. 'So Jerome must have been there. And he didn't recognize the picture of Arthur.
' 'Does he have to be telling the truth?' Pitt inquired with an affectation of innocence. 'Would you take his word in anything else?'
Gillivray shook his head as if brushing away flies- something irritating but of no consequence. ' 'Why should he lie?'
'People seldom want to admit to an acquaintance with a murder victim. I don't think that needs any explanation.'
'But what about Jerome?' Gillivray's face was earnest. 'He identified Jerome!'
'How did he recognize him? How do you know?'
'Because I showed him photographs, of course!'
'And can you be sure, absolutely sure, that you didn't say or do anything at all, even by an expression on your face-a lift in your voice, maybe-to indicate which picture you wanted him to choose?'
'Of course I'm sure!' Gillivray said instantly. Then he hesitated; he did not knowingly lie to himself, still less to others. 'I don't think so.'
'But you believed it was Jerome?'
'Yes, of course I did.'
'Are you sure you didn't somehow betray that-in tone or look? Albie's very quick-he'd have seen it. He's used to picking up the nuance, the unspoken word. He earns his living by pleasing people.'
Gillivray was offended by the comparison, but he saw the purpose of it.
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'I don't know,' he admitted. 'I don't think so.'
'But you could have?' Pitt pressed.
'I don't think so.'
'But we didn't test Albie for disease!'
'No!' Gillivray flicked his hand to dispel the irritant again. 'Why should we have? Arthur had the disease, and Arthur never had any relationship with Albie! It was Jerome who had the relationship with Albie, and Jerome was clean! If Albie had it, then presumably Jerome would have it too!' That was an excellent piece of reasoning, and Gillivray was pleased with it. He sat back in the chair again, his body relaxing.
'That is presuming that everyone is telling the truth except Jerome,' Pitt pointed out. 'But if Jerome is telling the truth, and someone else is lying, then it would be quite different. And, by the same line of logic you just put forward, since Arthur had it, then Jerome should have it also-shouldn't he? And we didn't think of that either, did we?'
Gillivray stared. 'He didn't have it!'
'Precisely! Why not?'
'I don't know! Perhaps it just doesn't show yet!' He shook his head. 'Perhaps he hasn't molested Arthur since he got it from the woman. How do I know. But if Jerome is telling the truth, then that means everyone else is lying, and that's preposterous. Why should they? And anyway, even if the relationship included Albie and all three boys, that still doesn't answer who killed Arthur, or why. And that's all that matters to us. We are back to Jerome just the same. You've told me yourself not to torture the facts to fit them into an unlikely theory-just take them as
