‘How long is the second half?’
‘About an hour and a quarter.’
Diamond was appalled. ‘You left her lying dead for all that time and did nothing?’
‘What could I do? Empty the theatre? I couldn’t get her out without disturbing the audience. I was in a terrible dilemma. I’m responsible for all those people. She wasn’t visible to anyone, as Titus told you.’
‘You could have got her down the back stairs.’
‘Not without being noticed. You heard what Titus said. He was watching the box and no doubt others would have seen us moving her.’
‘When this leaks out, as it’s bound to, the press are going to hang you out to dry.’
‘I had to reach a decision. It seemed the best thing to do. It was all down to me. Francis wasn’t about.’
‘He’d already left, had he?’
‘I’ve no idea, but he wasn’t taking much interest in Clarion at that stage.’
‘Did you tell anyone? Kate, the wardrobe mistress?’
‘I kept it to myself, I swear. And as soon as the show was over I dialled 999.’
‘If Clarion was murdered – and it’s quite possible she was – we’ll need to know where everyone was during the interval.’
‘I can tell you what I was doing for most of it. I was trying to speak sense into Schneider.’
‘Schneider?’
‘It’s the part she plays. Everyone calls her that. She was ranting on hysterically about the grey lady and not being able to continue. I told her flatly she was a professional actor with a duty to the rest of the cast. She’d obviously noticed Clarion in the box before the interval, but I couldn’t tell her who it was.’
‘Why not?’
‘She’s a blabbermouth. She wouldn’t keep it to herself. Clarion wanted privacy.’
‘Wasn’t she visible from the audience?’
‘She was sitting well back. Only someone on stage would catch a glimpse.’
‘Any one of the actors could have spotted her, then?’
‘They may have seen a figure there. Hard to recognise who it was.’
It was clear to Diamond that anyone in the cast or crew might have learned that Clarion had been in the theatre. Melmot and Shearman knew for certain, and so did the security man, Binns. For a would-be murderer, the opportunity had been there: Clarion alone in the box during the twenty-minute interval.
He’d heard as much as he wanted from Shearman. Binns was next up, all silver buttons and defiant, staring eyes, expecting an attack on his professional competence.
‘How did you learn about Clarion’s secret visit?’ Diamond asked.
‘Mr Melmot.’
‘How exactly – a note, a phone call?’ ‘Personally. He came to the stage door and told me himself.’ ‘This was hot news.’ Binns shrugged in contempt at the obvious. ‘Tell anyone else, did you?’ He didn’t like that. ‘What do you take me for? It’s more than my job is worth to go blurting it out.’ ‘So what happened?’ ‘I carried out his instructions to the letter. Waited out front for her to come in her black limo. Escorted her round to the side door and up the back stairs to the top box. Mr Melmot was already up there and greeted her and my job was done.’
‘She arrived by limo, you said?’ ‘Chauffeur-driven Mercedes, like I was told to look out for.’ ‘Was anything said when she first got out?’ ‘Not by her. She had a scarf across her face like one of them Arab women and the hood of her jacket was over her head. I told her to come with me and she did.’ ‘Did she appear nervous?’ ‘How would I know when all I could see was her eyes?’ ‘You’re in the security business. You can tell a lot from a person’s behaviour, or you ought to.’ ‘She was in control of herself, if that’s what you’re asking.’ ‘Was it busy outside the theatre?’ ‘It was past the time when they’re hanging about outside.
The show was almost starting. No one took any notice of her.’ ‘Was anyone lurking around the stairs to the box?’ ‘No.’ ‘After taking her upstairs, where did you go?’ ‘Back down and round to the stage door. I was there for the rest of the evening.’ Just a functionary. That was his defence, anyway. If anyone had a case to answer, it wasn’t Charlie Binns. Diamond kept an open mind. If Binns and Shearman could be believed, the people ‘in’ on the secret visit amounted only to three. But at the interval Fraulein Schneider was mouthing off to Gisella and Preston and everyone who happened to be in the wings that she’d seen the grey lady in the upper box. Anyone who guessed the truth or simply went to investigate could have attacked Clarion. Her death had taken place in that twenty- minute slot.
Was it murder?
He returned upstairs, fixed on dragging some definite information out of Dr Sealy. The stairs didn’t do anything to lower his blood pressure.
‘What killed her, then?’ he said when he’d got his breath back.
Sealy was still crouched over the body. ‘I told you –’ he barely managed to say before Diamond cut him off.
‘You told me nothing. You’ve been studying the body for
– what? – forty minutes and given me no help at all. I’ve got all of fifty people down there wanting to get off home. I can’t hold them indefinitely.’
‘Your call, old boy, not mine,’ Sealy said without looking away from the body.
