McGrath once more rolled his eyes, taking his time about it. He said, 'I can't really remember much '
'You can't expect me to believe that,' said Ducane. 'Come on. We shall have the story itself in our hands very shortly.
And if you help me now I may be able to help you later.'
'Well,' said McGrath, who seemed for the first time a little perturbed, 'well – ' Then he said, 'I liked Mr Radeechy, Sir, I liked him, I did '
Ducane felt a quickening of interest. He felt closer to McGrath, as a bull-fighter might feel to the bull after he had touched it. 'You knew him well –?' said Ducane softly. He had often had occasion to question people, and the sensation which he now had was familiar to him, the sense of spinning in the quietness of the room a web of sympathetic atmosphere for the unwary. Ducane felt a bit guilty at being good at this. This 'making people talk' was not just a matter of what was said or even how it was said – it was a talent which depended upon all sorts of intuitive, perhaps telepathic, emanations of an almost physical kind.
'Yes – ' said McGrath. He had put his hands on the desk again and was looking at them. His hands were singularly clean. The little fly was visiting him now, but he did not shake it off. McGrath and the fly eyed each other. 'He was a nice gentleman to me. I did things for him, like. Things outside the office.'
'What sort of things?' said Ducane softly.
'Well, for his magic, see, he needed things. I used to go to his house, you know, out at Ealing.'
'You mean you brought him things he needed for his magic rituals?'
'Yes. He was a rum chap, was Mr Radeechy. Harmless sort of looney, I suppose you'd call him. But he was a clever chap, mind you. He knew all about that magic business, its history and all. You've never seen so many big books as he had about it. He was a real operator, he knew the lot.'
'What were the things you brought him?'
'Oh, all kinds. You never knew what he'd be wanting next.
Feathers, he wanted once, white feathers. And all kinds of herbs and sorts of oil. I used to get them at the Health Food Stores. And birds he wanted sometimes, and little animals, mice like.'
'Live ones?'
'Yes, Sir. I used to get them at the Pet Shop. I think they got suspicious in the end.'
Ducane shuddered. 'Go on.'
'Then there were things he got for himself like weeds, nightshade and that, and he wanted to teach me to recognize them so I could go to the country and pick them for him, but I didn't care for it.'
'Why not? V 'I don't like the country,' said McGrath. He added, 'I was a bit afraid of those plants, actually growing, it's different in a shop, you understand '
'I understand. Did Mr Radeechy really believe in his rituals?'
'Oh Lord, yes,' said McGrath in an aggrieved tone. 'He wasn't doing it just for fun. He could do it, too, I mean it worked – '
'It worked –?»
'Well, I don't know, I was never there, mind you, but Mr Radeechy was a very strange man, Sir, a man you might say who had supernatural powers. There was a very funny atmosphere round about that man.'
'Have you any definite evidence of Mr Radeechy's supernatural powers, or was this just something that you felt?'
'Well, as to evidence, no, but you felt it, like – '
'Yes, I can imagine that. Where did you first meet Mr Radeechy?'
'Here in the office, Sir.'
'I see. And you did these odd jobs of shopping for him, for which I imagine he paid you?'
'Well, yes, Sir, he did pay me a little for my time – '
'Quite. Did you see anything of Mrs Radeechy?'
'I didn't see much of the lady, Sir, she rather kept out of the way, but I did meet her just to say good evening.'
'Did she seem to object in any way to your visiting the house?'
'Oh not a bit, Sir. She knew all about it. A very cheerful lady and very friendly and polite.'
'Do you think she and Mr Radeechy got on well together?'
'Devoted, Sir, I should say. I've never seen a gentleman so plain miserable as he was after she died. He didn't do any magic for months.'
'Mrs Radeechy wasn't upset by Mr Radeechy's magic?'
'Well, I never saw her upset by anything, but it must have got her down a bit because of the girls.'
'The girls – 'Yes, you see the magic needed girls.'
Now we're coming to it, thought Ducane. He shivered slightly and the room vibrated quietly with electrical animal emanations. 'Yes, I understand that many magic rituals involve girls, often virgins. Perhaps you could tell me a little about these ones.'
'I don't know about virgins!' said McGrath, and laughed a slightly crazy laugh.
Radeechy had him fascinated, it occurred to Ducane. There was a kind of mad admiration in McGrath's laugh. 'You mean the girls whom Mr Radeechy – used – were – well, what were they like? Did you meet them?'
'I saw them a bit, yes,' said McGrath. He was now becoming cautious. He rocked his hand to disturb the persistent fly. He looked up at Ducane, signalling with his colourless eyebrows.
'Tarts, I'd say they were. I never properly saw him at it, mind you.'
'What do you think he did with the girls?' said Ducane. He found himself smiling at McGrath, encouragingly, perhaps con70 spiratorially. The subject matter imposed, almost without their wills, a cosy masculine atmosphere.
'Do with them?' said McGrath, smiling too. 'Well, you know I never saw really, though I did creep back once or twice, and I looked through a window. I was curious, you see. You'd have been curious too, Sir.'
'I expect I would,' said Ducane.
'I mean, I don't think he did any of the usual things, it wasn't that, he was a pretty odd chappie. He had a girl once lying down on a table, and there was a sort of silver cup balanced on her tummy. She had nothing on, mind you:'
Ducane thought, a black mass. 'Did he have the girls there one at a time or several at once?'
'One at a time, Sir, only they couldn't always come, so there were three or four regulars. Once a week it was, punctual on Sundays, and sometimes a special one extra.'
'Anything else that you saw?'
'Not so to speak saw. But he had some rather queer things lying around.'
'What, for instance? T 'Well, whips and daggers and things. But I never saw him use them, on the girls, I mean.'
'I see,' said Ducane. 'Well, now tell me something about Helen of Troy.'
'Helen of Troy?' McGrath's white face turned to a uniform light pink. He withdrew his hands from the desk. 'I don't know anybody of that name.'
'Come, come, Mr McGrath,' said Ducane. 'We know you mentioned someone of that name in your story to the press.
Who is it?'
'Oh, Helen of Troy,' said McGrath vaguely, as if some other Helen had been in question. 'Yes, I believe there was a young lady of that name. She was just one of the young ladies.!
'Why did you say just now you hadn't heard of her?»
'I didn't hear rightly what you said.!
'Hmmm. Well, now tell me about her.'
'There's nothing to tell,' said McGrath. 'I didn't kncw any, thing about the girls. I didn't really meet them. I just heard that one's name and it sort of stuck in my head.'
He's lying, Ducane thought. There's something about this particular girl. He said, 'Do you know the, names of these girls and where they could be found? The police may want to question them.'
'The police?' McGrath's face crinkled up as if he were going to cry.
'Yes,' said Ducane smoothly. 'It's a pure formality of course.
