For the first time, more so even than in hospital, Jury felt like an invalid. His hand had shaken slightly returning his empty cup to the table. But not slight enough to prevent Rice from seeing it.
Jury said, “I want to talk to you about Nell Ryder’s disappearance. I couldn’t make out when I was at the farm whether you said you believed she was still alive because of her grandfather’s feelings, or if you really-”
“Believe it? I believe it, yes.”
Jury could sense Rice’s desperation. He wanted everyone who’d known Nell Ryder to believe it; he wanted someone else’s confirmation.
“What do you think of her father?”
“Roger’s a good father, I know, even though he does have to spend most of his time in London. He goes to the farm almost every weekend, Arthur says.”
“And his brother?”
“Danny was much different. He was a great jockey, but in other ways-” Vernon shrugged. “He had his addictions-gambling, women-not drink or drugs, though, which was probably because he had to keep his weight in line and his mind clear. But women-
“Did you know any of these women?”
“No-yes. I forgot the one I did some investing for. Sara… Sara-Hunt. Actually, she’s some distant relation of the Ryders. I drove her out to Arthur’s one Sunday. Wait a minute and I can give you her address. I don’t know that she was actually involved with Dan.” He shrugged. “Still, I always got the impression that for a woman, to see Danny race was to be involved.”
Jury sat forward. “I’d like the telephone number if you have it.”
While Vernon was fiddling with an address book, Jury said, “What about his niece, Nell? She’s certainly beautiful. Would he have tried something on there?”
Vernon’s eyes hardened, changing from a foggy gray to granite. “No. Someone would have killed him. And one thing I can credit Danny with is that he wouldn’t have hurt any member of his family.”
“And Nell? How did she feel about him?”
“Danny was great with horses, had a special relationship with them. I heard that he never used a whip, not even as a directional signal. Times I thought he could ride a horse through hell and not get burned. Well”-Vernon spread his hands-“that’s all Nell needed to know. She liked him.” Vernon paused. “He was one hell of a jockey; some said he was up there with Lester Piggot.” Vernon shook his head, studied the mantel where a few framed pictures were lined up. “I really feel for Maurice; Maurice idolized Danny, poor lad. He’d have done anything for Danny.”
“I talked to Maurice when I was at the farm. He seems to be-as the Irish love of euphemism has it-destroyed by Nell Ryder’s disappearance.”
“He’ll never get used to it. Maurice tends to blame himself when things go wrong.”
“He thinks what happened to Nell is partly his responsibility?”
“Believe it. He’s never said so in so many words, but I bet he does. Maurice has taken on his shoulders the sins of the father. I never know whether to hit him or weep. Not only that, he wanted to be another Danny-omitting, of course, the X-rated bits.”
“But he’s too big. What a disappointment for him.”
“Yes. Add to that, though, that Nellie isn’t. She’s the right size. And it wouldn’t surprise me if she wanted to be one, too, but never said so because of Maurice. She’s like that.”
Vernon retrieved Jury’s empty cup and his own and went to stand by the window as if he’d forgotten already why he was there. Then he came out of his trance and went to the espresso machine.
“She appears to evoke very strong feelings in people, and in some cases, just from her photos.” Jury knew she had in him, also in Melrose Plant.
Vernon rubbed the side of his head. “That’s because she’s so intense, so-I don’t know, focused, maybe-that when she looks at you, it’s about you; she hasn’t a dozen other scenarios crowding her mind. Only you. I doubt there’s a man or woman or child who wouldn’t respond to that.”
“Certainly you have.”
“Oh, yes. The first time I saw Nellie was only a few months before she disappeared. She was fifteen. She was in one of the horse stalls, filling the feed basket and singing under her breath in case-she told me later-anyone was around; she didn’t want them to hear her. She was always singing in that whispery way so no one would hear. No one but the horses. She turned and smiled a little. Anyone else would’ve said, ‘Oh! Who are you!’ She just said ‘Hello.’ ”
“For a young girl, she sounds pretty composed.”
“That’s just what I said to her. I said she had a lot of poise. She said it was probably because of the horses.”
Jury smiled. “She was good with horses, wasn’t she?”
Vernon nodded. “Davison-the trainer?-has always been impressed with her. Thinks she’d make a great trainer.”
“She was in the stall with Aqueduct because he was sick, is that right?”
Vernon nodded. “It was around dinnertime that Maurice told her he thought the horse might be suffering from stable cough.”
“Did she often stay with horses like that?”
“As often as a horse gets sick. Arthur has a couple of vets on call, so anything that looks like trouble they can nip in the bud.”
“Hm.” Jury sat thinking. “I get the impression Nell was very self- disciplined.”
“Extremely.”
“All right. How then might she react to being kidnapped?”
The question took Vernon by surprise. “You mean, would the discipline kick in?”
“That’s what I mean. Would she be cool?”
“Cool. I think she’d be up for that. She’d be able to bring that off, yes.”
Jury smiled. “ ‘Fear wearing black.’ Definition of cool. Maybe it’s also the definition of courage. Would she be courageous?”
“Yes. Depending on what was at stake.”
“If something wasn’t at stake, you wouldn’t need courage.”
Light had been steadily lessening while Jury was talking to Vernon Rice, as if a door were closing on it. He looked at the line of pictures over the fireplace. He could see from where he sat that they were all of the Ryder family. “You’ve never been married?”
“No. Should I be?”
Jury laughed. “No, it just surprises me.”
“Why?”
“Women like a man who’d go to a lot of trouble for them. Obviously, you would. It’s romantic, among other things. I’m just surprised you haven’t been snagged.”
Vernon smiled. “I’m not all that easily snagged, Superintendent.”
“I can see that.”
“I was engaged once, a few years ago. I decided it wouldn’t work.”
