‘Dead? You think she might commit suicide?’
‘I think it not unlikely.’
‘Gavin could take Hamish straight from school to my people in Scotland, I suppose. They’re always crazy to have him; I can’t think why. Actually, feeling as we do about Mrs Schumann, I’d rather, myself, not have anything so vulnerable as a kid around the place until she’s well away from it.’
‘Good. My mind is made easy.’
‘I wonder what Maisry’s first move will be?’
This question was answered by Maisry himself some three days later. He arrived, after a telephone call, at four o’clock in the afternoon and gratefully accepted tea.
‘Well,’ he said, in his gentle voice. ‘I have set the ball rolling by calling on Mrs Schumann and asking her to confirm or deny Mr James’s assertions.’
‘That he is contracted to marry her and is promised the sum of five thousand pounds for consenting to do so?’
‘Yes. She denied both statements, of course, as I was quite certain she would. My object in confronting her with them was to ensure that, if you are right and she is our mass-murderer, these indiscriminate killings will stop. They will, I have no doubt, if she is sane, and that is where you come in. As psychiatric adviser to the Home Office, you may be called upon to give an opinion as to her mental condition if she is convicted, but I should be very much obliged if you would give me your private views beforehand. You see, if there had been only the one death, that of Karen Schumann, I would say that, on the evidence of motive, we now have enough justification for her arrest. Unfortunately, there are four more deaths to be accounted for, and over those we are as much in the dark as ever we were. My theory that there is a mad person at work is still tenable, but whether Mrs Schumann is that person is open to doubt. Of course, I’m only a layman in these matters, but I must admit that she seems to me to be quite as sane as I am myself.’
‘How did she take your visit?’
‘Well, that’s just the point. I took my sergeant with me, and asked her whether she objected to his taking down the interview in shorthand. She replied that she had nothing to conceal, and would be agreeable to his doing so, provided that, at the end, he read to her what he had written down. To this, naturally, I consented. I have brought with me the full typescript of what was said at the interview, if you would care to read it. It will convey much more to you, I think, than if I gave you an extempore report.’
‘May I read it aloud, so that Laura can hear it? I shall wish to discuss it with her.’
‘By all means. Here it is. Better still, I’ll leave it with you. I have another copy, and so has Superintendent Phillips. They’ve put him on to another case for the time being – an armed robbery – so I’m working on my own at present, as it happens, but I wanted him to see the report, all the same.’
‘Do you care to take more tea?’
‘No, thank you. I’ve done splendidly. What wonderful cakes your cook makes!’
‘I will tell him you said so. Henri appreciates compliments.’
‘Ah, a French chef! That explains it. And the maid who carried in the tray and the cakestand?’
‘French also, and, incidentally, Henri’s wife. They have been with me for very many years. French!’ repeated Dame Beatrice, when Maisry had taken his leave. ‘I wonder!’
‘You wonder what?’ asked Laura, intrigued by something in her employer’s tone.
‘Ring the bell. You know, the last thing one sees, very often, is what is under one’s nose. I am so much accustomed to Henri and Celestine that I have ceased to think of them as anything but my friends and servants. When the warning went round to foreigners to take certain precautions, I doubt very much whether Henri and Celestine were included. I myself said nothing to them. I regret to admit that it did not occur to me that Celestine might be in danger.’
‘Neither did it to me. Perhaps Phillips said something to them, though.’
Summoned to the drawing-room, Celestine made for the teatray to remove it, but Dame Beatrice said,
‘Not for a minute or two. Sit down.’
‘In the presence of madame? But no, I stand.’
‘Do as you’re told.’
‘Very well, madame.’
‘You’ve heard all about these dreadful murders, of course. You and Henri have probably discussed them with George.’
‘Only when we have sent Zena out of the kitchen, I assure you, madame. Such matters are not for the ears of young girls.’
‘I dare say she has been fully informed from other sources, but you have acted very properly. That, however, is not my point. You remember a Mrs Schumann who has visited here once or twice?’
‘But perfectly, madame.’
‘Has she ever made any sort of friendly approach to you?’
‘Ah, yes. Once she invited me to take tea with her at her house.’
‘But you did not go?’
‘Certainly not, madame. For me, I do not like Germans, and I was most grateful, madame, for your graciousness in arranging that Zena, not I, should wait on Madame Schumann at table.’
‘How did you get out of accepting her invitation?’ asked Laura.
‘Very simply, madame. The letter was pushed under the kitchen door after dark one night and was in very good French. I thought it was done that way to save payment for a stamp which, at fourpence, is very dear, but when I told Georges that the letter was an invitation from Mrs Schumann, he said that, if it had come through the post, you, Madame Gavin, would have seen the writing on the envelope, for it is my custom, as madame knows, to bring all the letters to madame, not looking to find out how they are addressed.’
‘I don’t suppose we should have known Mrs Schumann’s handwriting,’ said Dame Beatrice, ‘but we might have
