and Ferris returned to Ocean End and waited for Souki to return. They shot him and Ferris phoned you, making out he was Dedrick. By shooting Souki and phoning you they established the faked kidnapping had taken place at ten, whereas, of course, Dedrick had been murdered at eight; giving Serena an alibi.
‘You know the rest of it. When Ferris heard Barratt was dead, he went to Ocean End and forced Serena to hide him. She heard you when you telephoned me, and listened in on her extension. She knew Ferris would talk if he was caught. She decided to silence him, hoping we would believe he was Dedrick. It was a gamble that might have come off. She went into Ferris’s room, shot him and staged the suicide scene. If it hadn’t been for Mary Jerome, she might have got away with it’
I shook my head.
‘I don’t think so. I think Wadlock would have given her away. He knew Dedrick; and besides she slipped up when she said Ferris had listened in to my conversation with you. He hadn’t a phone in his room. That made me wonder why he had shot himself so conveniently and suddenly. It crossed my mind then that maybe he wasn’t Dedrick. What’ll happen to her, Tim?’
Mifflin shrugged.
‘With Francon looking after her, anything can happen. It’s a wonderful thing what money can do.’
‘I don’t think even Francon can save her: not when the whole story comes out. What’s happened to Mary?’
‘She’s in the clear. She’ll be our chief witness, but we have nothing on her.’ Muffin heaved himself out of his chair. ‘I guess I’ll blow. Perelli doesn’t seem to like coppers. I wouldn’t want to spoil his celebration.’
When he had gone, Kerman asked casually, ‘What’s Perelli’s girl like — nice?’
‘Never mind what she’s like,’ Paula said briskly. ‘You have other things to worry about just now,’ and she reached for his expense sheet again. What’s this item — fifty dollars for
I settled down again to enjoy his feverish and unconvincing explanations.
