III
There was a neatly docketed pile of papers on Craddock's desk at New Scotland Yard. He gave a perfunctory glance through them, then threw a question over his shoulder.
'Where's Lola Brewster staying?'
'At the Savoy, sir. Suite 1800. She's expecting you.
'And Ardwyck Fern?'
'He's at the Dorchester. First floor, 190.'
He picked up some cablegrams and read through them again before shoving them into his pocket. He smiled a moment to himself over the last one. 'Don't say I don't do my stuff, Aunt Jane,' he murmured under his breath.
He went out and made his way to the Savoy.
In Lola Brewster's suite Lola went out of her way to welcome him effusively. With the report he had just read in his mind, he studied her carefully. Quite a beauty still, he thought, in a lush kind of way, what you might call a trifle overblown, perhaps, but they still liked them that way. A completely different type, of course, from Marina Gregg. The amenities over, Lola pushed back her Fiji Islander hair, drew her generous lipsticked mouth into a provocative pout, and flickering blue eyelids over wide brown eyes, said:
'Have you come to ask me a lot more horrible questions? Like that local inspector did.'
'I hope they won't be too horrible, Miss Brewster.'
'Oh, but I'm sure they will be, and I'm sure the whole thing must have been some terrible mistake.'
'Do you really think so?'
'Yes. It's all such nonsense. Do you really mean that someone tried to poison Marina? Who on earth would poison Marina? She's an absolute sweetie, you know. Everybody loves her.'
'Including you?'
'I've always been devoted to Marina.'
'Oh come now, Miss Brewster, wasn't there a little trouble about eleven or twelve years ago?'
'Oh that.' Lola waved it away. 'I was terribly nervy and distraught, and Rob and I had been having the most frightful quarrels. We were neither of us normal at the moment. Marina just fell wildly in love with him and rushed him off his feet, the poor pet.'
'And you minded very much?'
'Well, I thought I did, Inspector. Of course I see now it was one of the best things that ever happened for me. I was really worried about the children, you know. Breaking up our home. I'm afraid I'd already realized that Rob and I were incompatible. I expect you know I got married to Eddie Groves as soon as the divorce went through? I think really I'd been in love with him for a long time, but of course I didn't want to break up my marriage, because of the children. It's so important, isn't it, that children should have a home?'
'Yet people say that actually you were terribly upset.'
'Oh, people always say things,' said Lola vaguely.
'You said quite a lot, didn't you, Miss Brewster? You went about threatening to shoot Marina Gregg, or so I understand.'
'I've told you one says things. One's supposed to say things like that. Of course I wouldn't really shoot anyone.'
'In spite of taking a pot-shot at Eddie Groves some few years later?'
'Oh, that was because we'd had an argument,' said Lola. 'I lost my temper.'
'I have it on very good authority, Miss Brewster, that you said – and these are your exact words or so I'm told,' (he read from a note-book) – 'That bitch needn't think she'll get away with it. If I don't shoot her now I'll wait and get her in some other way. I don't care how long I wait, years if need be, but I'll get even with her in the end.'
'Oh, I'm sure I never said anything of the kind,' Lola laughed.
'I'm sure, Miss Brewster, that you did.'
'People exaggerate so.' A charming smile broke over her face. 'I was just mad at the moment, you know,' she murmured confidentially. 'One says all sorts of things when one's mad with people. But you don't really think I'd wait fourteen years and come across to England, and look up Marina and drop some deadly poison into her cocktail glass within three minutes of seeing her again?'
Dermot Craddock didn't really think so. It seemed to him wildly improbable. He merely said:
'I'm only pointing out to you, Miss Brewster, that there had been threats in the past and that Marina Gregg was certainly startled and frightened to see someone who came up the stairs that day. Naturally one feels that that someone must have been you.'
'But darling Marina was delighted to see me! She kissed me and exclaimed how wonderful it was. Oh really, Inspector, I do think you're being very, very silly.'
'In fact, you were all one big happy family?'
'Well, that's really much more true than all the things you've been thinking.'
'And you've no ideas that could help us in any way? No ideas who might have killed her?'
'I tell you nobody would have wanted to kill Marina. She's a very silly woman anyway. Always making terrible fusses about her health, and changing her mind and wanting this, that and the other, and when she's got it being dissatisfied with it! I can't think why people are as fond of her as they are. Jason's always been absolutely mad about her. What that man has to put up with! But there it is. Everybody puts up with Marina, puts themselves out for her. Then she gives them a sad, sweet and thanks them! And apparently that makes them feel that all the trouble is worthwhile. I really don't know how she does it. You'd better put the idea that somebody wanted to kill right out of your head.'
'I should like to,' said Dermot Craddock. 'Unfortunately I can't put it out of my head because you see, it happened.'
'What do you mean, it happened, nobody has killed Marina, have they?'
'No. But the attempt was made.'
'I don't believe it for a moment! I expect whoever it was meant to kill the other woman all the time – the one who was killed. I expect someone comes into money when she dies.'
'She hadn't any money, Miss Brewster.'
'Oh well, there was some other reason. Anyway, I shouldn't worry about Marina if I were you. Marina is always all right!'
'Is she? She doesn't look a very happy woman to me.'
'Oh, that's because she makes such a song and dance about everything. Unhappy love affairs. Not being able to have any children.'
'She adopted some children, didn't she?' said Dermot with a lively remembrance of Miss Marple's urgent voice.
'I believe she did once. It wasn't a great success I believe. She does these impulsive things and then wishes she hadn't.'
'What happened to the children she adopted?'
'I've no idea. They just sort of vanished after a bit. She got tired of them, I suppose, like everything else.'
'I see,' said Dermot Craddock.
IV
Next – the Dorchester. Suite 190.
'Well, Chief-Inspector -' Ardwyck Fenn looked down at the card in his hand.
'Craddock.'
'What can I do for you?'
'I hope you won't mind if I ask you a few questions.'
