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Authors: Georgette Heyer
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suspect my wife of having knocked him on the head? I hardly think she possesses the necessary strength."
"You are well informed, Mr. North. Where did you learn that he had been knocked on the head?"
John North looked at him with a faint smile in his eyes. He drew a folded newspaper from under his arm, and handed it to Hannasyde. "You may study the source of my information if you wish," he said politely.
Hannasyde glanced down the columns of the evening paper. "Quick work," he remarked, folding the paper again, and giving it back. "Were you acquainted with the deceased, Mr. North?"
"I knew him, certainly. I should not describe my acquaintance with him as very close. But if you are interrogating everyone who knew him, perhaps you would like to come into the library, and interrogate me?" He moved to the door as he spoke, and opened it. "Or have you not yet finished questioning my wife?"
"Yes, I think so." Hannasyde turned to Helen, meeting her anguished look with the flicker of a reassuring smile. "Thank you, Mrs. North: I won't take up any more of your time. Good-morning, Miss Drew."
"You haven't seen the last of me by a long chalk," Sally told him. "I don't think my name conveys anything to you, which is rather levelling, but I'm a writer of crime novels, and I have never before had the opportunity of studying a crime at close quarters. What is of particular interest to me is your handling of the case. One is always apt to go wrong on police procedure."
"I suppose so," answered Hannasyde, looking rather appalled.
She gave him a sudden, swift smile. "You've taught me one thing at least: I've always made my detectives a bit on the noisome side up till now."
He laughed. "Thank you!" He bowed slightly to Helen, and went out of the room before John North, who was still holding the door for him.
"This way, Superintendent," North said, leading the way across the hall. "Now what is it you would like to ask me? You have established the fact that I was acquainted with Fletcher."
"But not, I think you said, very well acquainted with him?"
"Not so well acquainted with him as my wife was," replied North. "You will probably find that his closest friends were all of them women."
"You did not like him, in fact, Mr. North?"
"I can't say I was drawn to him," admitted North. "I should describe him as a ladies' man. The type has never appealed to me."
"Did you consider him a dangerous man - with ladies?"
"Dangerous? Oh no, I shouldn't imagine so!" North said, a suggestion of boredom in his voice. "My wife, for instance, regarded him, I believe, somewhat in the light of a tame cat."
"I see. So, speaking as a husband, you would not consider it worth while to be - let us say -jealous of him?"
"I cannot pretend to speak for anyone but myself. But I take it that you do not want me to. I was not jealous of him. Is there anything else you wish to ask me?"
"Yes, I should like to know when you returned from the Continent, Mr. North?"
"I arrived in London yesterday afternoon."
"But you did not come down to Marley until this morning?"
"No, Superintendent, I did not."
"Where did you go, Mr. North?"
"To my flat, Superintendent."
"Where is that, if you please?"
"In Portland Place."
"Was that usual?"
"Quite."
"You will have to forgive my bluntness, Mr. North, but I must ask you to explain yourself a little more fully. Do you and Mrs. North inhabit separate establishments?"
"Not in the sense which you appear to mean," replied North. "I may be wrong, but you seem to attach a sinister importance to my having chosen to remain in London for the night. My wife and I have been married for five years, Superintendent: we are long past the stage of living in one another's pockets."
There was an edge to the deliberate voice, which Hannasyde was quick to hear. As though aware of it himself, North added lightly: "I am often kept late in town. I find the flat convenient."
"I see. Did you dine there?"
"No, I dined at my club."
"And after
"You are well informed, Mr. North. Where did you learn that he had been knocked on the head?"
John North looked at him with a faint smile in his eyes. He drew a folded newspaper from under his arm, and handed it to Hannasyde. "You may study the source of my information if you wish," he said politely.
Hannasyde glanced down the columns of the evening paper. "Quick work," he remarked, folding the paper again, and giving it back. "Were you acquainted with the deceased, Mr. North?"
"I knew him, certainly. I should not describe my acquaintance with him as very close. But if you are interrogating everyone who knew him, perhaps you would like to come into the library, and interrogate me?" He moved to the door as he spoke, and opened it. "Or have you not yet finished questioning my wife?"
"Yes, I think so." Hannasyde turned to Helen, meeting her anguished look with the flicker of a reassuring smile. "Thank you, Mrs. North: I won't take up any more of your time. Good-morning, Miss Drew."
"You haven't seen the last of me by a long chalk," Sally told him. "I don't think my name conveys anything to you, which is rather levelling, but I'm a writer of crime novels, and I have never before had the opportunity of studying a crime at close quarters. What is of particular interest to me is your handling of the case. One is always apt to go wrong on police procedure."
"I suppose so," answered Hannasyde, looking rather appalled.
She gave him a sudden, swift smile. "You've taught me one thing at least: I've always made my detectives a bit on the noisome side up till now."
He laughed. "Thank you!" He bowed slightly to Helen, and went out of the room before John North, who was still holding the door for him.
"This way, Superintendent," North said, leading the way across the hall. "Now what is it you would like to ask me? You have established the fact that I was acquainted with Fletcher."
"But not, I think you said, very well acquainted with him?"
"Not so well acquainted with him as my wife was," replied North. "You will probably find that his closest friends were all of them women."
"You did not like him, in fact, Mr. North?"
"I can't say I was drawn to him," admitted North. "I should describe him as a ladies' man. The type has never appealed to me."
"Did you consider him a dangerous man - with ladies?"
"Dangerous? Oh no, I shouldn't imagine so!" North said, a suggestion of boredom in his voice. "My wife, for instance, regarded him, I believe, somewhat in the light of a tame cat."
"I see. So, speaking as a husband, you would not consider it worth while to be - let us say -jealous of him?"
"I cannot pretend to speak for anyone but myself. But I take it that you do not want me to. I was not jealous of him. Is there anything else you wish to ask me?"
"Yes, I should like to know when you returned from the Continent, Mr. North?"
"I arrived in London yesterday afternoon."
"But you did not come down to Marley until this morning?"
"No, Superintendent, I did not."
"Where did you go, Mr. North?"
"To my flat, Superintendent."
"Where is that, if you please?"
"In Portland Place."
"Was that usual?"
"Quite."
"You will have to forgive my bluntness, Mr. North, but I must ask you to explain yourself a little more fully. Do you and Mrs. North inhabit separate establishments?"
"Not in the sense which you appear to mean," replied North. "I may be wrong, but you seem to attach a sinister importance to my having chosen to remain in London for the night. My wife and I have been married for five years, Superintendent: we are long past the stage of living in one another's pockets."
There was an edge to the deliberate voice, which Hannasyde was quick to hear. As though aware of it himself, North added lightly: "I am often kept late in town. I find the flat convenient."
"I see. Did you dine there?"
"No, I dined at my club."
"And after
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