back to Haughton. It had a chilling sort of ring to it. By her own account, Mimi was a rich woman, but her account was all I had. And even if it were true, this was motive. The rich are not averse to becoming richer. Nor must I forget that previous occasion when a man had died to Mimi’s profit.
A second shake with the same dice?
But that would mean she had known about the will. Quarles, ex-lawyer, master-criminal, would surely have kept his counsel in a matter so sensitive. And supposing she had known: then I had still to construe the crime as a plot devised by her, whereas the principal circumstances were arranged by Quarles, and the murder apparently a piece of opportunism. To make it credible, one would have to assume communication and conspiracy between her and Rampant: not to mention the shadowy Peter Robinson, necessary if Rampant jibbed at the killing. Possible, but highly unlikely: it would have left her at the mercy of two con-federates. Mimi was much too
au fait
for that. A simple jostle at a tube station would have served her better.
And yet . . . Quarles must have been worth a great deal of money.
If it hadn’t been Mimi, then perhaps a secondary operator?
For example, Peter Robinson, with a hold on Mimi, working through her to net Freddy’s jackpot . . . ?
I shook my head: this was thinking like Hanson – trying to angle it away from Mimi! Mimi, who had no need to murder anyone, who could do it all with the drop of a bra. Not practical thinking. Mimi could kill, perhaps had blood on her hands already. The field was open.
And now I knew of one lode-stone that could have applied a fatal deflection.
I parked in the yard at the Barge-House and went in to confer with Dutt. Dutt was refreshing himself in the lounge, where Mimi, with a group of admirers, was also installed. She favoured me with a vivacious wave and a cooing ‘Hallo!’ – which I acknowledged with a dead-bat nod; her appetite, officially unlunched, appeared to have been satisfied with toast and jam.
I joined Dutt, who was sitting alone and looking every inch a copper. A waiter, not Bavents, came up and took my order for tea and toast.
Dutt nodded towards Mimi. ‘I see you clicked, sir.’
I grunted. ‘And what have you been up to?’
Dutt looked sly. ‘There’s a little maid called Nancy. We spent quite a time going over her statement.’
‘And what did you get – in the way of business?’
‘In the way of business, not very much, sir. But the head-waiter, Colby, remembered something.’
‘Save him till after I’ve had my cuppa.’
I drank and ate, while up the lounge Mimi continued to glamorize the peasants. She was clever with it: she talked to the wives and left the husbands to drink her in. She had changed out of the shortie dress she’d been wearing and put on a clinging gown with a split skirt. Most of one clamorous leg was on view, and though the bust was now harnessed, it was cleft to infinity.
‘She does fetch them in, sir,’ Dutt murmured wistfully.
I crunched some toast. ‘You keep your heart for Nancy.’
‘Yes, sir. But you can’t help admiring it. I reckon you admire the mostest in anything.’
I finished, and lit my unromantic pipe. ‘Now, if we can, let’s get back to Colby.’
Dutt sighed and dragged his eyes away. He cleared his throat, trying to sound like business.
‘Colby is the big, bald-headed man, sir. I got him remembering about last Thursday. How the deceased and the lady went out in a launch with a couple called Silverman, man and wife. They came back again about four-ish and sat in the lounge, like now. Then, after dinner, Colby went for a drink and remained in the bar for half-an-hour. He says Quarles was in there along with the Silvermans, but he doesn’t recall seeing the lady.’
‘He could scarcely have overlooked her.’
‘It seems the bar was pretty full, sir. Colby was sitting with a mate in a corner.’
‘And everyone else would have been sitting round
A second shake with the same dice?
But that would mean she had known about the will. Quarles, ex-lawyer, master-criminal, would surely have kept his counsel in a matter so sensitive. And supposing she had known: then I had still to construe the crime as a plot devised by her, whereas the principal circumstances were arranged by Quarles, and the murder apparently a piece of opportunism. To make it credible, one would have to assume communication and conspiracy between her and Rampant: not to mention the shadowy Peter Robinson, necessary if Rampant jibbed at the killing. Possible, but highly unlikely: it would have left her at the mercy of two con-federates. Mimi was much too
au fait
for that. A simple jostle at a tube station would have served her better.
And yet . . . Quarles must have been worth a great deal of money.
If it hadn’t been Mimi, then perhaps a secondary operator?
For example, Peter Robinson, with a hold on Mimi, working through her to net Freddy’s jackpot . . . ?
I shook my head: this was thinking like Hanson – trying to angle it away from Mimi! Mimi, who had no need to murder anyone, who could do it all with the drop of a bra. Not practical thinking. Mimi could kill, perhaps had blood on her hands already. The field was open.
And now I knew of one lode-stone that could have applied a fatal deflection.
I parked in the yard at the Barge-House and went in to confer with Dutt. Dutt was refreshing himself in the lounge, where Mimi, with a group of admirers, was also installed. She favoured me with a vivacious wave and a cooing ‘Hallo!’ – which I acknowledged with a dead-bat nod; her appetite, officially unlunched, appeared to have been satisfied with toast and jam.
I joined Dutt, who was sitting alone and looking every inch a copper. A waiter, not Bavents, came up and took my order for tea and toast.
Dutt nodded towards Mimi. ‘I see you clicked, sir.’
I grunted. ‘And what have you been up to?’
Dutt looked sly. ‘There’s a little maid called Nancy. We spent quite a time going over her statement.’
‘And what did you get – in the way of business?’
‘In the way of business, not very much, sir. But the head-waiter, Colby, remembered something.’
‘Save him till after I’ve had my cuppa.’
I drank and ate, while up the lounge Mimi continued to glamorize the peasants. She was clever with it: she talked to the wives and left the husbands to drink her in. She had changed out of the shortie dress she’d been wearing and put on a clinging gown with a split skirt. Most of one clamorous leg was on view, and though the bust was now harnessed, it was cleft to infinity.
‘She does fetch them in, sir,’ Dutt murmured wistfully.
I crunched some toast. ‘You keep your heart for Nancy.’
‘Yes, sir. But you can’t help admiring it. I reckon you admire the mostest in anything.’
I finished, and lit my unromantic pipe. ‘Now, if we can, let’s get back to Colby.’
Dutt sighed and dragged his eyes away. He cleared his throat, trying to sound like business.
‘Colby is the big, bald-headed man, sir. I got him remembering about last Thursday. How the deceased and the lady went out in a launch with a couple called Silverman, man and wife. They came back again about four-ish and sat in the lounge, like now. Then, after dinner, Colby went for a drink and remained in the bar for half-an-hour. He says Quarles was in there along with the Silvermans, but he doesn’t recall seeing the lady.’
‘He could scarcely have overlooked her.’
‘It seems the bar was pretty full, sir. Colby was sitting with a mate in a corner.’
‘And everyone else would have been sitting round
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