anything, Mr. Pepper. I wasn’t sure at first glance. His face was—was. …” She shivered. “Now that I think it over, I do recall having seen him. Once—no, twice. Although, as I said, I don’t know his name.”
“Where did you see him?” The Inspector was sharp, and he seemed not at all impressed by the fact that she was a pretty young lady.
“In this very house, Inspector.”
“Ha! When?”
“I’m coming to that, sir.” She paused deliberately, and something of her self-assurance returned. She favored Ellery with a friendly smile, and he nodded encouragingly. “The first time I saw him was a week ago Thursday night.”
“September the thirtieth?”
“Yes. This man appeared at the door at about nine o’clock in the evening. As I said twice, I don’t know—”
“His name was Grimshaw, Albert Grimshaw. Go on, Miss Brett.”
“He was admitted by a maid, just as I chanced to be passing through the foyer …”
“What maid?” demanded the Inspector. “ I haven’t seen any maids in this house.”
“Oh!” She seemed startled. “But then—how silly of me!—of course you couldn’t have known. You see, there were two maids employed in the house, but they were both ignorant, superstitious women and they insisted on making off the day Mr. Khalkis died. We couldn’t prevail upon them to stay in what one called ‘a house of death, ma’am.’”
“Is that right, Weekes?”
The butler nodded dumbly.
“Go on, Miss Brett. What happened? Did you see anything further?”
Joan sighed. “Not very much, Inspector. I saw the maid go into Mr. Khalkis’ study, usher in the man Grimshaw, and then come out again. And that’s all that evening.”
“Did you see the man leave?” put in Pepper.
“No, Mr. Pepper. …” She lingered over the last syllable of his name and Pepper angrily turned his head away, as if to conceal an undesirable, unprosecutorlike emotion.
“And what was the second occasion on which you saw him, Miss Brett?” asked the Inspector. His eyes strayed slyly to the others; they were all listening attentively, straining forward.
“The next time I saw him was the night after—that is, a week ago Friday night.”
“By the way, Miss Brett,” interrupted Ellery with an odd inflection, “I believe you acted as Khalkis’ secretary?”
“Right you are, Mr. Queen.”
“And Khalkis was blind and helpless?”
She made a little moue of disapproval. “Blind, but scarcely helpless. Why?”
“Well, didn’t Khalkis tell you anything Thursday about his visitor—the man to come in the evening? Didn’t he ask you to make the appointment?”
“Oh, I see! … No, he did not. Not a word to me about an expected visitor Thursday night. It was a complete surprise to me. In fact, it may have been as complete a surprise to Mr. Khalkis! But please let me continue.” She contrived, by the artful twitching of a dark unspoiled eyebrow, to convey maidenly annoyance. “You people interrupt so. … It was different on Friday. After dinner Friday night—that was the first of October, Inspector Queen—Mr. Khalkis summoned me to the library and gave me some very careful instructions. Some very careful instructions indeed, Inspector, and—”
“Come, come, Miss Brett,” said the Inspector impatiently. “Let’s have it without embroidery.”
“If you were on the witness-stand,” said Pepper with a trace of bitterness, “you’d make a distinctly undesirable witness, Miss Brett.”
“Not really?” she murmured. She heaved herself to a sitting position on Khalkis’ desk and crossed her legs, raising her skirt ever so little. “Very well. I shall be the model witness. Is this the correct pose, Mr. Pepper? … Mr. Khalkis told me that he expected two visitors that night. Quite late. One of them, he said, was coming incognito, so to speak—he was anxious, Mr. Khalkis said, to keep his identity secret and therefore I was to see that nobody caught a glimpse of
“Where did you see him?” The Inspector was sharp, and he seemed not at all impressed by the fact that she was a pretty young lady.
“In this very house, Inspector.”
“Ha! When?”
“I’m coming to that, sir.” She paused deliberately, and something of her self-assurance returned. She favored Ellery with a friendly smile, and he nodded encouragingly. “The first time I saw him was a week ago Thursday night.”
“September the thirtieth?”
“Yes. This man appeared at the door at about nine o’clock in the evening. As I said twice, I don’t know—”
“His name was Grimshaw, Albert Grimshaw. Go on, Miss Brett.”
“He was admitted by a maid, just as I chanced to be passing through the foyer …”
“What maid?” demanded the Inspector. “ I haven’t seen any maids in this house.”
“Oh!” She seemed startled. “But then—how silly of me!—of course you couldn’t have known. You see, there were two maids employed in the house, but they were both ignorant, superstitious women and they insisted on making off the day Mr. Khalkis died. We couldn’t prevail upon them to stay in what one called ‘a house of death, ma’am.’”
“Is that right, Weekes?”
The butler nodded dumbly.
“Go on, Miss Brett. What happened? Did you see anything further?”
Joan sighed. “Not very much, Inspector. I saw the maid go into Mr. Khalkis’ study, usher in the man Grimshaw, and then come out again. And that’s all that evening.”
“Did you see the man leave?” put in Pepper.
“No, Mr. Pepper. …” She lingered over the last syllable of his name and Pepper angrily turned his head away, as if to conceal an undesirable, unprosecutorlike emotion.
“And what was the second occasion on which you saw him, Miss Brett?” asked the Inspector. His eyes strayed slyly to the others; they were all listening attentively, straining forward.
“The next time I saw him was the night after—that is, a week ago Friday night.”
“By the way, Miss Brett,” interrupted Ellery with an odd inflection, “I believe you acted as Khalkis’ secretary?”
“Right you are, Mr. Queen.”
“And Khalkis was blind and helpless?”
She made a little moue of disapproval. “Blind, but scarcely helpless. Why?”
“Well, didn’t Khalkis tell you anything Thursday about his visitor—the man to come in the evening? Didn’t he ask you to make the appointment?”
“Oh, I see! … No, he did not. Not a word to me about an expected visitor Thursday night. It was a complete surprise to me. In fact, it may have been as complete a surprise to Mr. Khalkis! But please let me continue.” She contrived, by the artful twitching of a dark unspoiled eyebrow, to convey maidenly annoyance. “You people interrupt so. … It was different on Friday. After dinner Friday night—that was the first of October, Inspector Queen—Mr. Khalkis summoned me to the library and gave me some very careful instructions. Some very careful instructions indeed, Inspector, and—”
“Come, come, Miss Brett,” said the Inspector impatiently. “Let’s have it without embroidery.”
“If you were on the witness-stand,” said Pepper with a trace of bitterness, “you’d make a distinctly undesirable witness, Miss Brett.”
“Not really?” she murmured. She heaved herself to a sitting position on Khalkis’ desk and crossed her legs, raising her skirt ever so little. “Very well. I shall be the model witness. Is this the correct pose, Mr. Pepper? … Mr. Khalkis told me that he expected two visitors that night. Quite late. One of them, he said, was coming incognito, so to speak—he was anxious, Mr. Khalkis said, to keep his identity secret and therefore I was to see that nobody caught a glimpse of
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