Read Online Murder on Safari by Elspeth Huxley - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Elspeth Huxley
Ads: Link
anything.”
Paula shivered and cried out: “Oh, this is horri-68
ble!” Chris Davis patted her on the shoulder and said: “Spare us the details, Danny.”
“I propose that Vachell and I should examine
the remains shortly,” de Mare went on. “In the meantime, we must trace her movements as well as we can. Rutley, it looks as though you were the last one to see her alive. What time did you drop her at the drift?”
“We left here just after ten,” Rutley answered.
His voice was sulky and he spoke with an air of defiance. “She said she wanted to go for a ride. We went along the Malabeya track for six or seven miles until we came to a herd of giraffe. We
watched them for a bit, and then we turned back.
When we got to the drift she said she wanted to walk back to camp from there for the exercise. I suppose that was about a quarter to eleven. I didn’t look at the time.”
“Did Lady Baradale often walk home when she
went out for a drive with you?” de Mare asked.
His voice was as even and precise as ever.
Rutley shifted on his feet and flushed slightly.
“Sometimes,” he said. “She said she wanted the exercise.”
Vachell, his eyes fixed on the chauffeur’s face, asked: “Did she intend to take that walk when you started out?”
Rutley turned on him with something like a
snarl. “How the hell do I know what she meant to do?” he snapped. “She didn’t tell me her intentions, did she? All she said was she wanted a drive.
69
What’s it got to do with you, anyway? You
keep — “
“Shut up, Rutley,” de Mare said. “You know
perfectly well you had ‘no right to let Lady
Baradale walk back alone. It was criminal carelessness, if not worse. It’s you who are
responsible — “
He checked himself in mid-sentence and went
on with his striding to and fro. “What did you do after Lady Baradale got out of the car?”
“I drove back to camp.”
“What time did you get in?”
“Just after eleven.”
De Mare jerked his head up sharply and looked at the chauffeur.
“It’s about three miles to the drift,” he said.
“How could it take you twenty minutes or more to drive three miles?”
Rutley glared at him and fingered the wide brim of his double-felt hat in his hands.
“I keep telling you, I didn’t watch the time, particular,” he said. “I wasn’t hurrying. I stopped a few minutes for a smoke when I left her at the drift.”
De Mare stared at him for a few moments
without speaking, and then resumed his pacing.
The chauffeur looked as though he was going to take a swing at his questioner at any moment.
“After you got back to camp,” de Mare went
on, “what did you do?”
“Adjusted the timing on one of the trucks.”
70
‘Were you in camp all the rest of the morning?’
Rutley’s eyes flickered quickly in Paula’s direction, and again back to de Mare.
“Yes,” he said.
Vachell was watching Paula. He saw her raise
her head sharply to glance at the chauffeur, and then lower it again to stare at her clasped fingers.
“Then Lady Baradale left the drift at about a quarter to eleven,” de Mare continued, thinking aloud. “The spot where we found her body is
about two miles from the drift. If nothing
occurred to delay her, she’d have reached it
between 11.15 and 11.30 - say 11.30. Paula, did Lady Baradale say anything about going for a walk when she left camp in the morning?”
Paula looked up with an anxious face. “I don’t believe so,” she said. Her voice was rather shaky.
“She said she was going to take a ride with George —with Mr Rutley.”
“What time did she leave?”
“Right after ten, like George says.”
“Did you see Rutley when he came back?”
“Sure. I saw him fixing the motor on the
truck.”
“And after that?”
The girl hesitated and passed her tongue over her brilliant carmine lips. “I guess he was
around,” she said. “Yes, I remember now. I saw him over at his workshop. I was in my tent all
Paula shivered and cried out: “Oh, this is horri-68
ble!” Chris Davis patted her on the shoulder and said: “Spare us the details, Danny.”
“I propose that Vachell and I should examine
the remains shortly,” de Mare went on. “In the meantime, we must trace her movements as well as we can. Rutley, it looks as though you were the last one to see her alive. What time did you drop her at the drift?”
“We left here just after ten,” Rutley answered.
His voice was sulky and he spoke with an air of defiance. “She said she wanted to go for a ride. We went along the Malabeya track for six or seven miles until we came to a herd of giraffe. We
watched them for a bit, and then we turned back.
When we got to the drift she said she wanted to walk back to camp from there for the exercise. I suppose that was about a quarter to eleven. I didn’t look at the time.”
“Did Lady Baradale often walk home when she
went out for a drive with you?” de Mare asked.
His voice was as even and precise as ever.
Rutley shifted on his feet and flushed slightly.
“Sometimes,” he said. “She said she wanted the exercise.”
Vachell, his eyes fixed on the chauffeur’s face, asked: “Did she intend to take that walk when you started out?”
Rutley turned on him with something like a
snarl. “How the hell do I know what she meant to do?” he snapped. “She didn’t tell me her intentions, did she? All she said was she wanted a drive.
69
What’s it got to do with you, anyway? You
keep — “
“Shut up, Rutley,” de Mare said. “You know
perfectly well you had ‘no right to let Lady
Baradale walk back alone. It was criminal carelessness, if not worse. It’s you who are
responsible — “
He checked himself in mid-sentence and went
on with his striding to and fro. “What did you do after Lady Baradale got out of the car?”
“I drove back to camp.”
“What time did you get in?”
“Just after eleven.”
De Mare jerked his head up sharply and looked at the chauffeur.
“It’s about three miles to the drift,” he said.
“How could it take you twenty minutes or more to drive three miles?”
Rutley glared at him and fingered the wide brim of his double-felt hat in his hands.
“I keep telling you, I didn’t watch the time, particular,” he said. “I wasn’t hurrying. I stopped a few minutes for a smoke when I left her at the drift.”
De Mare stared at him for a few moments
without speaking, and then resumed his pacing.
The chauffeur looked as though he was going to take a swing at his questioner at any moment.
“After you got back to camp,” de Mare went
on, “what did you do?”
“Adjusted the timing on one of the trucks.”
70
‘Were you in camp all the rest of the morning?’
Rutley’s eyes flickered quickly in Paula’s direction, and again back to de Mare.
“Yes,” he said.
Vachell was watching Paula. He saw her raise
her head sharply to glance at the chauffeur, and then lower it again to stare at her clasped fingers.
“Then Lady Baradale left the drift at about a quarter to eleven,” de Mare continued, thinking aloud. “The spot where we found her body is
about two miles from the drift. If nothing
occurred to delay her, she’d have reached it
between 11.15 and 11.30 - say 11.30. Paula, did Lady Baradale say anything about going for a walk when she left camp in the morning?”
Paula looked up with an anxious face. “I don’t believe so,” she said. Her voice was rather shaky.
“She said she was going to take a ride with George —with Mr Rutley.”
“What time did she leave?”
“Right after ten, like George says.”
“Did you see Rutley when he came back?”
“Sure. I saw him fixing the motor on the
truck.”
“And after that?”
The girl hesitated and passed her tongue over her brilliant carmine lips. “I guess he was
around,” she said. “Yes, I remember now. I saw him over at his workshop. I was in my tent all
Similar Books
