The Arsenal Stadium Mystery by Leonard Gribble

Author:Leonard Gribble [Gribble, Leonard]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781464210846
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press, Inc.
Published: 2018-08-16T07:00:00+00:00

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Out of the Past

The blonde girl took the seat Slade placed for her, crossed her legs, and patted the end of her dress. She held up a newspaper.

“I bought this half an hour ago,” she told them. “It says the poison that killed John Doyce was aconitine.”

“That’s quite right. You have something to tell us about it?” Slade inquired.

“I’ve decided I had better be frank with you,” she said. “Put my cards on the table.”

“An excellent idea,” Slade commended. “But what has made you change your mind?”

“I haven’t changed my mind,” she said quickly. “I was quite willing to help you yesterday, but you made things very awkward for me, in front of Phil and Miss Howard.”

“I’m sorry.”

Slade shot a glance at Clinton. The sergeant was hiding a grin in a large hand.

“But now it’s different,” she went on. “I realized I could talk more freely here, and—well, the truth is I don’t want to get mixed up in a murder case. I’ve got myself to think of, haven’t I?”

“Of course,” Slade murmured. “What do you want to tell me?”

“First, I was at John Doyce’s flat on Saturday. I’m afraid I deceived you about that. But Phil’s temper is something I fear. I just couldn’t admit to it in front of him. I went to the flat to get some things. Silly of me, but I did. You see, I’d fallen in love with John, and he—well, we felt the same way about each other. Phil wouldn’t understand. As he saw it we were engaged—”

“You told me you weren’t engaged,” Slade pointed out.

“I’m afraid that was another little deceit,” she said easily, trying to brush aside the interruption. “I had to be careful in front of Phil. He had already quarrelled with John about me, threatened that if he saw me again—I mean—Oh, it was all so beastly, so awful!”

She broke off, giving a fair presentation of injured and misunderstood innocence.

“You suddenly decided to tell me this?” Slade prompted.

“That’s right. I was tired of being misunderstood.”

Slade’s brows lifted. “I can assure you there’s no danger of that here, Miss Laruce.”

She gave him a straight look. “Thank you. I knew I was doing right in coming here. I’m no longer engaged to Phil Morring, and I feel I have no reason now for—for trying to camouflage anything. You do understand, don’t you?”

“Not entirely,” Slade admitted. “The engagement was broken off—when?”

“Sunday, after you left.”

Slade risked another glance at Clinton. The sergeant was now grinning behind two hands.

“I see. You were in love with Doyce, and you were going to tell Morring—”

“But naturally,” she whispered, in feigned surprise that he should even mention the matter.

“But you were afraid of his temper?”

“Yes, that’s it—his temper. That’s just it. I see you do understand.”

“One other thing, Miss Laruce,” said Slade. “Do you know if Morring visited Setchley at the latter’s laboratory?”

“Well, Phil didn’t tell me himself, but I remember John told me Setchley was taking out a policy with the firm and Phil had been out to see him to fix things.

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