My Wife Melissa by Francis Durbridge

Author:Francis Durbridge [Durbridge, Francis]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781447215141
Publisher: Pan Macmillan UK

Cameron said in a flat voice, “I’m afraid I don’t see any mention of the name Peter Antrobus, Mr. Foster.”

“But there was! I swear there was!”

“Is it the same letter, sir?”

“Why, yes, it looks exactly the same . . . and yet it can’t be!”

“There’s hardly likely to be two, sir.”

I shook my head in blank bewilderment. There was nothing useful I could say.

Cameron asked, “Did Mr. Page see this letter, sir?”

I nodded.

“Then I’ll have a word with him, I think.”

He gathered up his hat and coat and made for the door. As he was about to leave, he turned and in a very dry voice said: “I take it you’re not thinking of going away, Mr. Foster? You’ll be in Town for the next day or two?”

I nodded in bleak silence. I was back where I had been, in that bleak room at Scotland Yard: technically a prisoner, under home arrest.

I spent the afternoon catching up on all the sleep I had missed the previous night. I was wakened by the insistent ringing of the front door bell. Darkness had already fallen. Somewhat irritably I slipped into a dressing gown and went to the door. It was Don Page, wearing his inevitable well-pressed dinner jacket. I wondered vaguely when he found any time for car-racing.

“Guy, I’d like to have a talk with you. May I come in?”

Unusually for him, he seemed to be in a sombre mood. Well, it certainly matched mine.

“What’s on your mind, Don?” I asked as we entered the living-room.

“Guy, why the hell did you tell Inspector Cameron about the deed-box?”

“Why ever not? Is it a State Secret?”

“No, but — but why did you have to drag me into this, by telling Cameron that Melissa asked me to keep it for her?”

“Because I was under the impression that that was the truth. I happen to be one of those old-fashioned types who find that easier.”

“Yes, old son, but you didn’t have to tell Cameron all that! Now the damn fool’s labouring under the impression that Melissa and I . . . well, that we were extremely friendly.”

“Weren’t you?”

“Well, yes, but you know what I mean . . . Cameron’s trying to read more into an innocent friendship than that. In fact, he seems to want to make out that I knew everything there was to know about Melissa.”

“I don’t think anybody knew that, Don. Neither you nor I.”

“Try telling that to Cameron, old son!”

I shrugged my shoulders. I didn’t really see what he was getting so worked up about. “Don, I had to tell him about the box, surely you can see that?”

“Yes, but you didn’t have to tell him I brought it here! You could simply have said it was Melissa’s.”

I was beginning to get just a trifle irritated by Don. All he could think of was his own skin, his wretched professional name and all that. Surely I was the person in real trouble.

“Don, I don’t think you really appreciate the full picture. A girl called Mary Antrobus has been murdered.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.