Pick Up the Pieces by J F Straker

Author:J F Straker [Straker, J F]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Endeavour Media
Published: 2015-07-27T04:00:00+00:00

8 Unknown Witness

Loften was punctual. There was a slight smile on his face as he entered the living-room and saw the four men awaiting him. Forthright wondered if it was the smile of the tiger; or perhaps he was contrasting his own appearance, immaculate as always, with theirs. None of them had slept much the previous night, and their haggard, harassed countenances showed that the strain was beginning to tell. Only Forthright had shaved; his was the only pair of eyes that met the newcomer’s squarely.

‘Well — where do we start?’ Loften asked pleasantly, with none of the irritability he had shown that afternoon. Wells felt relieved. It was going to be all right, he thought. ‘It’s you fellows who have to do the talking. I’m here to listen.’

‘I don’t know as there’s much for us to say,’ answered Forthright. ‘You know what we planned to do, and how it turned out. We’re in your hands, and that’s about all there is to it.’

‘I still can’t understand why you had to kill White,’ said Loften. ‘At least, I can see that you’re better off without him; but it seems such a monumental risk to take. Leaving out all question of right and wrong, it just doesn’t seem worth it.’

‘But we keep telling you, Mr Loften we don’t understand it ourselves,’ Forthright said earnestly. ‘We don’t know how it happened or who killed him. That’s the devil of it.’

Loften looked his astonishment. ‘Come now, Harry — you can’t expect me to believe that. You were all in it together, weren’t you?’

Forthright hesitated. Was it wise, he wondered, to let Loften have all the details? So far, if he chose to turn against them and inform the police, it was his word against theirs — provided, of course, that Susan could be persuaded to keep her mouth shut.

‘Only one of us was actually in White’s room,’ he said slowly. ‘And the way we fixed it we don’t know which one of us it was. Susan told you we didn’t plan to kill White, so you can guess it hit us pretty hard when we heard next morning that he was dead. You see, even if we wanted to we couldn’t split on the fellow that did it. That’s why we’ve had to back each other up and hope that the police can’t pin it on us. If they do we’re all for the high jump; all of us, not just one.’

Loften appeared to think this over. ‘How did you work it?’ he asked.

It was not a casual question — there was genuine interest behind it. But Forthright was still wary.

‘I’m sorry, Mr Loften, but that’s something we’d rather keep to ourselves. For the present, anyway.’

‘You mean — until you know whose side I’m on, eh?’

‘Yes.’

Loften shrugged. ‘Please yourselves. Only don’t misunderstand me if I say it sounds phoney.’

The others had so far taken no part in the conversation. It had been agreed beforehand that Forthright should act as their spokesman. But Wickery,

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