Death in Albert Park by Leo Bruce

to?—and eventually the cell number he sought. His ring was answered by a tall dark sanguine woman with prominent eyes. “A little too much emotion,” Miss Cratchley had said and he at once thought Gerda Munshall somewhat excessive in other ways—too much hair, too much make-up, too much scent and too much
manner.
    â€œDo
come in,” she said, “and forgive the pig-sty. You haven’t left me time to put it straight. I just
snatched
a few daffodils from a stall because I can’t
bear
to be without flowers but what it needs is a good old dusting. Helene told me you would call”
    â€œHelene?”
    â€œThe Head. Hester and I
always
called her Helene, though not to her face, poor sweet. Can I give you a drink?”
    She drank sherry, Carolus noticed, but kept whisky and put the bottle beside him with a siphon.
    â€œBefore we discuss the tragedy,” went on Gerda, “may I say how
glad
I am that someone intelligent and sensitive is looking into it. I’m sure the police mean well but this is a complicated affair, don’t you think? Some dreadful schizophrenic at work. It needs someone with imagination to see into the dark places of his mind. I shall never
rest
till he has been discovered.”
    â€œRevenge?”
    â€œOh
no!
How can one hope to be revenged on a madman? Hester herself would never have felt like that. She was the
least
vengeful person. She forgave
all
her enemies.”
    â€œShe had enemies?”
    Gerda stared at him a moment.
    â€œNot particular enemies. But she was discriminating, you know. She
couldn’t
suffer fools gladly. She had exquisite taste, in people as in everything else. She hated everything and everyone second rate and
handle.
This, of course, roused resentment at times.”
    â€œI daresay.”
    â€œThat silly girl Buller for instance. I believe you met her last night? Poor clumsy wretch, there were times when she almost hated dear Hester. Sheer jealousy, I suppose. She could not bear to see Hester and me together. We had a very beautiful friendship, you see, something that could not be cheapened by the ‘long littleness of life’ or the attitude of uninteresting people.”
    â€œI see. Any others who could be said to hate Hester Starkey at times?”
    â€œWell, Hester wasn’t very tolerant. And she could speak her mind. One or two of the parents upset her at different times, and she wouldn’t stand for that. Helene used to
shudder.
Only a week before her death she told one girl’s father not to behave like an idiot. A Mr. Sutton. I’m telling you this to show what kind of person she was. She was proud, proud. She feared absolutely no one.”
    â€œAnyone else she talked to like that?”
    A rich smile came to Gerda’s too-full lips.
    â€œOh lots, I’m afraid. Even to me, once or twice, for we had our tiffs. But more often to men. She rather despised men, Mr. Deene.”
    â€œOh, Did she know many?”
    â€œShe couldn’t be bothered with them.”
    â€œYou mean—if I may put it so crudely—she never had affairs?”
    Gerda looked at him.
    â€œCurious how men’s minds run on that. You cannever
believe
that you are not the prime essentials of life. Hester was beautiful in her way, you know. I daresay she was run after at different times. But since we met, eight years ago, she has never thought of all that. A friendship like ours …”
    â€œYou think there may be men who resented this?”
    â€œProbably. But when I say she could speak her mind to men, I mean the kind of men one comes up against in everyday life. You know, parents, policemen, odd contacts one makes when travelling…that sort of person.”
    â€œAnyone in particular?”
    Gerda smiled again.
    â€œThere was a
ridiculous
incident in the park last summer. Hester had arranged to play tennis with some of the senior girls and some dreadful people from one of the avenues