bottle hidden in a Vuitton suitcase in Norma’s closet. Whether she’d actually had it there or whether Ronnie was brilliant enough to plant it - who knows? But after that they didn’t seem to do much if any detecting.’
Pam sighed and patted her hair, which with all the patting in the world was always going to end up looking like a flycatcher’s nest.
‘So there we are. I’ve told you everything. Now for pity’s sake banish it from your mind forever.’
Banish it! I thought. You might as well ask the Ancient Mariner to banish the albatross from his neck.
‘But, Pam, how did it happen?’
Pam looked hysterical. ‘She fell. That’s all. After the Old Girl left her, she decided to come downstairs again and - she fell.’
‘But if she hadn’t fallen, Mother would never have got the part, would she?’
‘I - I don’t know.’
‘You know she wouldn’t. Norma had Ronnie where she wanted him. She…’
‘Oh dear,’ moaned Pam. ‘This is terrible of me. I know it’s just hysteria, but if you swear you’ll never breathe a word, I’ll tell you what I think could have happened ... just could, mind you. There’s not a shred of evidence, thank God, but ... ‘
I had to say it then or I would have gone out of my mind. ‘You think Mother pushed her?’
The moment I’d said it, I realized what an appalling error of judgment I’d made. For Pam the sun rose and set in Mother. She was often as exasperated with her as I was, but there was a huge difference. Pam’s loyalty, unlike mine, was as impregnable as the British Empire used to be. When she heard what I had said, she literally blanched. It was as if I’d suggested to a devout Moslem that Mahomet had been plastered when he wrote the Koran.
‘Nickie,’ she said, ‘you beastly, stinking, filthy little reptile.’
Although I was still disloyal enough, against all my inclinations, to have the most horrendous thoughts, I hated hurting Pam. I said, ‘I’m terribly sorry, Pam dear. I didn’t mean it. I — I mean, I just wanted to know what you thought…’
‘Nickie, oh, Nickie, what is this thing about you and your mother? Why can’t you see the point of her, see that she’s totally different from all the others? The Normas, the Sylvia La Manns — perhaps they could push people down stairs to get jobs. But Anny…’
‘Pam, I said I was sorry. Tell me. Please. What were you going to say? How do you think it happened?’
Pam could never stay mad with me for long. With an exhausted little sigh, she said, ‘Oh, well, when you’re nineteen I suppose you’re still half an animal. You can’t help it. I don’t see why I really have to tell you, though. Isn’t it obvious? I’m sure she fell. I’m absolutely sure. But if she didn’t… Ronnie knew she would be disaster in the picture. There were six million dollars at stake. And not only that. What if there had been something wrong with his Income Tax and Norma had known it? If she really had divorced him and turned him in to the Internal Revenue … that is … I mean, how do we know someone did actually phone him and hold him up all that time in the studio?’
‘So,’ I said, ‘you think it was Ronnie.’
She shivered. ‘I don’t think. I refuse to think. But if … oh, Nickie, forget I said it. Forget everything. The Old Girl’s playing Ninon. We’re solvent again. Just look at it that way.’
We sat gazing at each other. Ronnie? Possibly. But what about Mother, who had actually been up in Norma’s room? Pam had done her best to straighten me out, but I still wasn’t very straightened. I had an awful vision of Norma lurching towards the head of the stairs and Mother creeping stealthily behind her. Overwhelming nostalgia for Paris and Monique came again.
‘You’re sure it’s okay with this Inspector Robinson?’
‘It must be. It’s four days now and we haven’t heard a word.’
‘And the press? All those telephone calls.’
‘That’s just routine. The Old Girl and
Pam sighed and patted her hair, which with all the patting in the world was always going to end up looking like a flycatcher’s nest.
‘So there we are. I’ve told you everything. Now for pity’s sake banish it from your mind forever.’
Banish it! I thought. You might as well ask the Ancient Mariner to banish the albatross from his neck.
‘But, Pam, how did it happen?’
Pam looked hysterical. ‘She fell. That’s all. After the Old Girl left her, she decided to come downstairs again and - she fell.’
‘But if she hadn’t fallen, Mother would never have got the part, would she?’
‘I - I don’t know.’
‘You know she wouldn’t. Norma had Ronnie where she wanted him. She…’
‘Oh dear,’ moaned Pam. ‘This is terrible of me. I know it’s just hysteria, but if you swear you’ll never breathe a word, I’ll tell you what I think could have happened ... just could, mind you. There’s not a shred of evidence, thank God, but ... ‘
I had to say it then or I would have gone out of my mind. ‘You think Mother pushed her?’
The moment I’d said it, I realized what an appalling error of judgment I’d made. For Pam the sun rose and set in Mother. She was often as exasperated with her as I was, but there was a huge difference. Pam’s loyalty, unlike mine, was as impregnable as the British Empire used to be. When she heard what I had said, she literally blanched. It was as if I’d suggested to a devout Moslem that Mahomet had been plastered when he wrote the Koran.
‘Nickie,’ she said, ‘you beastly, stinking, filthy little reptile.’
Although I was still disloyal enough, against all my inclinations, to have the most horrendous thoughts, I hated hurting Pam. I said, ‘I’m terribly sorry, Pam dear. I didn’t mean it. I — I mean, I just wanted to know what you thought…’
‘Nickie, oh, Nickie, what is this thing about you and your mother? Why can’t you see the point of her, see that she’s totally different from all the others? The Normas, the Sylvia La Manns — perhaps they could push people down stairs to get jobs. But Anny…’
‘Pam, I said I was sorry. Tell me. Please. What were you going to say? How do you think it happened?’
Pam could never stay mad with me for long. With an exhausted little sigh, she said, ‘Oh, well, when you’re nineteen I suppose you’re still half an animal. You can’t help it. I don’t see why I really have to tell you, though. Isn’t it obvious? I’m sure she fell. I’m absolutely sure. But if she didn’t… Ronnie knew she would be disaster in the picture. There were six million dollars at stake. And not only that. What if there had been something wrong with his Income Tax and Norma had known it? If she really had divorced him and turned him in to the Internal Revenue … that is … I mean, how do we know someone did actually phone him and hold him up all that time in the studio?’
‘So,’ I said, ‘you think it was Ronnie.’
She shivered. ‘I don’t think. I refuse to think. But if … oh, Nickie, forget I said it. Forget everything. The Old Girl’s playing Ninon. We’re solvent again. Just look at it that way.’
We sat gazing at each other. Ronnie? Possibly. But what about Mother, who had actually been up in Norma’s room? Pam had done her best to straighten me out, but I still wasn’t very straightened. I had an awful vision of Norma lurching towards the head of the stairs and Mother creeping stealthily behind her. Overwhelming nostalgia for Paris and Monique came again.
‘You’re sure it’s okay with this Inspector Robinson?’
‘It must be. It’s four days now and we haven’t heard a word.’
‘And the press? All those telephone calls.’
‘That’s just routine. The Old Girl and
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