her going again. It should have been Straub who came to her aid. He's smirking now, the bastard.'
'Like me,' Paula commented, 'you have very acute hearing. I just caught what Tweed said to her.'
'An ear specialist once told me I would hear a ping-pong ball dropped into the sea. It's a family trait. Mind if I smoke? Would you like one?'
'Yes, please. One of my rare pleasures.' When Marienetta had lit her cigarette with a jewelled lighter Paula asked her question. 'I hope you don't mind my mentioning it tonight, but have you any idea what Holgate could have been doing out at a remote spot like Bray after dark?'
'No. Uncle has pondered that and not come up with even a theory. Adam wasn't popular with the staff but I found him charming.'
'Someone told me you have a large old house near the river where it happened.'
'Abbey Grange. Roman hardly ever uses it. He bought it for private conferences, then decided he didn't like the place. I've only been there once and I didn't like it either.'
'You have someone to look after it?'
'Not now.' Marienetta shook her head. 'We've had a series of housekeepers and one by one they've left. At the moment there isn't one. The house is empty.'
Then who was in that room with the light on at the side of the house, Paula asked herself, on the night of the murder?
Straub, accompanied by his bodyguards, had left and the party was breaking up. Earlier, Paula had loitered near the doorway leading to the dance floor. When Black Jack appeared she began walking, pointing to Newman's back.
Tweed, who had been talking to Arbogast, was among the last to leave. Newman walked by his side and Paula watched as Black Jack put on his coat and followed them. Outside the night was chilly, inclined to sprinkle with rain. Newman stood by himself, but still not far from where Tweed waited for a taxi to appear.
Paula stood outside the entrance as Black Jack lit a cigarette. It was the ideal moment for the ex-gambler to launch his attack. To her surprise he waited until she walked out and approached her.
'Come and have a drink with me. We could go to Marino's off Piccadilly.'
'Thank you, but I'm too tired to go anywhere except home.'
'Another evening? Tomorrow? Day after? Come on.' He took hold of her arm.
'Don't think the lady's interested,' Newman said, walk ing close to them.
'Ah, the celebrated foreign correspondent,' he sneered. 'I really am pleased to meet you.'
Tweed moved close. 'She really has had a day of it. So why not go home by yourself?'
'I thought Paula might like to hear something I happen to know about Adam Holgate. Something no one else knows. It hasn't appeared in this long article by Sam Snyder in the Daily Nation. ' He pulled a folded copy out of his trench-coat pocket, opened it up, showed the front page to Tweed. The headline blazed in huge letters.
SECOND HEADLESS BODY FOUND AT BRAY
US Vice-President Visits London
Black Jack's manner was cordial and he'd shown no sign of attacking anyone. Tweed took the paper handed to him, quickly read some of the long article below. He looked at Black Jack.
'How did you get hold of this copy?'
'One of the guests at the back of the room wanted a breath of fresh air. He told me he'd seen this pack of papers strung up outside a closed newsagent's. It's tomorrow's paper - or rather today's now. Well after midnight.'
'You said you knew something about Holgate.' Tweed gazed at him. 'You were joking, of course.'
'Never been more serious in my life.' He had minutes ago taken his hand off her arm as he turned to Paula. 'The offer still stands. Take you out for a drink and I'll spill the beans. Interesting beans - in view of what has happened to the poor devil.' He was amiable without being persistent. 'Give me your phone number and I'll call you.'
Behind Black Jack's back Tweed nodded at Paula. She hesitated, then produced a card from her evening bag. It was printed with the cover name for the SIS, the General & Cumbria Assurance Company. Plus
'Like me,' Paula commented, 'you have very acute hearing. I just caught what Tweed said to her.'
'An ear specialist once told me I would hear a ping-pong ball dropped into the sea. It's a family trait. Mind if I smoke? Would you like one?'
'Yes, please. One of my rare pleasures.' When Marienetta had lit her cigarette with a jewelled lighter Paula asked her question. 'I hope you don't mind my mentioning it tonight, but have you any idea what Holgate could have been doing out at a remote spot like Bray after dark?'
'No. Uncle has pondered that and not come up with even a theory. Adam wasn't popular with the staff but I found him charming.'
'Someone told me you have a large old house near the river where it happened.'
'Abbey Grange. Roman hardly ever uses it. He bought it for private conferences, then decided he didn't like the place. I've only been there once and I didn't like it either.'
'You have someone to look after it?'
'Not now.' Marienetta shook her head. 'We've had a series of housekeepers and one by one they've left. At the moment there isn't one. The house is empty.'
Then who was in that room with the light on at the side of the house, Paula asked herself, on the night of the murder?
Straub, accompanied by his bodyguards, had left and the party was breaking up. Earlier, Paula had loitered near the doorway leading to the dance floor. When Black Jack appeared she began walking, pointing to Newman's back.
Tweed, who had been talking to Arbogast, was among the last to leave. Newman walked by his side and Paula watched as Black Jack put on his coat and followed them. Outside the night was chilly, inclined to sprinkle with rain. Newman stood by himself, but still not far from where Tweed waited for a taxi to appear.
Paula stood outside the entrance as Black Jack lit a cigarette. It was the ideal moment for the ex-gambler to launch his attack. To her surprise he waited until she walked out and approached her.
'Come and have a drink with me. We could go to Marino's off Piccadilly.'
'Thank you, but I'm too tired to go anywhere except home.'
'Another evening? Tomorrow? Day after? Come on.' He took hold of her arm.
'Don't think the lady's interested,' Newman said, walk ing close to them.
'Ah, the celebrated foreign correspondent,' he sneered. 'I really am pleased to meet you.'
Tweed moved close. 'She really has had a day of it. So why not go home by yourself?'
'I thought Paula might like to hear something I happen to know about Adam Holgate. Something no one else knows. It hasn't appeared in this long article by Sam Snyder in the Daily Nation. ' He pulled a folded copy out of his trench-coat pocket, opened it up, showed the front page to Tweed. The headline blazed in huge letters.
SECOND HEADLESS BODY FOUND AT BRAY
US Vice-President Visits London
Black Jack's manner was cordial and he'd shown no sign of attacking anyone. Tweed took the paper handed to him, quickly read some of the long article below. He looked at Black Jack.
'How did you get hold of this copy?'
'One of the guests at the back of the room wanted a breath of fresh air. He told me he'd seen this pack of papers strung up outside a closed newsagent's. It's tomorrow's paper - or rather today's now. Well after midnight.'
'You said you knew something about Holgate.' Tweed gazed at him. 'You were joking, of course.'
'Never been more serious in my life.' He had minutes ago taken his hand off her arm as he turned to Paula. 'The offer still stands. Take you out for a drink and I'll spill the beans. Interesting beans - in view of what has happened to the poor devil.' He was amiable without being persistent. 'Give me your phone number and I'll call you.'
Behind Black Jack's back Tweed nodded at Paula. She hesitated, then produced a card from her evening bag. It was printed with the cover name for the SIS, the General & Cumbria Assurance Company. Plus
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