Who Killed Charmian Karslake? by Annie Haynes Page A

to put a few questions to Miss Paula Galbraith. But first the Bank –”
    He led the way out of the room and, with a word to the policeman at the door, he and Harbord made their way to the station.
    As they reached the gallery, from which they could see down into the hall, they heard the sound of voices. One was a woman’s, low, but tense with feeling:
    â€œNo, I tell you I will not listen.’’
    Then came a man’s:
    â€œBy Heaven, Paula, I will not let you go, you shall explain.”
    Stoddart laid his hand sharply on Harbord’s shoulder, but quickly as the detectives stopped some sound had evidently betrayed their approach to the two in the gallery. They stopped. The woman came quickly towards the detectives, her golden head uplifted; the man disappeared in the opposite direction. Harbord drew back. Stoddart stepped forward.
    â€œMiss Galbraith, I believe.”
    The girl looked at him, unseeing for a moment, then she started violently as if suddenly waking up.
    â€œYes.”
    â€œI am Inspector Stoddart of Scotland Yard,” the detective went on.
    Was it a momentary gleam of fear that flashed into the girl’s blue eyes?
    â€œYes. I knew you were coming to – to –”
    â€œTo investigate the mystery of Miss Karslake’s death,” the inspector finished. “I should be glad of a few minutes’ talk with you.”
    The girl frowned. “It would not be of the least use. I could not tell you anything that could possibly help you.”
    â€œYou must let me be the judge of that, I think,” the inspector said lightly, but with a certain firmness in his tone.
    Miss Galbraith bit her lip. “Will it do in the morning?”
    â€œI am afraid not. If you will kindly come into the library, which Sir Arthur has placed at our disposal, I shall probably keep you only a very short time.”
    The girl hesitated a moment, glancing at him as though wondering whether refusal were possible.
    â€œVery well,” she said at last, with a certain sullenness in her tone, “but it will be time wasted for you.”
    â€œWill you come to the library, then?” The inspector drew back and motioned her to precede them.
    Once more the girl hesitated perceptibly. Then, shrugging her shoulders as though making the best of a bad job, she walked quickly past him and down the stairs. The inspector had some ado to keep pace with her hurrying footsteps as they crossed the hall. But he managed to reach the library door first and held it open for her.
    She frowned as she saw Harbord following him in. “I thought you wished to see me alone?”
    â€œMr. Harbord is my trusted assistant,” the inspector said quietly, as he set a chair for her. “You may speak quite freely before him.”
    â€œOnly, as I told you, I have nothing to say,” Miss Galbraith said as she sat down.
    The inspector took the chair at the head of the table and, taking his notebook from his pocket, laid it open before him.
    â€œWere you acquainted with Miss Karslake before her coming to Hepton?”
    â€œNot in the least. I had not even seen her on the stage.”
    â€œWhen did you first see her? I understand that, like her, you came down from town that afternoon.”
    â€œYes. But not by the same train. I reached Hepton about half-past two. Miss Karslake and the majority of the guests from town travelled by the four o’clock express. I just saw Miss Karslake when she came in with the others to tea, which we had in the hall.”
    â€œShe was a good-looking woman, wasn’t she?”
    â€œEvery paper in the country tells you so,” Miss Galbraith responded.
    â€œAnd your opinion?”
    â€œI don’t know that my opinion is important or even relevant to the inquiry you are making,” Paula Galbraith answered coolly. “But, yes, of course I thought her beautiful. It would be impossible to think otherwise. But I did not care for her