Paul Temple and the Madison Case. Francis Durbridge

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СКАЧАТЬ from Sam but in the end it was quite impossible. Three days ago I made up my mind that I wasn’t going to stand any more of her damned nonsense. I telexed her father and offered my resignation.’

      ‘I see.’

      ‘If you don’t believe me, ask George Kelly.’ Greene had already stood up. ‘He knows about Moira, he knows what’s been going on. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to see if Mrs Portland is ready to be taken down to the car.’

      Temple did not stand up. He responded in kind to Greene’s curt nod. His head did not turn as the other man walked past him and out through the door behind. He sat there quite still for several minutes before he stood up and followed Portland’s London representative.

      ‘Paul, I do wish you’d get out of my way.’

      ‘Now don’t be irritable, Steve!’

      ‘Darling, we’ve been away for two weeks and I’m trying to unpack!’

      The Temples were back at their flat in Eaton Square by seven o’clock. Charlie had prepared a special welcome-home dinner, which the Temples had felt bound to savour to the full. Then there had been the inevitable pile of correspondence which Temple had sifted through to find out if there was anything of immediate importance. In the end it was ten o’clock before they even started to unpack their suitcases and the extra packages of duty-free goods they had bought on board ship.

      ‘Yes, all right! All right, Steve! Where’s that bow tie – the one I bought in New York?’

      ‘Now what on earth do you want that for?’

      ‘I want to try it on.’

      ‘You can’t try it on now, not in your pyjamas, you’ll look ridiculous. Besides, you’ve been trying it on ever since you bought it!’

      ‘Oh, here it is!’ Temple deftly tied the bow and studied the effect in the mirror. His expression changed from enthusiasm to gloom.

      ‘I think it’s a bit bright.’

      ‘Of course it’s too bright, I told you that in the shop.’

      ‘It looked all right in New York.’

      ‘Yes, well, we’re not in New York! Paul, go into your study and read a book or get into bed or have a bath or something!’

      ‘By Timothy, I am popular!’

      ‘You’re just getting in my way, darling! Now where did I put that blouse? Oh, here it is … Come in, Charlie!’

      Charlie was the Temples’ Jack-of-all-trades – cook, housemaid, watch-dog and even driver, but the latter only in time of dire necessity. He stood five-foot six in his socks, which were all he had on his feet now. Above them he was wearing a pair of over tight chef’s trousers and an old cardigan that had been buttoned up skew-whiff. He stared goggle-eyed at his master in pyjama top and dazzling bow tie.

      ‘What is it, Charlie?’

      ‘Sir Graham Forbes is here, sir. He’d like to have a word with you.’

      ‘Sir Graham? I didn’t hear the door-bell.’

      ‘No, sir. You and Mrs Temple was kickin’ up quite a racket. I put him in the living room, was that all right, sir?’

      ‘Yes, that’s all right, Charlie.’

      Still mesmerised by the tie, Charlie withdrew. Steve exchanged a worried glance with her husband.

      ‘Paul, what does he want – do you know?’

      ‘No, darling. Where’s my dressing-gown?’

      ‘It’s on the bed.’

      ‘Oh, thanks …’

      Temple put on his dressing-gown and thrust his feet into slippers. Steve’s voice stopped him when he was at the door.

      ‘Paul.’

      ‘Yes?’

      ‘I shouldn’t wear the tie, darling.’

      Sir Graham Forbes was the kind of man who seemed to fill any room he was in. Broad shoulders, a trim moustache and bushy eyebrows enhanced his commanding features. He was old enough to treat women with an avuncular protectiveness to which they reacted favourably. Steve always flirted with him shamelessly, knowing that he would never overstep the bounds of correctness.

      ‘Hello, Steve!’ he greeted her, as she came into the sitting-room a minute or two after Paul. The two men already had glasses of whisky in their hands. ‘My word, you do look well!’ His eyes ran appreciatively over the silk house-robe she had put on. ‘Are you glad to be home?’

      ‘Well, I don’t know, Sir Graham. It all depends what you’ve got up your sleeve!’

      ‘I haven’t got anything up my sleeve,’ Forbes protested, a little too emphatically. ‘So don’t worry, my dear!’

      ‘Well, Sir Graham, is this a social call?’ Temple asked, waving his guest to a chair.

      ‘Not exactly. I want some information.’ Forbes sipped his whisky appreciatively and put the glass down on a low table beside his chair. ‘When you were on the boat coming over from America did you meet a man called Portland – Sam Portland?’

      Temple nodded. ‘Yes, we did.’

      ‘Did you see much of him?’

      ‘Well – I had quite a chat with him. As a matter of fact I was going to ’phone you. There’s something about Portland you ought to know.’

      Steve was standing behind the sofa. ‘Don’t you think you ought to start the story at the beginning, darling?’ she suggested.

      ‘Well,’ Temple began, ‘we left America last Friday evening. I was feeling rather tired because I’d had a pretty hectic time. It was just after six o’clock when the boat sailed. Steve was on deck staring at the skyscrapers and waving a last farewell to New York …’

      Sir Graham listened without interruption while Temple told him in detail what had occurred on the Princess Diana. He ended with an account of his conversation with Hubert Greene.

      ‘Did you speak to George Kelly?’

      ‘Yes. He confirmed Greene’s story. He said he’d actually seen the telex from Hubert Greene offering Portland his resignation.’

      ‘Did you ask him about Madison?’

      ‘He’d never heard of him.’

      ‘M’m.’ Forbes sounded sceptical about that. He picked up his glass and tipped his head back to empty it. Temple stood up to replenish both their glasses.

      ‘Sir Graham, how does Scotland Yard come into this?’

      ‘Just over a week ago one of my men – Chief Inspector James – received this note. Here we are, Steve, read it.’

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