Vintage Murder. Ngaio Marsh

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       CHAPTER 6 Second Appearance of the Tiki

      ‘Who’s that?’ demanded the largest of the three detectives. ‘Just a minute there, please.’ He was on the stage and had caught sight of Alleyn through the open door of the prompt entrance.

      ‘It’s me,’ said Alleyn in a mild voice and walked through. The detective, Te Pokiha, and the police doctor, were all standing by the table.

      ‘Who’s this gentleman, Mr Gascoigne?’ continued the detective.

      ‘Er – it’s – er—Mr Alleyn, Inspector.’

      ‘Member of the company?’

      ‘No,’ said Alleyn, ‘just a friend.’

      ‘I thought I said no one was to come out here. What were you doing, sir? Didn’t you understand—?’

      ‘I just thought—’ began Alleyn with that particular air of hurt innocence that always annoyed him when he met it in his official capacity. ‘I just thought—’

      ‘I’ll have your full name and address, if you please,’ interrupted the inspector, and opened his notebook. ‘Allan, you said. First name?’

      ‘Roderick.’

      ‘How do you spell—?’ The inspector stopped short and stared at Alleyn.

      ‘A-l-l-e-y-n, Inspector.’

      ‘Good God!’

      ‘New Scotland Yard, London,’ added Alleyn apologetically.

      ‘By cripes, sir, I’m sorry. We’d heard you were – we didn’t know – I mean –’

      ‘I shall call at headquarters when I get to Wellington,’ said Alleyn. ‘I’ve got a letter somewhere from your chief. Should have answered it. Very dilatory of me.’

      ‘I’m very, very sorry, sir. We thought you were in Auckland. We’ve been expecting you, of course.’

      ‘I changed my plans,’ said Alleyn. ‘All my fault, Inspector—?’

      ‘Wade, sir,’ said the inspector, scarlet in the face.

      ‘How do you do?’ said Alleyn cheerfully, and held out his hand.

      ‘I’m very very pleased to meet you, Chief Inspector,’ said Inspector Wade, shaking it relentlessly. ‘Very very pleased. We had word that you were on your way, and as a matter of fact, Superintendent Nixon was going to look in at the Middleton as soon as you came down. Yes, that’s right. The super was going to call. We’ve all been trained on your book.¹ ‘It’s – it’s a great honour to meet the author.’

      ‘That’s very nice of you,’ said Alleyn, easing his fingers a little. ‘I should have called at your headquarters on my arrival, but you know how it is in a new place. One puts off these things.’ He glanced through the wings on to the stage.

      ‘That’s right. And now we meet on the job as you might say. Ye-ees.’

      ‘Not my job, thank the Lord,’ said Alleyn, ‘and, look here. I want to hide my job under a bushel. So – if you don’t mind – just don’t mention it to any of these people.’

      ‘Certainly, sir. I hope you’ll let the boys here meet you. They’d be very very pleased, I know.’

      ‘So should I—delighted. Just tip them the wink, if you don’t mind, to forget about the CID. And as I’m a layman, I suppose you want to ask me a few questions, Inspector?’

      The New Zealander’s large healthy face again turned red.

      ‘Well now, sir, that makes me feel a bit foolish but – well – yes, we’ve got to do the usual, you know.’

      ‘Of course you have,’ said Alleyn very charmingly. ‘Nasty business, isn’t it? I shall be most interested to see something of your methods if you will allow me.’

      ‘It’s very fine of you to put it that way, sir. To be quite frank I was wondering if you would give us an account of what took place before the accident. You were in the party, I understand.’

      ‘A statement in my own words, Inspector?’ asked Alleyn, twinkling.

      ‘That’s right,’ agreed Wade with a roar of laughter, which he instantly quelled. His two subordinates, hearing this unseemly noise, strolled up and were introduced. Detective-Sergeants Cass and Packer. They shook Alleyn’s hand and stared profoundly at the floor. Alleyn gave a short but extremely СКАЧАТЬ