Part 10 (2/2)
”And that very soon afterwards my father had been killed.”
”I see,” said Sloan again.
”But they didn't have me,” observed Henrietta astringently.
”She didn't,” agreed Sloan. 'The chances of your being your father's child-so to speak-are high.”
”Thank you,” she said gravely. ”I'll remember that.”
”And the chances of her having come from East Calles.h.i.+re are higher still.” He told her about Messrs. Waind, Arbican & Waind in Calleford. ”So, miss, I think we can take it that the mystery originates that way somewhere.”
He did not mention murder.
”What I want to know,” said the Superintendent testily, ”is not who got which going but what you're doing about it, Sloan.” The Inspector was speaking from the call box in Larking village.
”Yes, sir. In the first instance we are looking for a car which hit a woman...”
”An unknown woman,” pointed out Leeyes.
”A woman who may or may not be unknown,”agreed Sloan more moderately, ”which hit her on a bad bend outside Larking village on Tuesday evening sometime between say six and nine o'clock.”
”And have you got anywhere?”
”No, sir.”
”There's an inquest coming along on Sat.u.r.day morning,” said Leeyes very gently. ”It's the law, Sloan, and the first thing the Coroner does is to take evidence of identification.”
”Yes, sir.” He hesitated. ”We've no reason to suppose she isn't Grace Jenkins...”
Superintendent Leeyes gave an intimidating grunt.
”But,”went on Sloan hastily, ”I'm going to make some enquiries about her pension now, and see the two people who came back on the bus with her on Tuesday night. And I've got a man checking up now on the marriage register in Somerset House...”
”What's that going to prove?”
”Whether or not this Grace Edith Wright did, in fact, marry one Cyril Edgar Jenkins. That should give us a lead.”
”One way or the other,” said Leeyes pointedly.
”Exactly, sir. We've got the experts working on those tyre casts too, and we're putting out a general call for witnesses. We're also trying to establish how she spent Tuesday-that may have some bearing on the case ...”
Leeyes grunted again.
”It's a bit difficult,” said Sloan, ”because the girl has no idea...”
”It strikes me that the girl has no idea about too many things ...”
”She was away at College at the time.”
”Check up on that, too, Sloan.”
”Yes, sir. This man Hibbs...”
”Ah, yes,” ruminatively. ”Hibbs. That solicitor fellow you were talking to yesterday...”
”Arbican.”
”He mentioned a settlement, didn't he?”
”Yes, sir.”
”It could have been with Hibbs.”
”Yes, sir. That had already occurred to me.”
”Could he have killed Grace Jenkins?”
”It strikes me,” said Sloan pessimistically, ”that anyone could have killed her. Anyone at all.”
”He's a local,” said Leeyes.
”Yes, sir.”
”He would know about the bend...”
”And the last bus.”
”So you see...”
”And that it's a deserted road at the best of times, but esat night.”
”I don't like the country,” declared Leeyes. ”There are never any witnesses.”
”No, sir.”
”Find out what Hibbs was doing on Tuesday night.”
”Yes, sir.”
”What sort of a car has he got?”
”The right sort,” said Sloan cautiously.
”What?”
”That size tyre fits half a dozen cars. He happens to have one of them. A Riley.”
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