The Wilmington morning star., 1946-05-12
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knew no way to get out Of it l did
the best I could.
Starting with Marquis unbelleV-
able rudeness to Deane at my re-
ception, I went on to her cryptlc
remark about a stone hitting the
wrong person and her request for
complete privacy in my apartment
on Friday afternoon. I then tried
to give a picture of what had hap
pened-to my way of thinking
that fateful day.
"Margot must have come home
later than half past two, to get
ready for her mysterious visitor,
seeing she expected Deane at
thehre" I reasoned. "And when at
three-fiften or twenty the down.
stairs bell rang she must have
thought it was Deane, who already
was late then. That would account
for the disappointment in her voice
Tonic mentioned. Right, Inspector?
Fright" Inspector Barry
agreed.
"Well, then Tonic told her what
he Wanted-she went with him into
Meals room, helped him find the
locket and saw him out again. All
within ten minutes, if Tonlo's
memory is correct"
'It is" Tonic said.
Shorty afterward, nearer half
past three than four, the important
visitor of the afternoon must have
arrived" l went on.
"How d'you figure that out?'
Dita wanted to know.
why, she must have got, and
paid for, the letters before Deane
showed up at last-around four.
She couldn't very well stuff them
into her chair unless she had
them," I argued. And from the
way Deane said she acted - all
graciousness and apologies and
er-highbans Il assume she and
the unknown had gone on from
business to talking to - making
up"
Why making up?" This time
Inspector Barry cut into my re-
construction.
because she'd sent her guest
into Meals room, and then detain-
ed Deane to flirt with him for half
an hour. She must have done it to
make the other nan jealous. Be-
cause. if she'd wanted to, she could
have sent Deane away at the door"
feminine logic!" rumbled Mr..
Pearce, Senior.
"We l, Observed" said the in
spector. Modifying his praise at
once by adding: eff there was a
man in Miss Tarrant's room"
"Please let's presume there
was," I pleaded. eff we don't, all
I'm going to say doesn't make
sense And when the inspector
nodded I went on: ''Margot joined
him there after Deane had left.
Around twenty of five. I have, of
course, no way ofknowin 6 what
really happened between them be-
fore they quarreled. But-they did.
And he killed her with Neal's jade
paper knife and ran away in a
hurry"
"How d'you get the hurry" the
Inspector asked soberly.
"He LEFT Marquis letters behind.
I'm sure he would have taken
them if he hadn't lost his head.
He might not have seen her stuff
them in the chair - when Deane
rang the bell, probably - but he
would have found them if he'd
looked"
Sound reasoning" Inspector
Barry admitted. And then told the
others: "Jane has given you an
excellent picture of the crime, as
we know it so far. I couldn't have
done better. So, please, don't ask
me to tell you more. I'm going
farther than 1 should if I add that
1 expect the Woodfords murder to
be of material help in solving the
ingalls, case"
His last words turned the
thoughts of our audience to the
poisoning, and provoked a violent
debate full of the craziest conjec-
lures about a secret connection be-
tween poor Margot and her little
couturier- a connection, financial
or amorous or both-to which In
spector Barry listened in silent
amusement; all offered by the
Pearce family and Tonic Valente,
with interspersed half-hearted OBJ
iections from me.
Doubtless the whole thing would
have ended in an avalanche of
questions for the inspector, but he
was saved by the buffers an
nouncement that luncheon was
served. And the murderers were
forgotten, for a while, in the en-
joyment of the really superlative
Yono |