James Chase - No Business Of Mine

watch when she turned up. We’d arranged to meet at ten, and I was

impatient because she was late. Then we went on to her flat.”

“What time did you leave?” Corridan snapped.

“Now this puts me in a difficult position. Strictly between you and

me, I left this morning.”

He studied me for an uncomfortable moment. “A very obvious

alibi, Harmas. That girl would tel any lie to save your skin.”

“I believe she would,” I returned, hoisting a stiff smile to my face.”

After all, I did give her six pairs of silk stockings. I’d expect her to

repay me somehow. All the same, Corridan, it’s an alibi. If you think

your old pal would tell a lie like that, then I’m sorry. I’m more than

that — I’m hurt.”

“We’ll see about that,” Corridan returned grimly. “I might be able

to shake that young woman. It’s not the first time I’ve persuaded

someone against perjury. Perhaps I’ll succeed again.”

I hoped that Crystal had more backbone than I thought she had,

mentally crossed my fingers.

“Well, if you don’t believe me,” I said, shrugging, “you’d better

talk to Miss Godwin. She’ll convince you even if I don’t. Look me up

after you’ve seen her and apologize nicely. It’ll cost you a bottle of

champagne.”

“I don’t think it will,” Corridan said, leaning back in the chair. “You

once said Netta Scott’s favourite perfume was lilac,” he went on,

changing the subject abruptly. “Do you remember?”

“Did I?” I said. “I say a lot of things and don’t mean half of them.

Why bring Netta’s perfume into this sordid topic?”

“There was a strong smell of lilac in the flat where Littlejohns was

murdered,” Corridan returned. “You know, Harmas, you’d be advised

to tell the truth. We know for certain that Netta Scott’s alive. We’re

looking for her now, and it won’t be long before we catch her. We

know she’s connected with the Allenby robbery, that she was present

when her sister was murdered, and that makes her an accessory. We

know too that she was in the flat when Littlejohns was murdered.”

I raised my eyebrows, didn’t say anything, but I was badly shaken.

I’d thought Corridan had been running around in circles, but it now

seemed that he knew as much as I did about this case.

“What do you know about a yellow and black Bentley?” he

suddenly shot at me.

He’d got that from Merryweather, I decided, lifted my shoulders.

“Only that Littlejohns reported that it was seen outside the

cottage at Lakeham. Why?”

“We’re looking for the car,” Corridan said. “The owner we think is

connected with Anne’s murder. Do you know where the car is?”

I hesitated, then decided it’d be too dangerous to tell him about

Peter French. I could have only got the information from Netta, and it

was the kind of trap he’d’ve liked to see me walk into.

“No idea,” I said.

He grunted. “I think, Harmas, you are behaving like a blind fool,”

he said. “You’re trying to protect Netta Scott because you and she

were lovers in the past. I’m sure you were trying to protect her last

night when Littlejohns surprised you both. And what is more, you hit

him, and killed him. How do you like that?”

I was beginning to sweat. “I love it,” I said, with a fixed grin.

“What an imagination you’ve cultivated.”

He waited hopefully to see if I was going to say anything more,

then, seeing I wasn’t, went on, “This is a serious matter for you,

Harmas. You could also be tied to the Kennitt murder.”

“Could I?” I said, startled.

“Yes, the motive’s there all right. You could have killed Madge

Kennitt because she knew Netta Scott was alive. You were the last

one to see her, and if I can find Julius Cole he might be able to tell me

what happened while you and Madge were together. I only want one

good witness, Harmas, and your goose is cooked.”

I finished my whisky. I felt I needed it. This had turned out far

worse than I expected.

“You’d better have your head examined, Corridan,” I said, a little

feverishly. “You’ve been working too hard or something.”

“Don’t worry about my head,” Corridan returned coldly. “You’d

better start worrying about your neck. Ever since you arrived in this

country you’ve been mixed up in murder. I warned you to mind your

own business, now perhaps you wish you had.”

“And to think we called each other by our Christian names, and

you ate the food I paid for,” I said, shaking my head. “Well, my mother

always told me not to trust a policeman. Go ahead, Corridan, and try

to hang something on me. I don’t think you’l succeed, but you can

try. The trouble with the British law is that the onus is on you to prove

me guilty, not for me to prove myself innocent. Until you have a few

reliable witnesses I don’t think you should get too inflated with your

cock-eyed theories.”

He got to his feet, turned to the door. “When I lay my hands on

Netta Scott and Julius Cole I shall have all the witnesses I want,” he

said quietly. “Those two, I think, will talk fast enough for me to get my

hands on you. Don’t forget I haven’t yet failed to solve a murder

case.”

“The exception always proves the rule,” I said hopefully. “Maybe

you’re heading for your first great failure.”

He took from his pocket a small cardboard box. I recognized it

immediately. It was the box I’d borrowed from Crystal the previous

night, and in which I had sent Corridan the four diamond rings I’d

taken from Bradley. The rings had worried me. If they weren’t

connected with the Jacobi case, I was on a spot. I had decided to send

them to Corridan anonymously in the hope he would identify them.

“Seen this before?” he asked abruptly.

I shook my head. “Don’t tell me one of your fans has sent you a

present?”

He opened the box, shook the four rings into the palm of his

hand.

“Or these?”

Again I shook my head. “No, what are they? Part of Jacobi’s loot?”

He looked sharply at me. “What makes you think that?”

“I still have my Ouija board,” I said, smiling. “You’d be surprised at

the surprises it gives me.”

“They’re not part of Jacobi’s loot,” he returned, fixing me with a

hard look. “They came to me anonymously through the post this

morning. Did you send them?”

“Me?” I repeated, blank. “My dear Corridan, as much as I like you,

I think I should be able to resist sending you four diamond rings. “

“You’d better cut out this fooling,” Corridan said, his face growing

red. “I have an idea these rings came from you.”

“Quite, quite wrong. What gives you that idea?”

“It won’t be difficult to trace them to you,” he went on, ignoring

my question. “The box and wrapping will tell me what I want to

know.”

“If you ask me,” I said, beginning to get worried, “some lag stole

those rings, had a change of heart, and sent them to you to return to

their rightful owner.”

“I thought so until we checked the rings,” Corridan returned. “But

we have no record of them being stolen. Try another yarn, and make

it a better one.”

“I must say you’re damned unpleasant this morning,” I said.

“Suppose you try. Why should I send you diamond rings? Tell me

that.”

“You might have stuck your nose into something that doesn’t