down to Sittingbourne to check up with Mildred Gillow’s aunt, I take it,’ he said. ‘Did you have any luck?’ Almost as soon as he had spoken, he felt himself blushing.
‘I’m sorry, sir,’ he said to Perivale. ‘It’s no business of mine, of course. But I wouldn’t like to think anything had happened to Mildred and—’
‘It’s all right, Wyatt,’ interrupted Sir James, waving aside the apology. ‘This matter may well concern you very closely indeed. In fact, you may be able to help us more than anyone – you know this customer better than any of us. It was you who chased him out of the country.’ He hesitated a moment, then asked: ‘Wyatt, d’you think Ariman knew Mildred Gillow was helping you?’
‘Certainly,’ replied Wyatt at once. ‘He made at least one attempt to get her out of the way.’
Sir James and Chief Inspector Lathom exchanged a significant glance which did not escape Wyatt.
‘You think “Mr Rossiter”, alias Ariman, has been gunning for Mildred, and that maybe he’ll try and settle a few old scores with me?’ he demanded with a faint grin.
‘That would be yet another confirmation that Ariman and Mr Rossiter are one and the same person,’ Sir James reminded him.
‘Yes,’ agreed Wyatt thoughtfully, ‘I suppose it would. But what am I supposed to do about it?’
Sir James shifted rather uneasily in his chair.
‘You can listen to the rest of my story, and then give us the benefit of your advice, if nothing else,’ he suggested in a tone that carried a hint of mild reproof.
‘Of course, Sir James,’ said Wyatt at once. ‘I’m only too willing to help, but I’m rather out of touch these days. Smoking out bees is more in my line.’
‘All the same, something might occur to you …’ Wyatt took Sir James’ glass and refilled it. Lathom, however, refused a second glass. When he had returned to his chair, Wyatt demanded with obvious interest:
‘Is there anything else about Mildred Gillow, Sir James? Did you find anything at her aunt’s place?’
‘Nothing of any importance except an empty medicine bottle on the shelf in her bedroom. We took it down to the local chemist, who had made up the prescription, and got him to look up the doctor’s name in his book. It was a Doctor G. H. Fraser, in Wimpole Street.’
‘Do you know the doctor?’
Sir James shook his head.
‘And the prescription?’
‘Just a sedative.’
‘Then why was the bottle so important?’
‘Because,’ explained Sir James deliberately, ‘a prescription was found on the dead body of Barbara Willis, made out by the same doctor.’
Wyatt thoughtfully smoothed the bowl of his pipe against, the palm of his hand.
‘That’s certainly a point,’ he agreed. ‘Have you interviewed this doctor yet?’
It was Lathom’s turn to speak.
‘I did telephone the doctor as a matter of routine, before we found the bottle, but there was no reply. It’ll be my first port of call when we get back to Town.’
‘I hope nothing’s happened to Mildred,’ said Wyatt with a thoughtful frown. ‘Sally would be upset; they were great chums in the old days. It’s a nasty business all round – isn’t there any sign of a motive in the other girl’s death?’
Sir James shrugged.
‘All I can tell you is that Barbara Willis’ body was found at a little Devonshire fishing village called Shorecombe, not far from Dawlish. A Norwegian named Hugo Linder was out fishing with one of the locals, an old chap called Bill Tyson. Linder was on holiday there – I believe he still is.’
‘Have you questioned him?’
‘Yes, he seems reasonable enough. Both he and the old boy got rather a nasty shock, and I think it genuinely upset them.’
Wyatt nodded absently, picturing the two men hauling at their nets and suddenly revealing the ghastly sight of the dead girl’s body.
‘Was it death by drowning?’ he asked.
‘No, the girl had been strangled. The body had been in the water somewhere between five and eight hours, as far as we could judge.’
Wyatt picked up his pencil and began doodling on his scribbling pad. The Ariman case had worried him more than any of his others, and the memories of it disturbed him uneasily. He felt he needed another drink, but dismissed the idea, for he realized it would only upset him on this hot afternoon.
‘What about this Norwegian, Linder?’ he queried. ‘Have you checked up on him?’
‘He’s all right as far as we can trace,’ replied Lathom. ‘He’s been over here since 1933 – quite respectable.’
Wyatt leaned back against his desk and looked at his visitors speculatively.
‘I can see I shall have to start reading the papers more closely again,’ he murmured. ‘I’ll be very interested to follow this case, and I’m sure I wish you luck. Now, if you’d like a basket of strawberries to take back with you …’
‘Just a minute, Wyatt,’ interposed Sir James. ‘You don’t seriously think we’ve delayed getting back to Town by two hours just to come down here and talk over old times.’
Wyatt could not repress a smile.
‘It was good of you to look in and warn me that my old friend Ariman’s on the warpath again,’ he said pleasantly. ‘But I don’t think he’ll have any time to worry about me now I’m no longer getting under his feet. He never bothered very much about small fry. All the same, I’ll be on my guard, and I’ll give Fred Porter the tip – you know he’s working here?’
He got to his feet.
‘I won’t detain you any longer, Sir James, if you want to get moving. I can see the inspector is bursting to get back on the scent.’
Sir James made no move to go.
‘Sit down a minute, Wyatt,’ he said somewhat brusquely. ‘I didn’t come down here to warn you; I know you are quite capable of looking after yourself. I came here to make a suggestion.’
‘I beg your pardon, sir,’ apologized Wyatt. ‘If I can help in any way to trace Mildred Gillow … though I’m a bit out of touch lately. She writes to Sally at Christmas I think …’
Sir James stubbed out his cigarette.
‘Mildred Gillow is only one aspect of this case,’ he replied abruptly. ‘If it’s really this fellow Ariman back on the job, we’ll need all our biggest guns. And that includes you, Wyatt. I’d like you to come back on the strength as long as Ariman is at large.’
Wyatt shook his head slowly.
‘That wants thinking over, Sir James. I appreciate your offer, but I’d have to discuss it with Sally.’
‘Where is she?’ demanded Perivale impatiently. ‘I’ll talk to her. We can use her, too – she’ll be very useful …’
‘I’d sooner put it to her myself, if you don’t mind, Sir James,’ replied Wyatt, who was more than a little impressed by the note of urgency in his superior’s tone. ‘She’s out shopping in Faversham, but I’ll put it to her the minute she gets back. Of course, we can’t really leave this place, but perhaps I could get some help from the Agricultural Committee.’
‘I might be able to pull some weight there,’ nodded Sir James thoughtfully. ‘How d’you feel about getting back into harness?’
Wyatt gave a slight shrug.
‘Maybe