Free Murder Begets Murder by Roderic Jeffries Page B

knew her to speak to, of course. But nothing more than that. She didn’t go out much and anyway . . . Well, my wife didn’t like her. You must know what it’s like when the ladies take a dislike to someone. You just can’t talk them into being charitable.’
    ‘Was it, then, necessary to become charitable?’
    ‘I suppose that’s being very unkind. But Betty was. . .
    Well, she was what I’d call gauche. And she did seem to resent so much and she was always being clumsily rude, if you know what I mean.’
    ‘Did you ever visit her at Ca’n Ibore?’
    ‘We never went there, no.’
    ‘I mean you on your own, señor.’
    ‘Are you quite certain?’
    ‘Of course I am.’
    ‘Yet one day Señorita Stevenage was very concerned because she thought you might be out with Señora Carrington.’
    ‘That . . . that’s impossible.’
    ‘It seems not. Can you say why Señorita Stevenage should have been concerned if she and you were not close friends?’
    ‘But that’s a terrible inference to make. I hardly knew her and yet you’re trying to suggest . . . ’ He swallowed heavily.
    ‘Do you know Señora Carrington ?’
    ‘Of course I do.’
    ‘How well do you know her?’
    ‘You’re not going to start inferring anything more, surely to God?’ He stared at the front door again. ‘We just knew her to speak to, that’s all. Avis never wanted to get too friendly because she says Diana’s too fast. After all, she is divorced and she’s always going round with different men.’ He didn’t realize it, but there was now a trace of wistfulness in his voice.
    Alvarez was silent for a few seconds, then he said: ‘Thank you for your help, señor.’
    Just before Alvarez left, Elliott said urgently:‘You must believe me. I’ve never been out with either of the ladies. In fact, I’ve . . . I’ve never been out with anyone else but Avis since we were married.’
    As Alvarez drove slowly down the narrow lane which wound round the side of the hill, he thought about the two men. Dunton was the eternal womanizer. A lot of women would be attracted by his raffish, slap-and-tickle character and he wouldn’t think twice about betraying his wife.
    Elliott would think a hundred and ·one times about actually betraying his wife and even to look lustfully at another woman would fill him with worry for fear his wife might find out. But his weakness could provide a challenge to some women and if the challenge were strong enough, Elliott would surely succumb to their blandishments?
     

 
CHAPTER XIII
    Down in the Port, Diana drove along the front to a parking space, then left her car and walked along what had now become a path, closed to traffic, until she came to the jetty from which ski boats were allowed to take off. She saw Waynton in the water beyond the pier giving instructions to a young man. She sat on a bollard and when an ice-cream tricycle came along and stopped she bought a strawberry cone.
    The ski boat’s engine started and settled down into a regular rhythm. Waynton gave the signal and the helmsman took up the slack in the ski lines and then knifed the boat through the water. The two skiers came upright and for a short while cut parallel lines through the water. Then the tyro began to lose his balance, tried frantically to regain it but inevitably was flipped over in a flurry of spray. Waynton released his tow bar and sank gracefully down into the water. The ski boat, revs down, circled round.
    After a short while the skiers tried again. Waynton was at ease, the other man was clumsy but gaining confidence as he managed to stay upright. They raced across the bay towards the distant shore, fuzzy because of the heat haze.
    She finished the cone, pushing some of the ice-cream down with her tongue as she had done ever since a child, so that the last mouthful was not solely one of biscuit. She lit a cigarette. She could, she thought, so easily have said ‘Yes’ in Cala Tellai. What more did she need to know about