“Can’t we just leave him to it?”
“Alec!” Daisy tugged him onward.
“Why not?”
“Because I’m the only person who can identify him as the man who ran off down the stairs just after Carmody was shot. We told you, Lambert had his specs knocked off and couldn’t tell Pitt from Adam.”
Alec snorted. “Young whippersnapper. I wish I’d heard the story before I met your Mr. Thorwald. I’d have liked to shake his hand.” He paused at the top of the steps, where Pitt had stopped before. “You are absolutely certain of your identification, aren’t you? A wild-goose chase would be bad enough, but great Scott, Daisy, the prospect of harassing a perfectly respectable citizen makes me shudder.”
“I’m positive.” As they moved on into the immense, echoing spaces of the upper station, she guiltily confessed, “That is, I’m positive he’s the man on the stairs, and he’s more than likely the murderer, but it is remotely possible he’s just a frightened witness.”
“Remotely possible?” Alec sighed. “In that case, I shouldn’t dream of letting Lambert attempt an arrest. We’ll try to discover where Pitt is off to and notify your friend Rosencrantz.”
“My friend! He’s not as ghastly as Guildenstern, but only because he has better manners. Here comes Lambert. What’s up?”
“Pitt’s in the ticket line. There’s lots of people ahead of him but only a couple behind him so far, so I figured I’d better find you and put you wise.”
“Quite right,” Alec told him.
Lambert positively glowed. “I’ll go and get in line behind him now,” he said eagerly, turning back towards theticket office. “I’ll get three tickets to wherever he’s going.”
“Have you got enough money on you?” Daisy asked. “He may be going clear across the country.”
“I guess not,” Lambert admitted, crestfallen.
“Let’s first find out what his destination is,” said Alec. “Then we can decide what to do next.”
“O.K.”
“You should be the one to stand in line, darling. He might have seen either of us around the hotel and wonder what we’re doing close behind him.”
“Possibly, but there’s no earthly reason why Lambert shouldn’t be buying a railway ticket. He’s more likely to recognize the name of some obscure American city than I am.”
“I’ll go!” Lambert went.
“If you ask me,” Daisy said darkly, “you’re just trying to avoid getting any more involved than absolutely necessary.”
“You’re absolutely right,” Alec agreed, “though whether any of this is necessary in the absolute sense … No, don’t tell me again! I’m still with you, am I not?”
“Only because you don’t trust me out of your sight.”
“With good reason,” Alec pointed out dryly.
“Just think, darling, how simply spiffing it would be if Scotland Yard and I between us caught the murderer. Wouldn’t that be one in the eye for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern!”
“When you put it like that, my love, how can I resist? Ah, here comes … Something’s gone wrong. Come on!”
Lambert was gesturing frantically at them. Beyond him, Daisy caught a glimpse of a bowler hat rapidly disappearing down one of the stairways to the lower level. Seeing he had their attention, Lambert turned and plunged after it.
Their pursuit was brought up short by a porter pulling a trolley laden with baggage across in front of them, followed by a massive woman with a nursemaid and three children. The whole lot stopped right there for the porter to patiently assure the woman, “Sure, lady, I got the blue grip. Here, see? O.K.?”
“Not that one. The dark blue.”
Alec cut round in front of them. Daisy dashed the other way, just as one of the children dropped a ball. All three ran to retrieve it. The littlest toddled right into Daisy’s path. To save herself from falling over him, she clutched the nearest support—the biggest child’s shoulder.
“Mommy, she grabbed me!”
Alec was already at the top of the steps. No time for explanations. Daisy sped on, praying she would not hear a hue and cry of “Kidnapper!” raised behind her.
