“Not anywhere. I dare say the motive was that Dodd knew too much. Dodd knew a lot. More than he ever said, poor lad. But Mrs. Rook wasn’t murdered. She cut her own throat. That’s fundamental to everything.”
“My dear fellow ” - Lomas was condescending - “you don’t distinguish between your facts and your opinion. You have facts which show the weapon was the same. It’s only your opinion that the woman committed suicide.”
“That’s all. Only the best medical opinion there is,” Reggie murmured. “Don’t try to set up another against it. You’d make a nasty mess.”
“Is that a threat? “Lomas frowned.
“No. Warning. Our little hands were never made to scratch each other’s eyes. You can’t build a case on the rejection of the medical evidence. Moreover - quite convenient, helpful evidence. Leaves you one perfectly good murder and clues to the murderer: somebody who was round about Mrs. Rook’s house last night; somebody who had reasons for killin’ Golly Dodd; somebody who has hidden the Malay kris missin’ from Rook’s room. You have plenty to work on. Why not use it?”
“Very kind of you to teach us our business,” Lomas said. “We did notice these clues of yours, Reginald.
And we have followed them up. I’m afraid you’ll be surprised to hear that they confirm our opinion Mrs. Rook was murdered.”
“Not surprised. No. Your opinion don’t matter. Because she wasn’t.” Reggie turned to Bell. “You remember I told you to search Faustine Rook’s disgustin’ house last night. Was the missin’ dagger found there?”
“No, sir. It was not. Nothing suspicious found.” Bell shook his head. “Wash out, that was.”
Lomas cocked an eyebrow. “So the expert was not wholly convinced that Mrs. Rook killed herself?”
“Not before I saw Mrs. Rook’s body. No. My convictions depend on evidence. I was dealin’ with the problem, Who killed Golly Dodd?”
“Well, you suspected Faustine Rook,” said Lomas impatiently.
“Oh, yes. Yes. Fanny, alias Faustine, is a factor. Goldilocks and her three bears are all involved.”
“Goldilocks - three bears - -” Lomas stared. “What on earth are you off to now?”
“My dear chap! Sorry. Literary allusion. But very illuminatin’. Recall the children’s story of naughty little Goldilocks plaguin’ the three bears. Faustine is Goldilocks, Golly Dodd was the big bear, Lindsay the middle - sized bear, and Florian the little wee bear. My wife saw ‘em together and recognised the likeness. Mentioned it. And some of ‘em overheard. Some of ‘em were struck by the spiritual truth. Round Faustine’s nasty room is painted a modernist version of Goldilocks bein’ naughty to the bears. No doubt Florian painted it. That’s very interesting. Reveals the state of feeling.”
Lomas was interested. “You mean these three men thought Faustine was a nuisance? That may be. The girl’s a nasty little minx. You know all about her, I suppose.”
“Oh no. No. Don’t know all about anybody.”
“Damme, you know her public form. Faustine Rook is news. Objects in life to get herself into the papers and into the scandal which the papers daren’t publish. Got a standing in every detrimental class - the rackety smart set, the wild Bohemians, the bold, bad intellectuals. Prodigal daughter of the latest style. Old Sam Rook and his wife were last - century people - respectable Puritans rolling in money. The girl was brought up strict and spoilt. Two or three years ago she broke loose, and set up on her own to paint the town red, and herself. The old people took it hard - -”
“Yes. I thought that,” Reggie murmured. “I should say that was the cause of Rook’s death - shock and worry on a diseased heart.”
“Ah, Dodd called you in to do the post mortem on him,” Lomas said quickly. “Well, that can mean only one thing - Dodd suspected foul play. There you have the position. Dodd was the family doctor. Dodd knew ‘em all inside out. Dodd thought it quite possible this creature Faustine might have murdered her father.”
“I wouldn’t say that. No. Dodd wanted to establish that she hadn’t. I’m afraid he was fond of her, poor chap.”
“I dare say. She’s a man - eater, of course, but some of the best men fall for that type,” said Lomas profoundly. “Now then, Rook left everything to his wife, and to Faustine after. There was nearly a million. Alluring bait for Faustine. She’d worried her father to death, and there was only the mother’s life between her and the money. But the mother hadn’t a weak heart, I take it.”
“No. Quite a healthy woman. Only her head was weak, poor thing.”
“Was it? Still believing in suicide, Reginald? Would you be surprised to hear that Faustine dined with her mother last night? Faustine and that dago artist, Cosmo Florian.”
“Not the least,” Reggie murmured. “My dear chap! Quite obvious something had just happened between Faustine and her mother. Otherwise Faustine wouldn’t have fainted when they telephoned mother had been found with her throat cut. It was a genuine faint. And she wouldn’t faint for grief, that young woman. She was afraid.”
“I quite agree.” Lomas smiled. “But we’re getting you well away from your suicide theory, you notice. All this goes far better with murder. And there’s more. Florian’s name has been linked with Faustine’s a long time. They’ve been away together. She took him last night to show him off to the old respectable mother.”
“Not nice, no. Not a nice girl. So that was the last straw.”
“You mean it shocked the mother into suicide?”
“Yes. Made the breaking - point. After grief for the father and general woe at Faustine’s behaviour - then to be shown Florian as the permanent lover or husband.”
“Wait a minute. The butler says everybody was on edge at dinner, and he heard words when he was out of the room. Then they all went out to the garden and sat in that summer - house. He never saw Mrs. Rook alive again. One of the servants says Faustine and Florian came into the house together before ten, but not Mrs. Rook. Somewhere about ten the storm began. When the butler was locking up at midnight or so, he found Mrs. Rook wasn’t in the house. He waited a bit, thinking she might have gone off with her daughter. At last he went and had a look in the summer - house, and there he found her dead and rang up Faustine. You see? The time you fix for the murder is just before ten - just the time that Faustine and Florian could have got the dagger from the house and killed her.”
