CHAPTER XL
“Freddy, I want to go home,” said Lila Gilmore.
“Darling, aren’t you well?”
“I don’t know,” said Lila. “I want to go home.”
She looked so pale that Freddy was really alarmed. That Lila should wish to leave a party before eleven o’clock was unheard of.
In the taxi he put his arm round her and felt her shiver.
“Darling, what is it?”
“Freddy—”
“Yes, darling?”
“I’ve remembered something. I don’t like it—it frightens me.”
He held her tight.
“Silly darling!”
“No, I’m not. It’s horrid to remember a little bit of something and have the feeling that there’s a lot more. It’s—it’s like someone hiding behind a door all ready to pounce. Oh, Freddy, I don’t like it! Oh, Freddy, you will keep me safe—won’t you?”
“Of course I will! Now look here, darling, suppose you tell me what it is you’ve remembered, and then I can tell you just what a silly ass you are and you’ll feel a whole lot better.”
Lila put her head against his shoulder.
“It’s that girl Kay Moore.”
“Well?” Freddy looked completely puzzled.
“Freddy, when Miles said her name, I remembered it—I really did. I didn’t like it, but it went away again. Now it’s come back.”
“What has come back?”
“Kay Moore. Freddy, I’ve remembered about her—and about Rhoda Moore—I used to call her Aunt Rhoda.”
“Lila, what are you saying?”
“It’s where Mummie left me when she went out to India. It was 1914, and she didn’t come back till I was five years old because of the war and getting married again, and all that.”
“Well, darling, I don’t see why that should frighten you.”
“It does,” said Lila with a sob.
“But why, darling?”
“I don’t know. It wouldn’t frighten me so much if I did. Freddy, please don’t let me go—please!”
Freddy soothed her as well as he could, but she continued to tremble and cling to him until they got home. He was very glad to get her there. But what he hadn’t bargained for was another tearful girl in the hall. He had no sooner shut the front door than he was aware of Flossie, pale and incoherent.
“And I didn’t mean to, but ooh—I can’t hold out longer! Mr Miles he begged and beseeched, and I wouldn’t—not if it was ever so, I told him. But I got to—ooh, I got to! And if they put me in the river I got to go, and it can’t be worse than what I’ve been through ever since I said I wouldn’t!”
Lila opened her blue eyes and stared.
“Miles?” she said. “What did he want you to do, Flossie?”
“The police,” said Flossie in a desperate voice. “He wanted me to go to the police and say what I seen in that house in Varley Street—and I dursn’t. And if that other girl’s been done in, it’ll be my fault.”
“What girl?” said Lila quickly.
“Kay Moore,” said Flossie with a sob, and as she said it, the telephone bell rang close by in the dining-room.
Freddy went to it with relief. He hadn’t the slightest idea what Flossie was talking about. He wondered if she had gone suddenly off her head. He thought it would be quite good for Lila to have to cope with her. He shut the door and put the receiver to his ear, and heard Miles Clayton say insistently,
“Hullo—hullo—hullo!”
He said, “Hullo!”
“Is that you, Freddy?”
“I think so. What have you been doing to upset our staff? It’s having a nervous breakdown in the hall.”
“If you mean Flossie, she damn well ought to.”
“Yes, but what’s it all about? She says you wanted her to go to the police and she wouldn’t. Now she will. At least I think that’s what she’s saying. We’ve only just got in.”
“It doesn’t matter now. Tell her I said so. Now look here, Freddy, I’ve got Kay, and I want to bring her along to you straight away. Is that all right?… Thanks awfully. And—I say, Freddy, if you know where Ian is, you might be ringing him up. I’ve just pushed a bloke off to hospital who wants to see him—American sleuth of the name of Cal Morgan. He’s been shut up in a cellar and he’s pretty bad. He says Ian knows all about him.”
“I say, Miles, are you pulling my leg by any chance?”
He heard Miles laugh.
“No, I’m not. I’ve been mixing it up a bit to-night, I can tell you. The villain and villainess are in the hands of the police, the sleuth is on his way to hospital, and Kay and I are snatching some food while we’re waiting for a taxi. By the way, we’ve found Mrs Moore’s statement about the Macintyre baby. It settles the whole thing once and for all. I’m bringing it along to read to you and Lila. I think Flossie ought to be there too.… All right, there’s the taxi. So long.”
Freddy came out of the dining-room to find the two girls standing where he had left them. Lila was very pale. She had an odd, withdrawn look, but he thought Flossie had been listening. She took an eager step forward.
“Ooh—what did he say?”
Freddy addressed himself to Lila.
“It’s all right—he’s bringing her here.”
“Who?” said Lila faintly.
“Kay Moore.”
Flossie gave a loud gasp of relief and the colour came back to her face with a rush. Neither of them took any notice of her. Lila said in a piteous voice,
“I don’t want her to come.”
“But darling, you told Miles he could bring her here.”
She shook her head.
“No, you did.”
She began to go slowly up the stairs, her fur coat falling back from the pale gold of her dress. She walked as if she was very tired, but even in fatigue every movement was graceful. About half way up she turned, looked down at Freddy with a faint smile, and said,
“It doesn’t matter.”
Then she went round the turn and out of sight.
Flossie straightened her collar and her cap.
“Well, I suppose I’d better make the spare room bed,” she said.