TYLER STARED AT GREY. “WHAT! YOU’RE TELLING ME Clare Devereau is a spy?”
“My God, I deplore that word. It sounds as if we’re in a penny dreadful. Let’s say she feeds us any information she considers relevant that she gleans from the correspondence and interactions of the internees at Prees Heath. We are at war, after all, and they can hardly be surprised at that.” He paused. “Now, you must keep this totally under your hat. Any leak would jeopardize her safety. The camp will be breaking up soon and Mrs. Devereau will be reassigned. She hasn’t lived here for many years, but she considers herself a patriot and, in her own words, ‘the Germany that she once loved has become a frightening place.’ She has been invaluable. So you can see it is most important that she remain completely in the background. No scandal, no unwanted attention. Part of her usefulness to us depends to some extent on the fact that the people she interacts with trust her. In their eyes, she is an interpreter, pure and simple. They know she acts as an official censor but they expect that. For us, she, er … makes reports.”
“I see.”
“Surely as a policeman you have used informers. It is no different.”
“But the men in the camp are not criminals.”
“At least one of them is what you would call a spy, and dangerous to our country’s welfare. That is why we must proceed as we have been doing until the time is ripe. No further stirring of the hornet’s nest. All I am asking for is two weeks at the most, then you can proceed as you would normally.”
He hadn’t caught his next biscuit dip in time and he was forced to fish out the soggy mess with his spoon. He swallowed it with obvious enjoyment, then put his cup and saucer on the floor beside him.
“Thank you so much. That was most appreciated. I’d better get back.”
“One moment, sir. I am surprised that Mrs. Devereau works for MI5, but she isn’t involved in the case I am currently investigating. I fail to see why her name would even come up.”
Grey touched his jaw gingerly. “I had a word with Dr. Murnaghan … got to keep our fingers in any problematic pies, don’t you know. He said that the Bates girl had been struck by a vehicle before she was shot.”
“That’s right. That’s his assessment.”
“I know you will be checking all car registrations and Mrs. Devereau drives a car. A nice little MG.”
“I know that.”
“You can cross her off your list.”
“Why?”
“Because I am happy to say I can provide her with an alibi for the time in question. Some time between six and seven o’clock on Thursday morning, as I understand?”
Tyler nodded.
“I myself was with Clare Devereau at that time. We had spent the night together.”
Grey looked up at Tyler.
“Good heavens, Inspector, I didn’t mean to imply anything scandalous. We had work to catch up on. I took papers to her flat. It got so late, she suggested I stay for the night, which I did. I left about seven thirty the next day. Is that cast iron enough for you? I thought I’d save you the trouble of interviewing her.”
“Very thoughtful, sir. And where does Rose Watkins fit into this picture? Shortly before she died, Rose left a message at my home that she had important information for me. I did not get that message so I don’t know what she was referring to. Do you?”
“No, I don’t. With these young girls anything can assume the level of importance when to us it is quite trivial. And in case you are wondering, I do happen to know that Mrs. Devereau was working at the camp until quite late on Thursday. There would be many people who could testify to that.” He pulled back his coat sleeve, revealing his bony white wrist, and checked his watch. “My goodness gracious, I really must be going. I shall leave you to return the transmitter, Inspector. Thank you for your co-operation. I promise I shall keep you informed of any developments at our end.”
He left, and Tyler put his elbows on the desk and rested his head in his hands.
Grey had made such a point of giving Clare an alibi. Until now, as far as Tyler was concerned, she was just one more person on a list of car owners. But he couldn’t quite shrug off his earlier feeling that she was being evasive. Was that just secret service stuff or did Clare need an alibi? And if she did, what the hell did she have to do with Elsie Bates?
Another niggling thought was at the back of his mind. Was the reunion between him and Clare as spontaneous and joyful as he had thought? Or did Grey have something to do with orchestrating it? And why was she so interested in his investigation?