A Murder Is Announced

‘Don’t you?’ said the Inspector.

His face now was grim. He said with emphasis:

‘This door’s been opened quite recently, Miss Bunner. The lock’s been oiled and the hinges.’

She stared at him, her foolish face agape.

‘But who could have done that?’ she asked.

‘That’s what I mean to find out,’ said Craddock grimly. He thought-‘X from outside? No-X was here-in this house-X was in the drawing-room that night…’

Chapter 10. Pip and Emma

Miss Blacklock listened to him this time with more attention She was an intelligent woman, as he had known, and she grasped the implications of what he had to tell her.

‘Yes,’ she said quietly. ‘That does alter things…No one had any right to meddle with that door. Nobodyhas meddled with it to my knowledge.’

‘You see what it means,’ the Inspector urged. ‘When the lights went out,anybody in this room the other night could have slipped out of that door, come up behind Rudi Scherz and fired at you.’

‘Without being seen or heard or noticed?’

‘Without being seen or heard or noticed. Remember when the lights went out people moved, exclaimed, bumped into each other. And after that all that could be seen was the blinding light of the electric torch.’

Miss Blacklock said slowly, ‘And you believe that one of those people-one of my nice commonplace neighbours-slipped out and tried to murder me?Me? Butwhy? For goodness’ sake,why?’

‘I’ve a feeling that youmust know the answer to that question, Miss Blacklock.’

‘But I don’t, Inspector. I can assure you, I don’t.’

‘Well, let’s make a start. Who gets your money if you were to die?’

Miss Blacklock said rather reluctantly:

‘Patrick and Julia. I’ve left the furniture in this house and a small annuity to Bunny. Really, I’ve not much to leave. I had holdings in German and Italian securities which became worthless, and what with taxation, and the lower percentages that are now paid on invested capital, I can assure you I’m not worth murdering-I put most of my money into an annuity about a year ago.’

‘Still, youhave some income, Miss Blacklock, and your nephew and niece would come into it.’

‘And so Patrick and Julia would plan to murder me? I simply don’t believe it. They’re not desperately hard up or anything like that.’

‘Do you know that for a fact?’

‘No. I suppose I only know it from what they’ve told me…But I really refuse to suspect them.Some day Imight be worth murdering, but not now.’

‘What do you mean by some day you might be worth murdering, Miss Blacklock?’ Inspector Craddock pounced on the statement.

‘Simply that one day-possibly quite soon-Imay be a very rich woman.’

‘That sounds interesting. Will you explain?’

‘Certainly. You may not know it, but for more than twenty years I was secretary to and closely associated with Randall Goedler.’

Craddock was interested. Randall Goedler had been a big name in the world of finance. His daring speculations and the rather theatrical publicity with which he surrounded himself had made him a personality not quickly forgotten. He had died, if Craddock remembered rightly, in 1937 or 1938.

‘He’s rather before your time, I expect,’ said Miss Blacklock. ‘But you’ve probably heard of him.’

‘Oh, yes. He was a millionaire, wasn’t he?’

‘Oh, several times over-though his finances fluctuated. He always risked most of what he made on some newcoup.’

She spoke with a certain animation, her eyes brightened by memory.

‘Anyway he died a very rich man. He had no children. He left his fortune in trust for his wife during her lifetime and after death to me absolutely.’

A vague memory stirred in the Inspector’s mind.

IMMENSE FORTUNE TO COME TO FAITHFUL SECRETARY

—something of that kind.

‘For the last twelve years or so,’ said Miss Blacklock with a slight twinkle, ‘I’vehad an excellent motive for murdering Mrs Goedler-but that doesn’t help you, does it?’

‘Did-excuse me for asking this-did Mrs Goedler resent her husband’s disposition of his fortune?’

Miss Blacklock was now looking frankly amused.

‘You needn’t be so very discreet. What you really mean is, was I Randall Goedler’s mistress? No, I wasn’t. I don’t think Randall ever gave me a sentimental thought, and I certainly didn’t give him one. He was in love with Belle (his wife), and remained in love with her until he died. I think in all probability it was gratitude on his part that prompted his making his will. You see, Inspector, in the very early days, when Randall was still on an insecure footing, he came very near to disaster. It was a question of just a few thousands of actual cash. It was a bigcoup, and a very exciting one; daring, as all his schemes were; but he just hadn’t got that little bit of cash to tide him over. I came to the rescue. I had a little money of my own. I believed in Randall. I sold every penny I had out and gave it to him. It did the trick. A week later he was an immensely wealthy man.