The Ivory Dagger

CHAPTER XV

They closed about her. The sobbing stilled. He looked at Bill Waring across the golden head that was pressed against his shoulder and said in his quiet voice,

‘He’s dead, isn’t he? Did you kill him?’

Bill stood where he was. He had that stunned feeling. It showed in his voice as he said,

‘No-did you?’

Adrian shook his head.

Bill said, ‘Did she?’ And then, with mind and voice waking from their shocked stupor, ‘No-no-it’s not possible!’

Adrian didn’t speak. He felt Lila draw a long trembling breath. He felt her suddenly a dead weight in his arms. If he had not been holding her so closely, she would have fallen. He picked her up and carried her over to the deep couch which stood at an angle to the fire. When he straightened himself after setting her down, it was to find that Bill had come across and was looking down over the back of the couch.

‘What is it?’

‘She’s fainted. It’s just as well. Why are you here?’

‘I came to take her away. I told her to meet me. I said I’d be outside the room to the left of the hall.’

‘Then why are you here?’ He emphasized the last word.

‘She didn’t come. I thought I would walk round the house. I saw a light-I saw Lila. The door was ajar. I came in.’

‘You’re sure you didn’t kill him?’

‘My God, no! He was dead. She was standing there, like you saw her, with the blood on her hand.’

They faced each other across the sofa with Lila between them, much too intent upon her and upon one another to be aware of anything else. If the handle of the door had turned, if the door had swung gently in, the movement would not have reached them.

It did not reach them.

Bill said, ‘What are we going to do-get her back to her room? There’s her dress-there’s nothing to be done with a stain like that.’ His mind baulked. All that blood wouldn’t wash out without leaving a mark. If they burned the dress it would be missed. But Lila must be got out of it.

Adrian shook his head. He said quietly,

‘No. It can’t be hushed up. Whatever we did, the dress would give us away. Too many people saw her in it tonight. You’ve got to clear out, and at once. If you don’t you’re for it-and it drags Lila in. Where are you staying?’

‘The Boar. But I checked out at half past ten. I wasn’t going back. If Lila was coming with me, I was taking her to Ray Fortescue. If she wouldn’t come, there wasn’t anything for me to stay for. I’ve got my car.’

‘You were going back to town?’

‘Yes.’

‘Then go-and get a move on! It’s the only thing you can do. This is my story. I couldn’t sleep, and I heard someone moving. My room is across the landing from Lila’s, and when I opened my door I saw her going down the stairs. I knew she sometimes walked in her sleep, so I followed her.’

Bill’s eyes were hard on his face.

‘Does she walk in her sleep?’

‘Oh, yes. She used to do it when she was at school-that’s a solid bedrock fact. I followed her and saw her go into the study. Herbert Whitall was lying there on the floor with that ivory dagger a little way off. Lila was bending over him. I wasn’t a moment behind her, so she couldn’t possibly have stabbed him. She got the blood on her hands and dress touching him. He had been dead some time-his hand was cold when I felt it.’

‘Is it cold?’

Adrian said, ‘It will be before the police get here.’

‘Will it?’

‘Of course. Let me finish. Lila woke up and fainted with shock. Push off, Bill! It’s the only think you can do. My story will stick all right-it’s quite a good one. In fact, except for a minor detail or two, it happens to be the truth.’

Eric Haile came into the room and shut the door behind him.

‘Hullo, Waring!’ he said. ‘I don’t know whether you’ll agree with me, but I don’t think Grey’s story is quite good enough.’

Nobody spoke for a moment. The feeling of being in some incalculable kind of nightmare deepened. The ordinary link between cause and effect was gone. Anything might happen at any moment.

Adrian had turned. Bill came round the end of the sofa. Then he said,

‘What exactly do you mean by that Haile?’

Eric Haile smiled.

‘Just what I said-the story isn’t quite good enough.’ He moved to stoop over the body and touch the lifeless wrist. ‘Not quite accurate either. He’s still warm. Whenever it was done, it wasn’t so long ago. And I really don’t think that anyone who was in the drawing-room this evening can have any difficulty in guessing who did it. You weren’t there, Waring, but Adrian was. Also some people called Considine, and a Professor Richardson. Mrs. Considine has a passion for John McCormack, and we put on a record of his from Lucia di Lammermoor. Mrs. Considine was at some pains to give us the story of the opera-Lucy Ashton going mad on her wedding night and stabbing the bridegroom who had been forced upon her. The lovely Lila was considerably affected. She undoubtedly perceived that there was a certain parallel. Adrian had to hold her hand. Very agreeable for both of them. Just previous to this interesting scene the ivory dagger with which poor Herbert seems to have been stabbed had been a good deal in evidence. Well, I ask you! It does all rather hang together, doesn’t it?’

Adrian left the couch and came forward.

‘Look here, Eric-’

‘My dear Adrian, I’m not looking anywhere-I’m ringing up the police.’

‘I don’t know how much you heard, but what I said was true. I did see Lila come out of her room, and I did follow her down the stairs. Everything else apart, there simply wasn’t time for her to have stabbed him.’

Eric Haile walked round the body to the writing-table and took up the telephone receiver.

‘You can tell that to the police,’ he said.