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“Yes, I think it ht be quite possible,” said Chief-Inspector Davy

Bess Sedgas looking at him very intently He al “later”

“Well,” he said cheerfully, “we’d better get down to soht? What were you doing walking along Pond Street on such a foggy evening?”

“I ca Then I went to lunch with et She lives in Onslow Square We went to a filetting worse, and I thought perhaps I’d better not drive home”

“You drive a car, do you?”

“Yes I took ood driver and I hate driving in fog So Bridget’sup Cousin Mildred—that’s where I live in Kent—”

Father nodded

“—and I said I was going to stay up overnight She said that was very wise”

“And what happened next?” asked Father

“And then the fog sees are So I said I would drive down to Kent after all I said good-bye to Bridget and started off But then it began to coain I didn’t like it very much I ran into a very thick patch of it and I lost my way and I didn’t knohere I was Then after a bit I realized I was at Hyde Park Corner and I thought ‘I really can’t go down to Kent in this’ At first, I thought I’d go back to Bridget’s but then I remembered how I’d lost my way already And then I realized that I was quite close to this nice hotel where Uncle Derek took o there and I’m sure they can find me a room’ That was fairly easy, I found a place to leave the car and then I walked back up the street towards the hotel”

“Did younear you?”

“It’s funny you saying that, because I did think I heard so behindabout in London Only in a fog like this, it gives you a nervous feeling I waited and listened but I didn’t hear any footsteps and I thought I’d iined them I was quite close to the hotel by then”

“And then?”

“And then quite suddenly there was a shot As I told you, it seeht past my ear The co doards me and he pushed me behind him and then—then—the other shot ca now Her mother spoke to her

“Steady, girl,” said Bess in a low, firwick used for her horses and it was quite as efficacious when used on her daughter Elvira blinked at her, drew herself up a little, and becaain

“Good girl,” said Bess

“And then you came,” said Elvira to Father “You blew your whistle, you told the policeot in, I saw—I saw Mother” She turned and looked at Bess Sedgwick

“And that brings us more or less up-to-date,” said Father He shifted his bulk a little in the chair

“Do you know a man called Ladislaus Malinowski?” he asked His tone was even, casual, without any direct inflection He did not look at the girl, but he are, since his ears were functioning at full attention, of a quick little gasp she gave His eyes were not on the daughter but on the mother

“No,” said Elvira, having waited just a shade too long to say it “No, I don’t”

“Oh,” said Father “I thought you ”

“Oh? Why should he be here?”

“Well, his car is here,” said Father “That’s why I thought he ht be”

“I don’t know him,” said Elvira

“My mistake,” said Father “You do, of course?” He turned his head towards Bess Sedgwick

“Naturally,” said Bess Sedgwick “Known hihtly, “He’s a el or a devil—he’ll break his neck one of these days Had a bad so”

“Yes, I reain yet, is he?”

“No, not yet Perhaps he never will”

“Do you think I could go to bed now?” asked Elvira, plaintively “I’m—really terribly tired”

“Of course You must be,” said Father “You’ve told us all you can remember?”

“Oh Yes”

“I’ll go up with you,” said Bess

Mother and daughter went out together