“Oh, I used her after midnight.” She turned to her husband. “I felt I must have some air, so I sent for Filmer and went for a little drive.”
“Ah, that explains it,” said Derry, waving a hand. As though released from a spell, Captain and Mrs. Chase relaxed their muscles and murmured their concurrence. “Anything else, Constable?”
“If you please, sir.” He turned to Virginia. “Excuse me askin’ you, madam, but were you alone?”
Supercharged with resentment and mortification, Virginia could have burst.
“Did you come with me or not? I know you said you were going to, but I went to sleep almost at once, and——”
“Yes, I came,” said Roger, uncrossing and recrossing his legs and mentally consigning all women and police-officers to outer darkness. “Don’t you remember when I woke you to say we were back?”
“I can’t say I do,” said Virginia ruthlessly. “Never mind.” She turned to the constable. “This gentleman says he was with me.”
“D’you remember anythin’ ’appenin,’ sir, during your drive?”
With goggling eyes, Roger assured the ceiling that he could recall nothing.
“It was a most—most uneventful progress,” he added thickly.
A deeper tinge of colour stole into Virginia’s cheeks.
P.C. Bloke frowned and fingered his chin.
Not daring to trust his voice, Captain Chase shook his head.
“Perhaps,” she said slowly, “—it’s nothing to do with me—but perhaps if the constable could give you some sort of idea of what he wants to know . . .”
“I agree,” said Derry heartily, taking out cigarettes. “What are you after, Constable? Somebody been knocked down?”
“We never knocked anybody down,” said Virginia. “That I’ll swear.”
“Oh no, madam,” said P.C. Bloke. “I’m not suggestin’ it. It’s rather the other way. But as neither you nor the gentleman don’t recall no inciden’, I’m afraid p’r’aps I’m wastin’ your time.” He turned to Derry. “Can you tell me where I shall find your chauffeur, sir?”
For the second time reference to the chauffeur as a possible fount of information produced an immediate effect.
“Ha-half a moment,” said Roger desperately. “I mean, as my wife was saying, can’t you give us any idea of what you’re getting at?” He laughed inanely. “You see, you’ve—you’ve aroused our curiosity, and I—we feel it’s only fair to put us wise.”