"Her health got worse and she had to have a regular nurse."
"She's got cancer," said Rhoda. "Poor darling, she has to have morphia and things like that."
"She had been very kind to me.
I was very sorry to go," went on Anne.
"I was looking about for a cottage," said Rhoda, "and wanting someone to share it with me.
Daddy's married again - not my sort at all.
I asked Anne to come here with me and she's been here ever since."
"Well that certainly seems a most blameless life," said Rattle. Let's just get the dates clear.
You were with Mrs. Eldon two years, you say.
By the way what is her address now?"
"She's in Palestine.
Her husband has some government appointment out there - I'm not sure what."
"Ah, well, I can soon find out.
And after that you went to Mrs. Deering?"
"I was with her three years," said Anne quickly. "Her address is Marsh Dene, Little Hembury, Devon."
"I see," said Battle. "So you are now twenty-five, Miss Meredith.
Now there's just one thing more - the name and address of a couple of people in Cheltenham who knew you and your father."
Anne supplied him with these.
"Now about this trip to Switzerland - where you met Mr. Shaitana.
Did you go alone there, or was Miss Dawes here with you?"
"We went out together.
We joined some other people. There was a party of eight."
"Tell me about your meeting with Mr. Shaitana."
Anne crinkled her brows.
"There's really nothing to tell.
He was just there.
We knew him in the way you do know people in a hotel.
He got first prize at the Fancy Dress Ball.
He went as Mephistopheles."
Superintendent Battle sighed.
"Yes, that always was his favorite effect."
"He really was marvelous," said Rhoda. "He hardly had to make up at all."
The superintendent looked from one girl to the other.
"Which of you two young ladies knew him best?"
Anne hesitated. It was Rhoda who answered.
"Both the same to begin with.
Awfully little, that is.
You see our crowd was the skiing lot and we were off doing runs most days and dancing together in the evenings.
But then Shaitana seemed to take rather a fancy to Anne.
You know, went out of his way to pay her compliments and all that.
We ragged her about it rather."
"I just think he did it to annoy me," said Anne. "Because I didn't like him.
I think it amused him to make me feel embarrassed."
Rhoda said, laughing,
"We told Anne it would be a nice rich marriage for her.
She got simply wild with us."
"Perhaps," said Battle, "you'd give me the names of the other people in your party?"
"You aren't what I'd call a trustful man," said Rhoda. "Do you think that every word we're telling you is downright lies?"
Superintendent Battle twinkled.
"I'm going to make quite sure it isn't, anyway," he said.