Colonel Melchett cleared his throat.
"I understand, Mr Blake, that last weekend you had a visitor a... er... fair-haired young lady."
Basil Blake stared, threw back his head and roared with laughter.
"Have the old cats been on to you from the village?
About my morals?
Damn it all, morals aren't a police matter.
You know that."
"As you say," said Melchett dryly, "your morals are no concern of mine.
I have come to you because the body of a fair-haired young woman of slightly... er... exotic appearance has been found murdered."
Blake stared at him. "Where?"
"In the library at Gossington Hall."
"At Gossington?
At old Bantry's?
I say, that's pretty rich. Old Bantry!
The dirty old man!"
Colonel Melchett went very red in the face.
He said sharply through the renewed mirth of the young man opposite him,
"Kindly control your tongue, sir.
I came to ask you if you can throw any light on this business."
"You've come round to ask me it I've missed a blonde?
Is that it? Why should -Hullo, 'ullo, 'ullo! What's this?"
A car had drawn up outside with a scream of brakes.
Out of it tumbled a young woman dressed in flapping black-and-white pyjamas.
She had scarlet lips, blackened eyelashes and a platinum-blond head.
She strode up to the door, flung it open, and exclaimed angrily,
"Why did you run out on me?"
Basil Blake had risen.
"So there you are.
Why shouldn't I leave you?
I told you to clear out, and you wouldn't."
"Why should I, because you told me to?
I was enjoying myself."
"Yes, with that filthy brute, Rosenberg.
You know what he's like."
"You were jealous, that's all."
"Don't flatter yourself.
I hate to see a girl I like who can't hold her drink and lets a disgusting Central European paw her about."
"That's a lie.
You were drinking pretty hard yourself and going on with the black-haired Spanish girl."
"If I take you to a party, I expect you to be able to behave yourself."
"And I refuse to be dictated to, and that's that.
You said we'd go to the party and come on down here afterward.
I'm not going to leave a party before I'm ready to leave it."
"No, and that's why I left you flat.
I was ready to come down here and I came.
I don't hang round waiting for any fool of a woman."
"Sweet, polite person you are."
"You seem to have followed me down, all right."
"I wanted to tell you what I thought of you."
"If you think you can boss me, my girl, you're wrong."