I asked him the same question. Why didn't he tell his suspicions to the Coroner?
He said he was not a rich man, and that if I cared to settle two or three thousand on him for life he would never worry me again.
Frank was here, and my wife. They both heard him.
Ask them.'
'It's perfectly true, sir,' said Frank.
'It's blackmail, pure and simple.'
'Yes, of course,' said Colonel Julyan, 'the trouble is that blackmail is not very pure, nor is it particularly simple.
It can make a lot of unpleasantness for a great many people, even if the blackmailer finds himself in jail at the end of it.
Sometimes innocent people find themselves in jail as well.
We want to avoid that, in this case.
I don't know whether you are sufficiently sober, Favell, to answer my questions, and if you keep off irrelevant personalities we may get through with the business quicker.
You have just made a serious accusation against de Winter.
Have you any proof to back that accusation?'
'Proof?' said Favell.
'What the hell do you want with proof?
Aren't those holes in the boat proof enough?'
'Certainly not,' said Colonel Julyan, 'unless you can bring a witness who saw him do it.
Where's your witness?'
'Witness be damned,' said Favell.
'Of course de Winter did it.
Who else would kill Rebecca?'
'Kerrith has a large population,' said Colonel Julyan.
'Why not go from door to door making enquiries?
I might have done it myself.
You appear to have no more proof against de Winter there than you would have against me.'
'Oh, I see,' said Favell, 'you're going to hold his hand through this.
You're going to back de Winter.
You won't let him down because you've dined with him, and he's dined with you.
He's a big name down here.
He's the owner of Manderley.
You poor bloody little snob.'
'Take care, Favell, take care.'
'You think you can get the better of me, don't you?
You think I've got no case to bring to a court of law.
I'll get my proof for you all right.
I tell you de Winter killed Rebecca because of me.
He knew I was her lover; he was jealous, madly jealous.
He knew she was waiting for me at the cottage on the beach, and he went down that night and killed her.
Then he put her body in the boat and sank her.'
'Quite a clever story, Favell, in its way, but I repeat again you have no proof.
Produce your witness who saw it happen and I might begin to take you seriously.
I know that cottage on the beach.
A sort of picnic place, isn't it?
Mrs de Winter used to keep the gear there for the boat.
It would help your story if you could turn it into a bungalow with fifty replicas alongside of it.
There would be a chance then that one of the inhabitants might have seen the whole affair.'
'Hold on,' said Favell slowly, 'hold on… There is a chance de Winter might have been seen that night.
Quite a good chance too.
It's worth finding out.
What would you say if I did produce a witness?'