“Look here, you can't keep silence like this. What's wrong? Why did you ask about Christine?”
“I'd like to know where she is,” was all Pointer would reply. “She's not at her pension; I want to find out just where she is. Drive to the villa.”
It was close on eight o'clock when the car rushed up the drive. Pierre came out at once.
“M. and Mme. Clark were out. They had left after six o'clock, he thought.” He himself looked slightly dishevelled. Marie came running down from the floor above.
“Ah, I thought it was your voice, Monsieur Pointer! What a pity madame is out. But pray come in and rest yourselves, gentlemen.” They followed her upstairs into the drawing-room.
“Major Vaughan in?” asked Pointer.
For answer she went to the little house 'phone on the wall. There was no reply to her ringing.
“He is out, and his man, too, monsieur.”
“Do you know when madame will return? We must see mademoiselle as soon as possible. It is most important. She has not gone back to Cannes. We made sure that she would be spending the night here. Are you certain that she did not come back later and go out with Madame or the Clarks?”
“Ah-h, that was, of course, quite possible. As a matter of fact there had been a dreadful upset here. Madame Clark had lost the wonderful emerald pendant she values so highly.”