‘I can’t believe it. Please make sure he’s not in the house. He must be here!’
‘Kerman’s looking now. I understood from Mr. Dedrick that he had only just moved in here, and was alone with his chauffeur. Is that right?’
‘Mr. Dedrick has rented this house for the summer. Mrs, Dedrick and he have been staying for a few days in New York,’ she explained, speaking rapidly. ‘They have just come back from Paris. Mr. Dedrick flew from New York a few days ago. He went on ahead to make the arrangements about the house. Mrs. Dedrick arrives tomorrow. I came with him to make sure everything in the house was in order. We have rooms at the Orchid Hotel. Mr. Dedrick said he was going to look over the house this evening, I was to join him later,’
‘I see.’
Kerman came out on to the terrace.
"No one in the house,’ he said.
Take a look around the garden.’
He gave Mary Jerome a quick, interested look and went off down the terrace steps.
‘He’s never mentioned being kidnapped to you, has he?’
‘Oh, no.’