“And what happened?” Mason asked.
She said, “Peltham told me that Albert Tidings had been murdered, that the circumstances surrounding the killing were such that he would be accused of the murder. He seemed very much upset.”
“Did he mention anything to you about a woman?” Mason asked.
“Not directly, but I gathered that he hadn’t been alone at the time of the shooting.”
“Did he admit to you that he had shot Tidings?”
“No.”
“What else?” Mason asked.
She said, “Peltham told me that it might be some time before Tidings’ body was discovered, that under no circumstances must I ever admit to a soul that I had any intimation that he was dead, that I must go ahead just as though Tidings were alive, that I must continue to push things, that it was vital to him that it be definitely established there was a shortage in Tidings’ accounts before the public knew of the murder.”
“Did he say why?”
“No.”