“I'm thankful he isn't,” said Giles.
She said more softly: “Do you think Roger did it, Giles?”
“God knows!”
At the other end of the studio Superintendent Hannasyde was speaking. “Was it the news of your brother's death which brought you back from Monte Carlo, Mr Vereker?”
“Oh no!” said Roger. “I didn't know anything about that. As a matter of fact, that particular System didn't work out right. Of course, I may have muddled it, but I'm inclined to think it wasn't a good one. However, it's made me think of something that I rather fancy may be pretty useful, so it doesn't much matter. Only it was a pity they would insist on sending me home, because I might have raised some money somehow or other. I told them I wasn't going to commit suicide - well, do I look the sort of man who'd shoot himself? Of course I don't! - but it was no use.”
“Do you never read the papers, Mr Vereker? Your brother's death was widely reported.”
“I wouldn't say never,” replied Roger conscientiously. “Occasionally one hasn't anything better to do, but there's always something better to do at Monte Carlo. And if you think it over you'll see that if I read the papers, and knew about Arnold being murdered, I shouldn't have come home.”
“As far as I can make out you had no choice in the matter,” said Hannasyde tartly.
“Now, don't start losing your temper,” advised Roger. “No one forced me to come and look my relations up, so I could quite easily have lain low till it all blew over.”
“You had to look your relations up, as you call it, because you were badly in need of money,” said Hannasyde.