“I hope very much that you will exert your influence to make him see sense,” replied Giles. “He doesn't realise how serious the situation is, nor how essential it is that I at least should know the truth about his movements last night.”
She struck her hands together, as though exasperated. “He's a fool!” she said. “Why on earth should he elect to call on Roger last night? What took him there? It's utterly mad!”
“There is one all too obvious reason, Miss Williams,” said Giles.
She looked at him uncomprehendingly for a moment. “I can't imagine -” She stopped; her eyelids flickered.
“I see what you mean,” she said. “You will hardly be surprised at my not considering that. Nothing would induce me to believe that he had any hand in Roger's death! You can't think -”
“No, I don't think it,” he said. “I am trying to discover what other reason he can have had for that visit. What I suspect is jealousy.”
“I don't understand you.”
Giles said deliberately: “He heard Roger invite you to dine with him, Miss Williams. It was evident that he didn't like the idea. He is, as I said, an extremely jealous young man, and we know that he resented from the outset any friendliness on your part towards Roger. Last night - at the eleventh hour - you cried off that dance, didn't you?”
“I never definitely said I'd go with him,” she answered. “I always disapproved of it, and hoped he'd give it up.”
“Quite. But you did allow him to think that you might go with him after all, didn't you?”