“Did I? I expect you'd told me, then. I don't know how else I could have known.”
“I wish you'd stop being guarded,” Antonia complained. “If you killed Arnold you might just as well say so, because Kenneth and I don't mind a bit about that, and we shouldn't dream of giving you away.”
“I didn't kill him. For God's sake don't go about talking like that!”
“Well, what's all this about your car being seen near Hanborough?”
“It wasn't! I mean, I don't know whether it was or not, but I wasn't in it. I was in my digs all evening. I can't prove that, but if they're going to take one sleepy bobby's word against mine -”
“The fact of the matter is none of us can prove anything,” said Antonia cheerfully. “You've merely joined the noble army of suspects. Kenneth'll be rather fed-up if you become chief suspect. He thinks he's being awfully clever, and I daresay he is. He can be when he likes.”
Rudolph let himself sink down into one of the big armchairs and dropped his head in his hands. “You can treat it like a joke, but I tell you it's damned serious,” he said, his voice a little unsteady. “That Superintendent thinks I did it. He doesn't believe anything I say. I can see he doesn't. I don't know what the hell to do, Tony!”
He sounded helpless, frightened, and although such a mood of panic was alien to her nature she responded at once as well as she could. “I shouldn't worry,” she said, patting his knee. “I'll ask Giles what he thinks. He's coming here this evening to talk business with Kenneth. You don't mind, do you?”
He seemed undecided. “He knows anyway,” he said. “Arnold wrote a letter about me to his uncle, and the Superintendent got it. Of course your cousin must have seen it. I don't know that I exactly mind consulting him, because I haven't anything to conceal. I mean -”
At this moment the studio door opened, and Giles Carrington came in, accompanied by Kenneth. Antonia greeted him with a friendly smile, but desired her brother to tell her what he had done with Miss Rivers.