“What was the appointment, if I may ask?”
Leslie was tickled, in spite of himself. His irritation was beginning to wear off, no doubt due to the coffee which had begun to allay his fatigue.
“The appointment was at the Law Courts,” he said dryly. “Not in the dock, however. Just a perfectly respectable witness for the prosecution. Case of a stolen car, to be exact. Unfortunately for me, I happened to be talking to the owner when we saw the chap actually making off with the car.”
“Case of identifying the thief,” remarked Brace with professional interest.
“That’s the idea. Wish to goodness I’d gone now, then I should have been out of all this, but the case was postponed. You’d have accepted that alibi all right, Sergeant?”
“I’d accept any alibi you like to offer if it was authentic, Mr. Leslie,” answered Brace soberly.
That the whole business was awkward Leslie had been slowly realizing ever since his first interview with the Sergeant, but there was that in Brace’s voice now that, for the first time, gave him a feeling of real apprehension.
“I’d give you one like a shot if I could,” he answered quickly.
Brace moved the lantern so that the light fell full on Leslie’s face.
“Have you seen Miss Allen lately?” he asked suddenly.