“Oh, sir, he didn’t! He couldn’t—”
“Come along, Cook,” said Landis kindly and led her, anxious and questioning, to the library. Susan he recalled to the drawing-room where he asked her to sit down.
She obeyed reluctantly, her hands clasped on her breast in obvious trepidation.
“Now, Susan,” said Landis, “why didn’t you tell us that you saw Mr. Joel just before dinner?”
“Oh, sir! I forgot!”
“You did see him, then?”
“Yes, sir! I took up his tray.”
“What time was that and what was he doing?”
“It was just before dinner, sir. Mr. Joel was in bed, reading. I set the tray on the table by the bed. He thanked me and went back to his book.”
“You took his tray up the back stairs, I suppose?”