The Mousetrap and Other Plays (90 page)

TREVES
. The—er—murderer was incredibly stupid, don't you think, to leave the weapon behind?

BATTLE
. Probably lost his head. It happens.

TREVES
. Possibly—yes, possibly. I suppose there are no fingerprints?

BATTLE
. (
Rising and moving up
R
.
C
.) Sergeant Pengelly is attending to that now, sir. I doubt if it's going to be as easy as that. (
Inspector Leach enters
L
.
He is a youngish man, about thirty-eight to forty, thin and dark. He speaks with a slight Cornish accent. He carries a niblick golf club.
)

LEACH
. (
Crossing above the easy chair
L
.
C
.
to
L
.
of Battle.
) See here, Uncle. Pengelly has brought up a beautiful set of dabs on this—clear as day.

BATTLE
. (
Warningly.
) Be careful how you go handling that, my boy.

LEACH
. It's all right, we've got photographs. Got specimens of the blood and hair, too. (
He shows the club to Battle.
) What do you think of these dabs? Clear as clear, aren't they? (
Battle inspects the fingerprints on the shaft of the club, then crosses to
R
.
of Treves.
)

BATTLE
. They're clear enough. What a fool! (
He shows the club to Treves.
)

LEACH
. That's so to be sure.

BATTLE
. All we've got to do now, my lad, is ask everyone nicely and politely if we may take their fingerprints—no compulsion, of course. Everyone will say “yes”—and one of two things will happen. Either none of the prints will agree, or else . . .

LEACH
. It'll be in the bag, eh? (
He crosses to the door
L
.
Battle nods.
)

TREVES
. Doesn't it strike you as extremely odd, Battle, that the—er—murderer should have been so foolish as to leave such a damning piece of evidence behind—actually on the scene of the crime?

BATTLE
. I've known 'em do things equally foolish, sir. (
He puts the club on the chaise.
) Well, let's get on with it. Where's everybody?

LEACH
. (
Moving up
L
.) In the library. Pollock is going through all their rooms. Except Miss Aldin's, of course. She's still sleeping off the effects of that dope.

BATTLE
. We'll have 'em in here one at a time. (
To Treves.
) Which Mrs. Strange was it who discovered the murder?

TREVES
. Mrs. Audrey Strange.

BATTLE
. Oh, yes. Difficult when there are two Mrs. Stranges. Mrs. Audrey Strange is the divorced wife, isn't she?

TREVES
. Yes. I explained to you the—er—situation.

BATTLE
. Yes, sir. Funny idea of Mr. Strange's. I should have thought that most men . . . (
Kay enters quickly
L
.
She is very upset and slightly hysterical.
)

KAY
. (
Crossing towards the French windows, to Battle.
) I'm not going to stay cooped up in that damned library any longer. I want some air and I'm going out. You can do what the hell you like about it. (
Leach moves down
L
.)

BATTLE
. Just a minute, Mrs. Strange. (
Kay stops and turns by the French windows.
) There's no reason why you shouldn't go out if you wish, but it'll have to be later.

KAY
. I want to go
now.

BATTLE
. I'm afraid that's impossible.

KAY
. (
Moving slowly down
R
.) You've no right to keep me here. I haven't done anything.

BATTLE
. (
Soothingly.
) No, no, of course you haven't. But you see, there'll be one or two questions we'll have to ask you.

KAY
. What sort of questions? I can't help you. I don't know anything about it.

BATTLE
. (
Moving down
C
.;
to Leach.
) Get Benson, will you, Jim? (
Leach nods and exits
L
.) Now you just sit down here, Mrs. Strange—(
He indicates the chair
L
.
of the card table
) and relax.

KAY
. (
Moving and sitting
L
.
of the card table.
) I've told you I don't know anything. Why do I have to answer a lot of questions when I don't know anything?

BATTLE
. (
Moving above the card table and standing down
R
.
of it, apologetically.
) We've got to interview everybody, you see. It's just part of the routine. Not very pleasant for you, or for us, but there you are.

KAY
. Oh, well—all right. (
Police-Constable Benson enters
L
.
Leach follows him on. Benson is a youngish man, fairish and very quiet. He moves to
L
.
of the chaise and takes out a notebook and pencil.
)

BATTLE
. (
Sitting
R
.
of the card table.
) Now, just tell us about last night, Mrs. Strange.

KAY
. What about last night?

BATTLE
. What did you do—say from after dinner, onwards?

KAY
. I had a headache. I—I went to bed quite early.

BATTLE
. How early?

KAY
. I don't know exactly. It was about a quarter to ten, I think.

TREVES
. (
Interposing gently.
) Ten minutes to ten.

KAY
. Was it? I wouldn't know to the minute.

BATTLE
. We'll take it was ten minutes to ten. (
He makes a sign to Benson. Benson makes a note in his book.
) Did your husband accompany you?

KAY
. No.

BATTLE
. (
After a pause.
) What time did
he
come to bed?

KAY
. I've no idea. You'd better ask
him
that.

LEACH
. (
Crossing to
L
.
of Kay.
) The door between your room and your husband's is locked. Was it locked when you went to bed?

KAY
. Yes.

LEACH
. Who locked it?

KAY
. I did.

BATTLE
. Was it usual for you to lock it?

KAY
. No.

BATTLE
. (
Rising.
) Why did you do so last night, Mrs. Strange? (
Kay does not reply. Leach moves up
R
.
C
.)

TREVES
. (
After a pause.
) I should tell them, Kay.

KAY
. I suppose if I don't, you will. Oh, well, then. You can have it. Nevile and I had a row—a flaming row. (
Leach looks at Benson, who makes a note.
) I was furious with him. I went to bed and locked the door because I was still in a flaming rage with him.

BATTLE
. I see—what was the trouble about?

KAY
. Does it matter? I don't see how it concerns . . .

BATTLE
. You're not compelled to answer, if you'd rather not.

KAY
. Oh, I don't mind. My husband has been behaving like a perfect fool. It's all that woman's fault, though.

BATTLE
. What woman?

KAY
. Audrey—his first wife. It was she who got him to come here in the first place.

BATTLE
. I understood that it was
Mr.
Strange's idea.

KAY
. Well, it wasn't. It was hers.

BATTLE
. But why should Mrs. Audrey Strange have suggested it? (
During the following speech, Leach crosses slowly to the door
L
.)

KAY
. To cause trouble, I suppose. Nevile thinks it was his own idea—poor innocent. But he never thought of such a thing until he met Audrey in the Park one day in London, and she put the idea into his head and made him believe he'd thought of it himself. I've seen her scheming mind behind it from the first. She's never taken
me
in.

BATTLE
. Why should she be so anxious for you all to come here together?

KAY
. (
Quickly and breathlessly.
) Because she wanted to get hold of Nevile again. That's why. She's never forgiven him for going off with me. This is her revenge. She got him to fix it so that we'd be here together and then she got to work on him. She's been doing it ever since we arrived. (
Battle crosses above the card table to
C
.) She's clever, damned clever. She knows just how to look pathetic and elusive. Poor sweet, injured little kitten—with all her blasted claws out.

TREVES
. Kay—Kay . . .

BATTLE
. I see. Surely, if you felt so strongly, you could have objected to this arrangement of coming here?

KAY
. Do you think I didn't try? Nevile was set on it. He insisted.

BATTLE
. But you're quite sure it wasn't his idea?

KAY
. I'm positive. That white-faced little cat planned it all.

TREVES
. You have no actual evidence on which to base such an assertion, Kay.

KAY
. (
Rising and crossing to
R
.
of Treves.
) I know, I tell you, and you know it, too, though you won't admit it. Audrey's been . . .

BATTLE
. Come and sit down, Mrs. Strange. (
Kay crosses reluctantly to
L
.
of the card table and sits.
) Did Lady Tressilian approve of the arrangement?

KAY
. She didn't approve of anything in connection with me. Audrey was her pet. She disliked me for taking Audrey's place with Nevile.

BATTLE
. Did you—quarrel with Lady Tressilian?

KAY
. No.

BATTLE
. After you'd gone to bed, Mrs. Strange, did you hear anything? Any unusual sounds in the house?

KAY
. I didn't hear anything. I was so upset I took some sleeping stuff. I fell asleep almost at once.

BATTLE
. (
Crossing to
R
.
of the card table.
) What kind of sleeping stuff?

KAY
. They're little blue capsules. I don't know what's in them. (
Battle looks at Benson, who makes a note.
)

BATTLE
. (
Moving to the chaise.
) You didn't see your husband after you went up to bed?

KAY
. No, no, no. I've already told you that I locked the door.

BATTLE
. (
Picking up the niblick and bringing it to
L
.
of Kay.
) Have you ever seen this before, Mrs. Strange?

KAY
. (
Shrinking away.
) How—how horrible. Is that what—what it was done with?

BATTLE
. We believe so. Have you any idea to whom it belongs?

KAY
. (
Shaking her head.
) There are packets of golf clubs in the house. Mrs. Royde's—Nevile's—mine . . .

BATTLE
. This is a man's club. It wouldn't be one of yours.

KAY
. Then it must be . . . I don't know.

BATTLE
. I see. (
He moves to the chaise and replaces the niblick on it.
) Thank you, Mrs. Strange, that's all for the present. (
Kay rises and moves down
R
.)

LEACH
. There's just one other thing. (
Kay turns. He crosses to
L
.
of Kay.
) Would you object to letting Detective Sergeant Pengelly take your fingerprints?

KAY
. My—fingerprints?

BATTLE
. (
Smoothly.
) It's just a matter of routine, Mrs. Strange. We're asking everybody.

KAY
. I don't mind anything—so long as I don't have to go back to that menagerie in the library.

LEACH
. I'll arrange for Sergeant Pengelly to take your fingerprints in the breakfast room. (
Kay crosses below Leach to
L
.
C
.
, looks closely at Treves for a moment, then exits
L
.
Leach crosses and exits
L
.
Benson closes his notebook and waits stolidly.
)

BATTLE
. Benson. Go and ask Pollock if he saw some small blue capsules in Mrs. Strange's room—Mrs.
Kay
Strange. I want a specimen of them.

BENSON
. Yes, sir. (
He moves to the door
L
.)

BATTLE
. (
Moving
C
.) Come back here when you've done that.

BENSON
. Yes, sir. (
Benson exits
L
.)

TREVES
. (
Rising.
) Do you think the same drug was used to—er—dope Miss Aldin?