The Mousetrap and Other Plays (92 page)

NEVILE
. Are you threatening me?

BATTLE
. No, no, Mr. Strange. Warning you.

TREVES
. (
Moving below the easy chair
L
.
C
.) Superintendent Battle is obliged to conform to the regulations, Nevile. You need say nothing unless you wish to?

NEVILE
. Why shouldn't I wish to?

TREVES
. It might be wiser not to.

NEVILE
. Nonsense! Go ahead, Superintendent. Ask me anything you like. (
Treves makes a despairing gesture and sits in the easy chair
L
.
C
.
Benson rises.
)

BATTLE
. (
Crossing below Nevile and standing down
R
.) Are you prepared to make a statement?

NEVILE
. If that's what you call it. I'm afraid, though, I can't help you very much.

BATTLE
. Will you begin by telling us exactly what you did last night? From dinner onwards? (
He sits
R
.
of the card table.
)

NEVILE
. Let me see. Immediately after dinner I went up to my room and wrote a couple of letters—I'd been putting them off for a long time and I thought I might as well get them done. When I'd finished I came down here.

BATTLE
. What time would that be?

NEVILE
. I suppose it was about a quarter past nine. That's as near as damnit, anyhow. (
Battle helps himself to a cigarette.
)

BATTLE
. (
Offering the cigarettes to Nevile.
) I'm so sorry.

NEVILE
. No, thank you.

BATTLE
. What did you do after that? (
He lights his cigarette.
)

NEVILE
. I talked to—to Kay, my wife, and Ted Latimer.

BATTLE
. Latimer—who's he?

NEVILE
. A friend of ours who's staying at the
Easterhead Bay Hotel.
He'd come over for dinner. He left soon after and everybody else went off to bed.

BATTLE
. Including your wife?

NEVILE
. Yes, she was feeling a bit off color.

BATTLE
. (
Rising.
) I understand there was some sort of—unpleasantness?

NEVILE
. Oh—(
He looks at Treves.
) you've heard about that, have you? It was purely a domestic quarrel. Can't have anything to do with this horrible business.

BATTLE
. I see. (
He crosses below the table and moves up
C
.
After a pause.
) After everybody else had gone to bed, what did you do then?

NEVILE
. I was a bit bored. It was still fairly early and I decided to go across to the
Easterhead Bay Hotel.

BATTLE
. In the storm? It had broken by this time, surely?

NEVILE
. Yes, it had. But it didn't worry me. I went upstairs to change . . .

BATTLE
. (
Moving quickly to Nevile, breaking in quickly.
) Change into what, Mr. Strange?

NEVILE
. I was wearing a dinner jacket. As I proposed to take the ferry across the river and it was raining pretty heavily, I changed. Into a grey pinstripe—(
He pauses.
) if it interests you.

BATTLE
. (
After a pause.
) Go on, Mr. Strange.

NEVILE
. (
Showing signs of increasing nervousness.
) I went up to change, as I said. I was passing Lady Tressilian's door, which was ajar, when she called, “Is that you, Nevile?” and asked me to come in. I went in and—and we chatted for a bit.

BATTLE
. How long were you with her?

NEVILE
. About twenty minutes, I suppose. When I left her I went to my room, changed, and hurried off. I took the latchkey with me because I expected to be late.

BATTLE
. What time was it then?

NEVILE
. (
Reflectively.
) About half past ten, I should think, I just caught the ten-thirty-five ferry and went across to the Easterhead side of the river. I had a drink or two with Latimer at the hotel and watched the dancing. Then we had a game of billiards. In the end I found I'd missed the last ferry back. It goes at one-thirty. Latimer very decently got out his car and drove me home. It's fifteen miles round by road, you know. (
He pauses.
) We left the hotel at two o'clock and reached here at half past. Latimer wouldn't come in for a drink, so I let myself in and went straight up to bed. (
Battle and Treves exchange looks.
)

BATTLE
. (
Crossing below Nevile to
R
.
of the card table.
) During your conversation with Lady Tressilian—was she quite normal in her manner? (
He stubs out his cigarette in the ashtray on the card table.
)

NEVILE
. Oh, yes, quite.

BATTLE
. (
Moving above the card table.
) What did you talk about?

NEVILE
. This and that.

BATTLE
. (
Moving behind Nevile.
) Amiably?

NEVILE
. Of course.

BATTLE
. (
Moving down
L
.
C
.;
smoothly.
) You didn't have a violent quarrel?

NEVILE
. (
Rising, angrily.
) What the devil do you mean?

BATTLE
. You'd better tell the truth, Mr. Strange. I'll warn you—you were overheard.

NEVILE
. (
Crossing slowly below the card table to
R
.
of it.
) Well, we
did
have a difference of opinion. She—she disapproved of my behaviour over—over Kay and—and my first wife. I may have got a bit heated, but we parted on perfectly friendly terms. (
He bangs his fist on the table. With a sudden burst of temper.
) I didn't bash her over the head because I lost my temper—if that's what you think. (
Battle moves to the chaise, picks up the niblick, then moves to
L
.
of the card table.
)

BATTLE
. Is this your property, Mr. Strange?

NEVILE
. (
Looking at the niblick.
) Yes. It's one of Walter Hudson's niblicks from
St. Egbert's.

BATTLE
. This is the weapon we think was used to kill Lady Tressilian. Have you any explanation for your fingerprints being on the grip?

NEVILE
. But—of course they would be—it's my club. I've often handled it.

BATTLE
. Any explanation, I mean, for the fact that your fingerprints show that you were the
last
person to have handled it?

NEVILE
. That's not true. It
can't
be. Somebody could have handled it after me—someone wearing gloves.

BATTLE
. Nobody could have handled it in the sense you mean—by raising it to strike—without blurring your own marks.

NEVILE
. (
Staring at the niblick in sudden realization.
) It can't be! (
He sits
R
.
of the card table and covers his face with his hands.
) Oh, God! (
After a pause he takes his hands away and looks up.
) It isn't that! It simply isn't true. You think I killed her, but I didn't. I swear I didn't. There's some horrible mistake. (
Battle replaces the niblick on the chaise.
)

TREVES
. (
Rising and crossing to
L
.
of the card table.
) Can't you think of any explanation to account for those fingerprints, Nevile? (
Battle picks up the dinner jacket.
)

NEVILE
. No—no—I can't think—of anything. (
Treves moves above the card table.
)

BATTLE
. (
Moving to
L
.
of the card table.
) Can you explain why the cuffs, and sleeve of this dinner jacket—
your
dinner jacket—are stained with blood?

NEVILE
. (
In a horror-stricken whisper.
) Blood? It couldn't be.

TREVES
. You didn't, for instance, cut yourself?

NEVILE
. (
Rising and pushing his chair violently backwards.
) No—no, of course I didn't. It's fantastic—simply fantastic. It's none of it
true.

BATTLE
. The facts are true enough, Mr. Strange.

NEVILE
. But why should I do such a dreadful thing? It's unthinkable—unbelievable. I've known Lady Tressilian all my life. (
He moves to
R
.
of Treves.
) Mr. Treves—you don't believe it, do you? You don't believe that I would do a thing like this? (
Battle replaces the jacket on the chaise.
)

TREVES
. No, Nevile, I can't believe it.

NEVILE
. I didn't. I swear I didn't. What reason could I have . . . ?

BATTLE
. (
Turning and standing on the rostrum.
) I believe that you inherit a great deal of money on Lady Tressilian's death, Mr. Strange.

NEVILE
. (
Moving down
R
.) You mean—You think that . . . ? It's ridiculous! I don't need money. I'm quite well off. You've only to enquire at my bank . . . (
Treves sits
R
.
of the card table.
)

BATTLE
. We shall check up on that. But there may be some reason why you suddenly require a large sum of money—some reason unknown to anyone except yourself.

NEVILE
. There's nothing of the sort.

BATTLE
. As to that—we shall see.

NEVILE
. (
Crossing slowly below the card table to
R
.
of Battle.
) Are you going to arrest me?

BATTLE
. Not yet—we propose to give you the benefit of the doubt.

NEVILE
. (
Bitterly.
) You mean that you've made up your mind I did it, but you want to be sure of my motive so as to clinch the case against me. (
He moves above the armchair
R
.
C
.) That's it, isn't it? (
He grips the back of the armchair.
) My God! It's like some awful dream. Like being caught in a trap and you can't get out. (
He pauses.
) Do you want me any more now? I'd like to—to get out—by myself—and think over all this. It's been rather a shock.

BATTLE
. We've finished with you for the present, sir.

NEVILE
. Thank you.

BATTLE
. (
Moving down
L
.
C
.) Don't go
too
far away, though, will you, sir?

NEVILE
. (
Moving to the French windows.
) You needn't worry. I shan't try and run away—if
that's
what you mean. (
He glances off
R
.) I see you've taken your precautions, anyway. (
Nevile exits by the French windows. Benson sits on the window-seat.
)

LEACH
. (
Moving to
L
.
of Battle.
) He did it all right.

BATTLE
. (
Moving
C
.) I don't know, Jim. If you want the truth, I don't like it. I don't like
any
of it. There's
too much
evidence against him. Besides, it doesn't quite fit. Lady Tressilian calls him into the room, and he goes happening to have a niblick in his hand. Why?

LEACH
. So as to bash her over the head.

BATTLE
. Meaning it's premeditated? All right, he's drugged Miss Aldin. But he can't count on her being asleep so soon. He couldn't count on
anybody
being asleep so soon.

LEACH
. Well then, say he's cleaning his clubs. Lady T calls him. They have a row—he loses his temper and bashes her with the club he just
happens
to be holding.

BATTLE
. That doesn't account for the drugging of Mary Aldin. And she
was
drugged—the doctor says so. Of course—(
Meditatively.
) she could have drugged herself.

LEACH
. Why?

BATTLE
. (
Moving to
L
.
of the card table, to Treves.
) Is there any possible motive in Miss Aldin's case?

TREVES
. Lady Tressilian left her a legacy—not a very large one—a few hundreds a year. As I told you, Lady Tressilian had very little personal fortune.

BATTLE
. A few hundreds a year. (
He sits
L
.
of the card table.
)

TREVES
. (
Rising and moving down
R
.) I agree. An inadequate motive.

BATTLE
. (
Sighing.
) Well, let's see the first wife. Jim, get Mrs. Audrey Strange. (
Leach exits
L
.) There's something peculiar about this business, sir. A mixture of cold premeditation and unpremeditated violence, and the two don't mix.