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.Her father observedher flush he missed very little.He made no comment, butthe corners of his mouth quirked in a way that assured herhe knew what she had suspected. I got your message, hewent on. I have an appointment with Professor Handson inCharlottesville later this afternoon.I spoke with him onlybriefly, but he considers it unlikely the remains could bethose of your brother.He hopes to have a definite answer bythe time I arrive.I will call you as soon as I have spokenwith him.With almost surgical precision he was demolishing thewall of angry resentment she had raised against him.Shedidn t have to ask how he had bullied a busy professor intolaying aside his other work.She knew the technique, if notthe actual intermediary.It could be anyone from the gover-nor of the state to a Supreme Court justice.The back door opened and Andy entered, followed, nottoo closely, by Walt.Andy greeted her father like an old friend. Good to see you again, Mr.Randall, sir.And this is Mr.Bellows? Nice meeting you.I m Andrew Davis, Mrs.Nich-olson s son.My mother and her husband are out of townright now.They don t know anything about this.I hope wecan clear the matter up before they find out.My mother isnot a young woman and she s led a very sheltered life.I msure you can understand why I want to spare her unneces-sary anxiety.Oh, well done, Diana thought, hugging herself in secretdelight.Andy s suggestion of the kitchen had been a strokeof genius; her father s pursed lips and raised eyebrows hadtold her what he thought of that ambience.Now Andy hadestablished his position as host and heir, and established asentimental image of frail motherhood to support his blandassumption of authority.He had made it clear that the otherVanish with the Rose 287men were guests and that they had damned well better be-have like guests.It was clear to a pro like her father.A glint of what mighthave been admiration shone in his eyes as he studied An-dy s frank, smiling face.Seeking a more vulnerable assail-ant, he turned to Walt, eyebrows raised. And this gentlemanis ?Watch it, Andy, Diana thought.She felt like a spectator at atennis match.Advantage Mr.Randall.Walt was clearly un-comfortable and sensitive to her father s patronizing manner.Andy was quick to recover.He introduced Walt, wavedhim to a chair, and a nice touch, Diana thought servedhim coffee, talking all the while. He s been like a son todear old Ma.I don t know what she would have done with-out him.I don t know what we would have done withouthim.Especially Diana.Right, Di? Absolutely, Diana said, hoping Walt wouldn t explodebefore she could change the subject.Her father was inspect-ing Walt as he would have inspected a horse he was thinkingof buying.She went on,  More important, Mr.Slade is theman you need to consult, Mr.Bellows.He knows Larry sfriends and habits and he s familiar with every foot of theterrain.I m deeply grateful to him for consenting to sharehis expertise.Bellows didn t conceal his relief at finally getting down tobusiness. Me too, Miss Randall.Your father s filled me inon what he knows of the case, so if it s okay with you, Mr.Slade, I ll ask questions about the things he didn t know.That way we can avoid unnecessary repetition.Walt had relaxed. Suits me.Bellows was good at his job.His questions were brief andto the point.He took copious notes, especially of names.Hewas particularly interested in Larry s women friends.WhenAndy interrupted with an account of his  date, the detec-tive s brows lowered and he shook his head. You shouldn t vedone that, Mr.Davis.Could have been dangerous, not tomention counter-productive.Andy was unrepentant. I softened her up for you, Mr.Bellows.She s ready to talk.288 Barbara Michaels I appreciate that, Bellows said, with the suspicion of asmile. Leave it to me now, all right?It was almost an hour before Bellows declared himselfsatisfied. I ll want to talk to you all of you again.Andto the suspect s wife. Ex-wife, Andy said sharply. Right.How can I get in touch with her? She s here, Diana said. Shall I  If you don t mind.She had heard the decorator s van arrive, so she knewwhere to look for Mary Jo.The sound of hammering greetedher as she approached the library [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]