Who Pays the Piper? by Patricia Wentworth Read Free Book Online Page B

she could snatch down an old tweed coat and make her way up the hill.
    As she came up on to the terrace outside the house she saw Lucas Dale at the glass door which led to the study. He had it in his hand, half open, and beckoned her in. She thought she had mastered her foolish fears, but the urgency with which he beckoned her and the sight of his grave, dark face set them all free again.
    He brought her in and shut the door. There was a big leather-covered chair on either side of the hearth. In the farther one Cathy crouched, her face hidden in her hands. Her body had a stiff and twisted look. She did not move or turn when Susan said her name and came to her.
    Susan’s arms were round her.
    â€œCathy—what is it?” she said, as she had said it in the night. “What is it, darling—what is the matter?”
    She felt Cathy stiffen.
    Lucas Dale spoke.
    â€œSomething very unpleasant has happened, Susan. Perhaps I had better tell you about it.”
    She looked round, startled. He was over by the writing-table, looking down at it, moving some papers, not looking at her. That frightened her too. She got up and went over to him.
    â€œWhat has happened, Mr. Dale?”
    He did look at her then.
    â€œI hate telling you, but there’s no way out of it—you’ve got to know. It’s those pearls, the ones I had out to show you all on Wednesday. You remember?”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œCathy fetched them, and Cathy put them away again. I went to look at them last night, and some of them are missing.”
    The change from what she had been afraid of was so sudden, so direct, that it left her mind empty. She stared at Lucas Dale and said,
    â€œI don’t understand.”
    â€œI wish you didn’t have to, Susan, but there’s no other way. I haven’t done anything about sending for the police—I wanted to see you first. I’m afraid it’s a perfectly clear case. Unfortunately there was a lot of talk about how seldom I looked at the pearls. And that’s true. I hadn’t had them out for six months before last Wednesday, and I mightn’t have had them out for six months again, only last night I had a fancy to look at them because—because—oh, well, I’m a fool, Susan—I was thinking about you, and I got out the pearls because I wanted to make a picture to myself of what they’d look like on your neck. Then when I came to take them out I saw at once that some of the loose ones were gone. Do you remember, Mrs. Hammond asked me to count them? She was joking, but I did count them—I always do. And they were all right when Cathy took them away. You remember she had my keys. I never dreamed of not trusting her as if she had been myself, but—there are twenty of the loose pearls missing, and twenty-five very well matched ones which I got last year in case I wanted to have the big necklace lengthened. They were very good pearls, just loosely strung, and the ends knotted to keep them safe.”
    Whilst he talked, understanding came to Susan, and a blinding anger. Everything in her flamed. She said,
    â€œStop! How dare you say a thing like that about Cathy!”
    He looked at her, and looked away.
    â€œDo you think I want to say it?”
    â€œMr. Dale, you can’t mean that you think Cathy took your pearls— Cathy!”
    â€œWhat can I think? The pearls were all there on Wednesday evening—I can swear to that. Everyone in the room heard Mrs. Hammond tell me to count them. No one touched them after that except Cathy. She put them away and brought me back my keys. When I got them out last night there were forty-five pearls missing.”
    Susan turned. Cathy had lifted her head. Her face was white and wet, her eyes wide with fright. Susan said,
    â€œCathy—you hear what he says. What did you do when you put the tray away? Try and think.”
    Cathy opened her lips to speak. She had to try twice before any sound