Chapter Five
T he girl who entered the room with obvious unwillingness¹ was an unattractive, frightened-looking girl, who managedto look faintly sluttish in spite of being tall and smartly dressed in a claret-coloured uniform.
She said at once, fixing imploring² eyes upon him:
“I didn’t do anything. I didn’t really. I don’t know anything about it.”
“That’s all right,” said Neele heartily³. His voice had changed slightly. It sounded more cheerful and a good dealcommoner in intonation⁴. He wanted to put the frightened rabbit Gladys at her ease.
“Sit down here,” he went on. “I just want to know about breakfast this morning.”
“I didn’t do anything at all.”
“Well, you laid the breakfast, didn’t you?”
“Yes, I did that.” Even that admission came unwillingly⁵. She looked both guilty and terrified, but Inspector⁶ Neelewas used to witnesses who looked like that. He went on cheerfully, trying to put her at her ease, asking questions: whohad come down first? And who next?
Elaine Fortescue had been the first down to breakfast. She’d come in just as Crump was bringing in the coffee pot.
Mrs. Fortescue was down next, and then Mrs. Val, and the master last. They waited on themselves. The tea and coffeeand the hot dishes were all on hot plates on the sideboard.
He learnt little of importance from her that he did not know already. The food and drink was as Mary Dove haddescribed it. The master and Mrs. Fortescue and Miss Elaine took coffee and Mrs. Val took tea. Everything had beenquite as usual.
Neele questioned her about herself and here she answered more readily. She’d been in private service first and afterthat in various cafés. Then she thought she’d like to go back to private service and had come to Yewtree Lodge⁷ lastSeptember. She’d been there two months.

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