Chapter Twenty-two
C hief-Inspector¹ Davy waited patiently until Mrs. Melford had finished talking. It had been a singularly unprofitableinterview. Cousin Mildred had been incoherent, unbelieving and generally featherheaded. Or that was Father’s privateview. Accounts of Elvira’s sweet manners, nice nature, troubles with her teeth, odd excuses told through thetelephone, had led on to serious doubts whether Elvira’s friend Bridget was really a suitable friend for her. All thesematters had been presented to the Chief-Inspector in a kind of general hasty pudding. Mrs. Melford knew nothing, hadheard nothing, had seen nothing and had apparently² deduced very little.
A short telephone call to Elvira’s guardian³, Colonel Luscombe, had been even more unproductive, thoughfortunately less wordy. “More Chinese monkeys,” he muttered to his sergeant⁴ as he put down the receiver. “See noevil, hear no evil, speak no evil.
“The trouble is that everyone who’s had anything to do with this girl has been far too nice—if you get my meaning.
Too many nice people who don’t know anything about evil. Not like my old lady.”
“The Bertram’s Hotel one?”
“Yes, that’s the one. She’s had a long life of experience in noticing evil, fancying evil, suspecting evil and goingforth to do battle with evil. Let’s see what we can get out of girlfriend Bridget.”
The difficulties in this interview were represented first, last, and most of the time by Bridget’s mamma. To talk toBridget without the assistance of her mother took all Chief-Inspector Davy’s adroitness⁵ and cajolery. He was, it mustbe admitted, ably seconded by Bridget. After a certain amount of stereotyped⁶ questions and answers and expressionsof horror on the part of Bridget’s mother at hearing of Elvira’s narrow escape from death, Bridget said, “You know it’stime for that committee meeting, Mum. You said it was very important.”
“Oh dear, dear,” said Bridget’s mother.

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