Twenty-five
I“What bothers me,” said Victoria, “is that poor Danish woman who gotkilled by mistake in Damascus.”
“Oh! she’s all right,” said Mr. Dakin cheerfully. “As soon as your planehad taken off, we arrested the French woman and took Grete Harden tohospital. She came round all right. They were going to keep her druggedfor a bit until they were sure the Baghdad business went off all right. Shewas one of our people of course.”
“Was she?”
“Yes, when Anna Scheele disappeared, we thought it might be as well togive the other side something to think about. So we booked a passage forGrete Harden and carefully didn’t give her a background. They fell for it—jumped to the conclusion that Grete Harden must be Anna Scheele. Wegave her a nice little set of faked papers to prove it.”
“Whilst the real Anna Scheele remained quietly in the nursing home tillit was time for Mrs. Pauncefoot Jones to join her husband out here.”
“Yes. Simple—but effective. Acting² on the assumption that in times ofstress the only people you can really trust are your own family. She’s anexceedingly clever young woman.”
“I really thought I was for it,” said Victoria. “Were your people reallykeeping tabs on me?”
“All the time. Your Edward wasn’t really quite so clever as he thoughthimself, you know. Actually we’d been investigating the activities of youngEdward Goring³ for some time. When you told me your story, the nightCarmichael was killed, I was frankly⁴ very worried about you.”
“The best thing I could think of was to send you deliberately⁵ into thesetup as a spy. If your Edward knew that you were in touch with me,you’d be reasonably safe, because he’d learn through you what we wereup to. You’d be too valuable to kill. And he could also pass on false inform-ation to us through you. You were a link. But then you spotted⁶ the RupertCrofton Lee impersonation, and Edward decided⁷ you’d better be kept outof it until you were needed (if you should be needed) for the impersona-tion of Anna Scheele. Yes, Victoria, you’re very very lucky to be sittingwhere you are now, eating all those pistachio nuts.”

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