don’t you think so? Sort of astral body stuff. The funny thing is that a pal of mine, Dicky Rice, thought he saw her there.”
“Who is this Mr. Rice?”
“Oh, just a friend of mine. He had been down in Torquay staying with an aunt. Sort of old bean who is always going to die and never does. Dicky had been down doing the dutiful nephew. He said, ‘I saw that Australian girl one day—Una something or other. Wanted to go and talk to her but my aunt carried me off to chat with an old Pussy in a bathchair.’ I said, ‘When was this?’ and he said, ‘Oh, Tuesday about tea time.’ I told him of course that he had made a mistake, but it was odd, wasn’t it? With Una saying that about Devonshire that evening.”
“Very odd,” said Tommy. “Tell me, Mr. le Marchant, did anyone you know have supper near you at the Savoy?”
“Some people called Oglander were at the next table.”
“Do they know Miss Drake?”
“Oh yes, they know her. They are not frightful friends or anything of that kind.”
“Well, if there’s nothing more you can tell us, Mr. le Marchant, I think we will wish you good morning.”
“Either that chap is an extraordinary good liar,” said Tommy as they reached the street, “or else he is speaking the truth.”
“Yes,” said Tuppence. “I have changed my opinion. I have a sort of feeling now that Una Drake was at the Savoy for supper that night.”
“We will now go to the Bon Temps,” said Tommy. “A little food for starving sleuths is clearly indicated. Let’s just get a few girls’ photographs first.”