She smiled sweetly at Inspector Slack.
The inspector shifted his ground.
“Then if anyone were to say they’d seen you out and about then—”
“Oh! but they didn’t, did they?” She was quick to sense his weak point. “No one saw me out, because I was in, you see.”
“Quite so, madam.”
The inspector hitched his chair a little nearer.
“Now I understand, Mrs. Lestrange, that you paid a visit to Colonel Protheroe at Old Hall the night before his death.”
Mrs. Lestrange said calmly:
“That is so.”
“Can you indicate to me the nature of that interview?”
“It concerned a private matter, inspector.”
“I’m afraid I must ask you tell me the nature of that private matter.”
“I shall not tell you anything of the kind. I will only assure you that nothing which was said at that interview could possibly have any bearing upon the crime.”
“I don’t think you are the best judge of that.”
“At any rate, you will have to take my word for it, inspector.”
“In fact, I have to take your word about everything.”
“It does seem rather like it,” she agreed, still with the same smiling calm.