gossip columnist and find out all you can about her and Kenneth?â
Chittering studied the photograph.
âVery nice.â
âSheâs scared out of her wits, and sheâs probably frightened that something drastic will happen to her. You can do this research much more easily than I can, and the police wonât be surprised at you probing. I donât want them to know what Iâm up to yet.â
âI shanât tell them. Have you seen this?â asked the reporter, taking a folded copy of the Daily Record from the pocket of his raincoat. âAll the latest news; if you want the facts read the Record.â The headline was about Bernsteinâs murder, and the sub-heading ran: âMurderer Gets £100,000-worth of Jewels.â There was a picture, not of man or woman but of the Diamond of Tears, and in a heavy black type a potted history of the diamond and of the three men and one woman who had owned the Tear and died violent deaths. The Tear was valued at £55,000; the other jewels were listed. Bristow and Gordon had made good use of the little black book.
âNot bad,â said Chittering.
âWhat else do you know?â
âLondonâs being turned upside down. Every man the Yard and the Divisions can spare is on the job. Every fence in the City and the West End is being checked, jewel dealers everywhere have a description of the stolen stuff, a full release has been made to the Press. The official statement is that the police are following up an important clue and expect to make an arrest shortly. Unless theyâre going to arrest you.â
Mannering said: âNot just yet.â
âIs the Tear still here?â
âWas the Tear ever here?â.
âI am not normally a cautious man,â said Chittering, his blue eyes rounding, âbut I sleep sometimes and Iâve slept on this. I was a fool not to take that jewel to the police last night and youâll be a bigger fool if you hide it for long. They mean to get the man who has the Tear because they think the man who has the Tear killed Jacob. Go warily, John.â
âThanks.â
âMeaning youâll do exactly what you want to. I admit being relieved that I canât give evidence of seeing the Tear in this flat. Howâs Lorna taking it?â
âAs youâd expect.â
âYouâre a dangerous couple when roused,â said Chittering. âWhen will the inheritance of lovely Fay be made public?â
âBristow will probably want to keep it secretâand donât forget heâs almost certainly watching Fay.â
âAccording to what I was told at the Yard, a woman was seen to come out of Jacobâs shop or one near it, John. Could she have been Fay, I wonder? If sheâs going to inherit a fortune sheâd have a pretty big motive for killing Jacob. Also, according to a whisper from the garrulous Gordon, youâre suspected of knowing that the girl was at the shop and letting her escape. Gordon breathed the word âaccessory.â What have you done to Gordon? He hates your guts.â
âThatâs because of what I havenât done for him,â said Mannering. âDonât worry about Gordon. Thanks for all youâre doing. Youâll find itâs worth the trouble.â
Glittering grinned. âItâs a good job Iâve a soft spot for your wife; if it were only you Iâd stand by and watch them catch you.â He slouched towards the door, hands thrust deep into the pockets of his raincoat, curly head bare and untidy. âWhen you get anything I can print donât sit on it, will you?â
âNo.â
âHow convincingly he lies,â marvelled Glittering. âHow Lorna lives with you I donât know. Iââ
The front door bell rang, cutting across his words. He murmured: âBristow, maybe,â and moved back into the study.
Mannering opened the front door â and saw