[Wexford 01] From Doon & Death by Ruth Rendell

said, 'parked the car and stood on the edge of the wood to have a cigarette. You know how smoky it gets inside a car, Inspector ’ Burden was to be brought in as another man of the world. I'm afraid I know nothing about the lipstick. Mrs Missal is rather a happy-go-lucky girl. She tends to be careless about unc onsidered trifles.' He smiled. ‘P erhaps that’s what I like about her.'
    Had he seen him? Part of the time, yes, but he certainly hadn't had Quadrant under his eye all day.
    ‘I suppose all this did happen on Wednesday ’ Burden said, 'not Tuesday afternoon?'
    'Now, come. Inspector. I was in court all day Tuesday. You saw me yourself.'
    'We'd like to have a look at your car tyres, sir.' But as he said it Burden knew it was hopeless. Quadrant admitted visiting the lane on Wednesday.
    In the study Wexford was getting much the same story from Helen Missal.
    'We didn't go into the wood ’ she said. 'We just stood under the trees. I took my handbag with me because it had got quite a bit of money in it and I mink I must have dropped my lipstick when I opened the bag to get my hanky out'
    ‘You never went out of sight of the car?'
    The net was spread and she fell in it
    'We never went out of sight of the car,' she said. 'We just stood under the trees and talked.'
    'What a nervous person you must be, Mrs Missal, nervous and extremely cautious. You had Mr Quadrant with you and you were in sight of the car, but you were afraid someone might try to steal your handbag under your very eyes.'
    She was frightened now and Wexford was sure she hadn't told him everything.
    'Well, that's how it happened. I can't be expected to account for ever ything I do.'
    I'm afraid you can, madam. I suppose you've kept your cinema ticket?'
    'Oh, my God! Can't you give me any peace? Of course I don't keep cinema tickets.'
    'You don't show much foresight, madam. It would have been prudent to have kept it in case your husband wanted to see it. Perhaps you’ll have a look for that ticket and when you've found it I'd like you to bring it down to the station. The tickets are numbered and it will be simple to determine whether yours was issued on Tuesday or Wednesday ’
    Quadrant was waiting for him in the dining-room , standing by the sideboard now and reading the labels on two bottles of white wine. Burden still sat at the table.
    'Ah, Chief Inspector,' Quadrant said in the tone he used for melting the hearts of lay magistrates. '"What a tangled web we weave when first we practise to deceive"!'
    ‘I wish you could convince Mrs Missal of the truth of that maxim, sir. Very unfortunate for you that you happened to choose that particular lane for your ... your talk with her on Wednesday night.'
    'May I assure you. Chief Inspector, that it was merely a matter of misfortune.' He continued to look at the bottles of Barsac, misted and ice-cold. 'Had I been aware of the presence of Mrs Parsons' body in the wood I should naturally have come straight to you. In my position, my peculiar position, I always take it upon myself to give every possible assistance to you good people ’
    It is a peculiar position, isn't it, sir? What I should call a stroke of malignant fate.'
    In the drawing-room Missal and Mrs Quadrant were sitting in silence. They looked. Burden thought, as if they had little in common. Helen Missal and the solicitor filed in, smiling brightly, as if they had all been playing some party game. The charade had been acted, the word discovered. Now they could all have their dinner.
    'Perhaps we can all have our dinner now,' Missal said.
    Wexford looked at him.
    ‘I believe you were in Kingsmarkham on Tuesday afternoon, Mr Missal? Perhaps, you'll be good enough to tell me where you were exactly and if anyone saw you.'
    'No, I won't ’ Missal said. ‘I’m damned if I do. You send your henchman -'
    'Oh, Peter ’ Fabia Quadrant interrupted. 'Henchman! What a word.'
    Burden stood woodenly, waiting.
    'You send your underling to show me up in front