Page 95 of The Secrets of Dragonfly Lodge

‘To speak more quietly, you mean?’

‘Yes. No. To keep their opinions to themselves, anyway.’

‘And what did they say to that?’

‘They had the grace to look embarrassed. And after that, I didn’t hear more of it.’

‘Do you think they were embarrassed because they knew of your relationship or because they saw the error of their ways?’

‘I don’t know. I suppose the former. That was how men were then. I couldn’t have changed anything.’

Stef squared her shoulders and moved on through the questions. What conversations had he and Nancy had about her discoveries concerning the toxicity of the organophosphate, Zalathion, she was working with? How had he supported and encouraged her? What did he think she should have done about revealing her findings? All these he handled with suave ease and she could see him relax.

When she was sure that he was off his guard, she pounced.

‘What were you doing that day in Staunton’s office, knowing that Staunton was Nancy’s supervisor?’

‘Ah.’ He flinched. ‘Um. I was picking his brains. I believed that he knew the chap who headed up the department here in Boston. I, um, thought Staunton could put in a word.’

‘About what?’

‘Oh, you know.’

‘No, I don’t. So you didn’t discuss Nancy’s position at all?’

‘Why would I do that?’

‘Nancy heard you both talking and later observed you leaving her laboratory.’

‘Yes, I went in to look for her. She wasn’t there, but I had a word with one of the chaps in there.’

‘But when she went in later, after you left, her work station was in a mess and some of her notes were missing.’

‘I don’t know about that.’ He crumbled the cookie on hisplate. ‘Anyway, what was she doing stalking me? It didn’t show much trust.’

‘Perhaps you had lost her trust by then.’

‘Mmm.’

Stef had hoped the next question would be the killer. ‘Miss Bateman at the secretarial agency claimed that a man answering to your description collected the typed reports of Nancy’s research without Nancy’s permission. Was that man actually you, Professor?’

‘Absolute rubbish!’ His hand quivered as he placed his empty tea plate on the side table. ‘Turn off that confounded machine, will you?’

Reluctantly, she did so, but picked up her notebook and pen, determined to keep a record. ‘What would your motive have been for endangering Nancy’s job?’

‘Why would I have wanted to do that?’

‘Was it because if she lost her job, it would be more likely that she’d go to America with you?’

‘Of course not. That decision was Nancy’s and Nancy’s alone. I simply advised her not to continue the line of research in question. That was to ensure that she kept her job. I could have kept silent and let her get herself into hot water if my motive had been as you suggest.’

Stef paused her notetaking and considered this. It was indeed true. Yet Nancy had been very clear in her belief that he’d aided Staunton in the suppression of her report, and Stef was inclined to accept her account. The puzzle was establishing West’s motive.

Then an idea came to her.

‘Were you jealous of Nancy?’ she asked. ‘Did you resent the fact that she had made this discovery that everyone else had apparently missed?’

He stared at her, his lips working. ‘Pah!’ he said finally. ‘My concern was purely for Nancy. And I was right to be concerned. She lost her job, didn’t she? And that was the end of her career as a research scientist.’