Gently French Read Online Free PDF Page B

Barge-House.’
    Frayling couldn’t tell me that, and the point was probably of no importance. But it got Frayling going on the wrong foot, which is the first move in interrogation. Quarles had booked by phone a fortnight ahead, no doubt when he’d received the tip from Rampant. He had booked for a week, from Saturday to Saturday, just like any other vacationist. He had arrived at mid-day, making some stir with his car and his companion. Frayling had given them his best room, overlooking the river. Quarles had registered Mimi as his wife.
    ‘Were you happy about that?’
    Frayling’s smirk was edgy. ‘I can’t ask too many questions, can I? Most of our guests are married couples. You take them on trust if it isn’t too obvious.’
    ‘Wasn’t this obvious?’
    ‘No, I wouldn’t have said so. Even ladies like this one can get married. And they were matter-of-fact enough with each other, they’d obviously been together for a while.’
    ‘Matter-of-fact?’
    ‘I think that describes it. They weren’t rushing to jump into bed. Actually, I was wondering if they’d had a tiff. But they were just the same later on.’
    Interesting.
    ‘Did they have any quarrels?’
    ‘No. Not to my knowledge.’
    ‘Displays of jealousy?’
    ‘She could be catty, but there wasn’t any real venom behind it.’
    ‘What about Quarles?’
    Frayling fidgeted. ‘I have to admit that I rather liked him. He was a well-educated man, you know, very polite, a lot of charm. But subdued, that’s how he struck me. As though he might have some sadness in his background. I was never more taken aback in my life than when I learned he was a crook.’
    ‘Did
he
show any jealousy?’
    ‘He wasn’t easy to read. He had that sort of public-school veneer. But it didn’t seem to bother him what the lady got up to. I suppose he must have been used to her winsome ways.’
    I stared. ‘Tell me about them.’
    Frayling hefted his neat shoulders. ‘Don’t forget she is still a guest here.’
    ‘And don’t you forget we’re talking about murder.’
    He sulked a bit; flipped the leaves of the register. ‘All right. But don’t let on that I told you. Anything in trousers was getting an eye from her. Some of the wives here weren’t so tranquil.’
    ‘How far did it go?’
    ‘I don’t think it went anywhere. The lady is just fond of exciting attention.’
    ‘Was she needling Quarles?’
    Frayling hesitated. ‘I don’t think I’m qualified to pronounce on that.’
    ‘So he just took it in good part.’
    ‘Yes, as far as I could see. But like I said, he wasn’t easy to read. A quiet sort of character. He would sit chatting racing while the lady was preening herself with the men.’
    ‘Quiet.’
    ‘Yes.’
    Well, he’d have things on his mind; which weren’t necessarily connected with Mimi Deslauriers.
    I fetched up my brief-case.
    ‘Then from what you’re saying, neither Quarles nor Deslauriers were particularly stand-offish.’
    Frayling nodded. ‘They were both good mixers. Quarles arranged several picnics to go on the river.’
    ‘Any special friends?’
    ‘None I noticed. I can give you some names of the people they invited.’
    ‘Did you notice if there was anyone they specially avoided?’
    He shook his head. ‘I don’t think so.’
    ‘Did they have any visitors?’
    ‘Not to my knowledge. But of course, strangers use the public rooms. The saloon and bar are packed every night. It goes on like that till late September.’
    ‘People off the boats?’
    ‘Mostly from the boats. Some of them drive out here from town. Then you get day-trippers in from the coast. We have a big turnover of casuals.’
    ‘Anyone like this?’
    I took out a mug-shot of Rampant, part of the bumf I’d collected from Hanson. Frayling stared at it curiously, but apparently it didn’t ring a bell.
    ‘You’d better show that to the bar-tenders. I’m not often in the bar. Who is he?’
    ‘It doesn’t matter.’ I returned the photograph to the