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the significance he had meant to convey.
"That's impossible. No, he must have picked the lock."
"He entered with a key."
Bewilderedly she looked at him.
"They can't suspect you. Why, I can vouch for your being here all last
night."
"My dear girl, you're my wife."
"They wouldn't believe me?"
"No, they wouldn't believe you."
She spread her hands, still mystified.
"What good would it do you to rob yourself?"
"I'd be robbing the firm - and the insurance company will pay, as
you've just remarked."
''They can't suspect you!" she exclaimed indignantly. "It's
impossible! The man must have got a key from somewhere, that's
obvious!"
"To me - and, it seems to you, my dear. But will it be obvious to the
police? "
She went white.
"They wouldn't t-take you away,"-she faltered, her heart thudding
uncomfortably. "They wouldn't dare -not you!"
Faintly he smiled.
"The police will most certainly suspect me. Whether or not they'll
arrest me remains to be seen. There is another man with a key, so at
the moment two of us are suspect."
"It must be the other man," she declared firmly. "There's no doubt
about it!"
"This man has been with the firm for over thirty years and has a
blameless record. I have been with this firm for only a year. It was
bought up by my company, but the employees all remained. No, Kim,
it is not this other man. I myself would swear to it."
"Then the robber got the key from him at some time or another and
had one taken off it."
Damon said nothing. He was deep in thought, his £ace still grey and
drawn. Kim's eyes filled; she was more afraid than she had ever been
in her life, even when her husband had been in his most savage mood.
Damon taken away from her --
"What can we do?" she said urgently, feeling something could be
done, if only they could decide on some sort of action.
But Damon was shaking his head.
"There's' nothing we can do but wait for the visit from the police."
What small vestige of colour remained instantly left her cheeks.
"The police are coming here?"
"They're flying over in a special plane. They should be arriving
within the next hour or so."
Never had a wait seemed so long, Kim was at last unable to stand it
any longer and she sprang up from her chair and said, --,
'"Can we go for a walk or something? I can't bear it, Damon -" and she
started to cry, putting her face in her hands. "They c-can't p-possibly
pin such a crime on - on you."
He came to her and his arm went round her shoulders.
"Tears," he murmured almost to himself. "Tears for me - and not once
have you shed tears for yourself, not even when you were in such
-un,..
She twisted in his arm and his other arm came round her.
"I love you, Damon," she whispered, quite unable to hold it back in
this - what appeared to be - so dire a situation. "I c-can't help loving
you." A small laugh forced itself from his lips. 'There's no need to be
apologetic about it, my dear." He paused a moment and looked down
into her tear-stained face. Strength in plenty she possessed, Damon
had had proof of that over and over again, but as she rested in die
circle of his arms now there was a helplessness about her that brought
out all the chivalry he possessed and she was caught gently to him
and his mouth came down on hers, comfortingly, and when presently
he held her from him she was left in no doubt at all that she too was
loved. She wanted to speak, to ask him if he now believed her story,
which he must, obviously, or otherwise he could not love her. But this
was not the time for wanting to hear from his own lips the words she
had been longing to hear since the moment when, realizing she was
deeply affected by him, she began to ask herself the reason for this
strange new feeling that possessed her.
"Can we walk?" she repeated. "I'll feel better if I'm doing something."
"Very well." Elene was out shopping and Andreas had not put in an
appearance that day as he had asked for time off to attend to his own
garden and lemon orchard. "Have you your key handy? Mine's in my
bedroom."
"Yes, it's here in my bag." With trembling fingers she fumbled with
the clasp. Her nerves were all to \ pieces, she realized as she searched
for her front door ' key. "It isn't here...." A frown crossed her brow as
she tried to concentrate. When did she last have the key?
It was some time ago, as for the past week she had gone out only with
Damon and he had used his own key when necessary, which was not
often since Elene was almost always somewhere about. "It isn't here,"
she repeated blankly.
"Then it's somewhere else, obviously. Never mind, I'll fetch mine."
He was gone and she tried once again to concentrate, but her mind
was filled with one thing - the fear for her husband. Surely an
innocent man could not be charged with a crime. It had happened
before, though, and rare though it was, innocent men had actually
been convicted.
She closed her bag and laid it on the couch as Damon re-entered the
room.
"Ready?" he asked, then added with a frown, "Kim, there's no need
for such anxiety at this stage. Now, just stop it, do you hear?"
She nodded dumbly, and he took her hand as they left the house. They
had only reached the end of the drive, however, when the police car
arrived. Her heart gave a great lurch and for a moment she felt her
senses must surely leave her.
"Go back, dear, and stay in your room - or wander about the garden -
and stop worrying!" he added sternly tears filled her eyes.
She stood aside as the car passed, Damon having got into the back
seat after a few words spoken in Greek had passed between him and [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]