murdered Luisa to get her money.”
Amanda’s expression changed again. Her face resumed its look of rather hard, nervous preoccupation. “You can’t tell what they’ll say. I wish—well, it does seem preposterous, but I wish I had an alibi.”
“Haven’t you?” asked Jem rather quietly, studying the end of his cigarette.
“You heard the police ask us where we were,” said Amanda impatiently. “We were both out all day. I rode up in the hills. I wanted to take a look at the cattle up there. I took sandwiches and coffee with me. I got a late start because of Serena. She slept late and I wanted to be sure she was all fixed for the day before I left. Oh, I stopped at the Palfry farm and talked to them awhile. He is the tenant farmer, Sissy, and our two remaining ranch hands live there. But it’s simply nothing in the way of an alibi. That’s what they said, Sissy, very politely and horridly. If we’d just tell them, Sutton and I, exactly where we were all day, it would be a simple way to let us out of inquiry which they felt might be disagreeable.” She laughed shortly again. “Disagreeable. They’ll never stop talking about it around here. No matter what happens, there’ll still be some that think we pushed Luisa into the sea.” She looked at Serena speculatively, so Serena knew that something was coming. It was odd how fully she was beginning to remember Amanda and all Amanda’s little tricks of speech and voice and eyes. Her eyelids now were lowered a little so her long black lashes stuck straight out in a manner that gave her rather the look of a fractious, mean-tempered—but always very beautiful horse. Jem said, his face still closed and uncommunicative, that Serena was only a witness. “It’ll blow over in a day or two. You mustn’t worry, Serena.”
“Oh, mustn’t she!” snapped Amanda again. “She was there, wasn’t she? There wasn’t anybody else to push Luisa off the rocks.”
“Amanda, stop that,” said Jem so quietly that it was queer how forceful his words were. He went on: “Don’t say things like that even to me. Serena’s got to sleep. She’s had a terrible experience.”
“It’s not pleasant for anybody!” Amanda opened her lovely dark eyes very wide and arched her strong black eyebrows. “Luisa was Sutton’s aunt. He’s her heir.” Serena had time to remember, too, that a certain wide-eyed look in Amanda’s lovely face wasn’t as innocent and wide-eyed as it looked. It meant—or used to mean when they were young—some kind of purpose. Amanda said: “What do you think happened, Sissy? You were there! Didn’t you hear or see anything? Really?”
Jem said harshly: “For God’s sake, Amanda, can’t you see the child’s had all she can bear? You’d better get something to make her sleep. Haven’t you some sleeping tablets of some kind?”
“I’ll get something. After all, Sissy …”
“Hurry, Amanda.”
“But I—oh, all right.” Amanda’s scarlet mouth looked annoyed and tight but she went away.
“Jem, could Luisa have been murdered!” A new and stunning thought struck Serena. “Jem, will they say I did it?”
“My God, no! Don’t talk like that.” He sat down beside her again.
“I was the only one there. I’ve thought of the rocks above her. I don’t see how anybody could have been there and got up them again, out of sight so quickly. I’ve thought of all that, Jem.”
He waited a moment, looking steadily at her, as if arranging his thoughts. Then he said slowly and with force and great earnestness: “Listen to me, Serena, no matter what happens, you are out of it. You had no motive; not a ghost of a motive. Remember that.”
“You think she was murdered!”
“I don’t know what to think. Except … My God, can’t you believe in me? I love you, Serena. I’m not going to let you be hurt by anything. Or …” He paused for a second. A cold, angry look came into his eyes again, and he said: “Or by anybody. Listen, Serena,
Amanda’s expression changed again. Her face resumed its look of rather hard, nervous preoccupation. “You can’t tell what they’ll say. I wish—well, it does seem preposterous, but I wish I had an alibi.”
“Haven’t you?” asked Jem rather quietly, studying the end of his cigarette.
“You heard the police ask us where we were,” said Amanda impatiently. “We were both out all day. I rode up in the hills. I wanted to take a look at the cattle up there. I took sandwiches and coffee with me. I got a late start because of Serena. She slept late and I wanted to be sure she was all fixed for the day before I left. Oh, I stopped at the Palfry farm and talked to them awhile. He is the tenant farmer, Sissy, and our two remaining ranch hands live there. But it’s simply nothing in the way of an alibi. That’s what they said, Sissy, very politely and horridly. If we’d just tell them, Sutton and I, exactly where we were all day, it would be a simple way to let us out of inquiry which they felt might be disagreeable.” She laughed shortly again. “Disagreeable. They’ll never stop talking about it around here. No matter what happens, there’ll still be some that think we pushed Luisa into the sea.” She looked at Serena speculatively, so Serena knew that something was coming. It was odd how fully she was beginning to remember Amanda and all Amanda’s little tricks of speech and voice and eyes. Her eyelids now were lowered a little so her long black lashes stuck straight out in a manner that gave her rather the look of a fractious, mean-tempered—but always very beautiful horse. Jem said, his face still closed and uncommunicative, that Serena was only a witness. “It’ll blow over in a day or two. You mustn’t worry, Serena.”
“Oh, mustn’t she!” snapped Amanda again. “She was there, wasn’t she? There wasn’t anybody else to push Luisa off the rocks.”
“Amanda, stop that,” said Jem so quietly that it was queer how forceful his words were. He went on: “Don’t say things like that even to me. Serena’s got to sleep. She’s had a terrible experience.”
“It’s not pleasant for anybody!” Amanda opened her lovely dark eyes very wide and arched her strong black eyebrows. “Luisa was Sutton’s aunt. He’s her heir.” Serena had time to remember, too, that a certain wide-eyed look in Amanda’s lovely face wasn’t as innocent and wide-eyed as it looked. It meant—or used to mean when they were young—some kind of purpose. Amanda said: “What do you think happened, Sissy? You were there! Didn’t you hear or see anything? Really?”
Jem said harshly: “For God’s sake, Amanda, can’t you see the child’s had all she can bear? You’d better get something to make her sleep. Haven’t you some sleeping tablets of some kind?”
“I’ll get something. After all, Sissy …”
“Hurry, Amanda.”
“But I—oh, all right.” Amanda’s scarlet mouth looked annoyed and tight but she went away.
“Jem, could Luisa have been murdered!” A new and stunning thought struck Serena. “Jem, will they say I did it?”
“My God, no! Don’t talk like that.” He sat down beside her again.
“I was the only one there. I’ve thought of the rocks above her. I don’t see how anybody could have been there and got up them again, out of sight so quickly. I’ve thought of all that, Jem.”
He waited a moment, looking steadily at her, as if arranging his thoughts. Then he said slowly and with force and great earnestness: “Listen to me, Serena, no matter what happens, you are out of it. You had no motive; not a ghost of a motive. Remember that.”
“You think she was murdered!”
“I don’t know what to think. Except … My God, can’t you believe in me? I love you, Serena. I’m not going to let you be hurt by anything. Or …” He paused for a second. A cold, angry look came into his eyes again, and he said: “Or by anybody. Listen, Serena,
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