II

Later that evening Dr. Stillingfleet made a telephone call.

“Quite a good operation kidnap,” he said. “She’s down at Kenway Court.

Came like a lamb. Can’t tell you much yet. The girl’s full of drugs. I’d sayshe’d been taking purple hearts, and dream bombs, and probably LSD…She’s been all hopped-up for some time. She says no, but I wouldn’t trustmuch to what she says.”

He listened for a moment. “Don’t ask me! One will have to go carefullythere. She gets the wind up easy…Yes, she’s scared of something, or she’spretending to be scared of something….

“I don’t know yet, I can’t tell. Remember people who take drugs aretricky. You can’t believe what they say always. We haven’t rushed thingsand I don’t want to startle her….

“A father complex as a child. I’d say didn’t care much for her motherwho sounds a grim woman by all accounts — the self- righteous martyrtype. I’d say Father was a gay one, and couldn’t quite stand the grimnessof married life—Know of anyone called Louise?…The name seemed tofrighten her—She was the girl’s first hate, I should say. She took Fatheraway at the time the child was five. Children don’t understand very muchat that age, but they’re very quick to feel resentment of the person theyfeel was responsible. She didn’t see Father again until apparently a fewmonths ago. I’d say she’d had sentimental dreams of being her father’scompanion and the apple of his eye. She got disillusioned apparently.

Father came back with a wife, a new young attractive wife. She’s notcalled Louise, is she?…Oh well, I only asked. I’m giving you roughly thepicture, the general picture, that is.”

The voice at the other end of the wire said sharply, “What is that yousay? Say it again.”

“I said I’m giving you roughly the picture.”

There was a pause.

“By the way, here’s one little fact might interest you. The girl made arather ham-handed attempt to commit suicide. Does that startle you?…“Oh, it doesn’t… No, she didn’t swallow the aspirin bottle, or put herhead in the gas oven. She rushed into the traffic in the path of a Jaguar go-ing faster than it should have done…I can tell you I only got to her just intime…Yes, I’d say it was a genuine impulse…She admitted it. Usual classicphrase—she ‘wanted to get out of it all.’”

He listened to a rapid flow of words, then he said: “I don’t know. At thisstage, I can’t be sure—The picture presented is clear. A nervy girl, neuroticand in an overwrought state from taking drugs of too many kinds. No, Icouldn’t tell you definitely what kind. There are dozens of these things go-ing about all producing slightly different effects. There can be confusion,loss of memory, aggression, bewilderment, or sheer fuzzleheadedness!

The difficulty is to tell what the real reactions are as opposed to the reac-tions produced by drugs. There are two choices, you see. Either this is agirl who is playing herself up, depicting herself as neurotic and nervy andclaiming suicidal tendencies. It could be actually so. Or it could be a wholepack of lies. I wouldn’t put it past her to be putting up this story for someobscure reason of her own—wanting to give an entirely false impressionof herself. If so, she’s doing it very cleverly. Every now and then, thereseems something not quite right in the picture she’s giving. Is she a veryclever little actress acting a part? Or is she a genuine semi-moronic sui-cidal victim? She could be either…What did you say?…Oh, the Jaguar!…Yes, it was being driven far too fast. You think it mightn’t have been an at-tempt at suicide? That the Jaguar was deliberately meaning to run herdown?”

He thought for a minute or two. “I can’t say,” he said slowly. “It justcould be so. Yes, it could be so, but I hadn’t thought of it that way. Thetrouble is, everything’s possible, isn’t it? Anyway, I’m going to get moreout of her shortly. I’ve got her in a position where she’s semi-willing totrust me, so long as I don’t go too far too quickly, and make her suspicious.

She’ll become more trusting soon, and tell me more, and if she’s a genuinecase, she’ll pour out her whole story to me—force it on me in the end. Atthe moment she’s frightened of something….

“If, of course, she’s leading me up the garden path we’ll have to find outthe reason why. She’s at Kenway Court and I think she’ll stay there. I’dsuggest that you keep someone with an eye on it for a day or so and if shedoes attempt to leave, someone she doesn’t know by sight had better fol-low her.”