“Do you think,” said Maxim slowly, “that after those hours of talk this afternoon I am going into it again—with you? You heard the evidence, and you heard the verdict. It satisfied the Coroner, and it must satisfy you.”
“Suicide, eh?” said Favell. “Rebecca committing suicide. The sort of thing she would do, wasn’t it? Listen; you never knew I had this note, did you? I kept it, because it was the last thing she ever wrote to me. I’ll read it to you. I think it will interest you.”
He took a piece of paper out of his pocket. I recognized that thin, pointed, slanting hand.
I tried to ring you from the flat, but could get no answer [he read]. I’m going down to Manders right away. I shall be at the cottage this evening, and if you get this in time will you get the car and follow me. I’ll spend the night at the cottage, and leave the door open for you. I’ve got something to tell you and I want to see you as soon as possible. Rebecca.
He put the note back in his pocket. “That’s not the sort of note you write when you’re going to commit suicide, is it?” he said. “It was waiting for me at my flat when I got back about four in the morning. I had no idea Rebecca was to be in London that day or I should have got in touch with her. It happened, by a vile stroke of fortune, I was on a party that night. When I read the note at four in the morning I decided it was too late to go crashing down on a six-hour run to Manderley. I went to bed, determined to put a call through later in the day. I did. About twelve o’clock. And I heard Rebecca had been drowned!”
He sat there, staring at Maxim. None of us spoke.
“Supposing the Coroner this afternoon had read that note, it would have made it a little bit more tricky for you, wouldn’t it, Max, old man?” said Favell.
“Well,” said Maxim, “why didn’t you get up and give it to him?”
“Steady, old boy, steady. No need to get rattled. I don’t want to smash you, Max. God knows you’ve never been a friend to me, but I don’t bear malice about it. All married men with lovely wives are jealous, aren’t they? And some of ’em just can’t help playing Othello. They’re made that way. I don’t blame them. I’m sorry for them. I’m a bit of a Socialist in my way, you know, and I can’t think why fellows can’t share their women instead of killing them. What difference does it make? You can get your fun just the same. A lovely woman isn’t like a motor tire, she doesn’t wear out. The more you use her the better she goes. Now, Max, I’ve laid all my cards on the table. Why can’t we come to some agreement? I’m not a rich man. I’m too fond of gambling for that. But what gets me down is never having any capital to fall back upon. Now if I had a settlement of two or three thousand a year for life I could jog along comfortably. And I’d never trouble you again. I swear before God I would not.”
“I’ve asked you before to leave the house,” said Maxim. “I’m not going to ask you again. There’s the door behind me. You can open it yourself.”
“Half a minute, Maxim,” said Frank; “it’s not quite so easy as all that.” He turned to Favell. “I see what you’re driving at. It happens, very unfortunately, that you could, as you say, twist things round and make it difficult for Maxim. I don’t think he sees it as clearly as I do. What is the exact amount you propose Maxim should settle on you?”
I saw Maxim go very white, and a little pulse began to show on his forehead. “Don’t interfere with this, Frank,” he said, “this is my affair entirely. I’m not going to give way to blackmail.”
“I don’t suppose your wife wants to be pointed out as Mrs. de Winter, the widow of a murderer, of a fellow who was hanged,” said Favell. He laughed, and glanced towards me.
“You think you can frighten me, don’t you, Favell?” said Maxim. “Well, you are wrong. I’m not afraid of anything you can do. There is the telephone, in the next room. Shall I ring up Colonel Julyan and ask him to come over? He’s the magistrate. He’ll be interested in your story.”
Favell stared at him, and laughed.
“Good bluff,” he said, “but it won’t work. You wouldn’t dare ring up old Julyan. I’ve got enough evidence to hang you, Max, old man.”
Maxim walked slowly across the room and passed through to the little room beyond. I heard the click of the telephone.
“Stop him!” I said to Frank. “Stop him, for God’s sake.”