Sapphire Page #4

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- What sort of a girl was she?

Nice enough girl,

considering she was colored.

- Oh, you knew then?

- I guessed. You can always tell.

Too eager to please, laughed too much,

noisy with her gramophone.

But I never mind

so long as they don!t look it.

Still, I had to get rid of her in the end.

Why?

Couldn!t risk upsetting the other tenants.

Some big colored bloke

started calling for her.

Black as your hat, he was.

I run a white house.

You never can tell

when the others are going to kick.

- What was this fellow!s name?

- I don!t know.

Did she get any phone calls?

One or two, from the International Club

and her brother.

Were you surprised

when Sapphire got herself killed?

All depends upon

how much hate she stirred up.

Hate?

- I dare say she was passing for white.

-So?

Would you be pleased

with a brass sovereign, Superintendent?

- Is that all?

- Yes. Thank you very much.

These landladies.

They know it all, don!t they?

Oh, I wouldn!t say that.

After all, they!ve got a living to earn,

I suppose.

- Chelsea Women!s Hospital, isn!t it?

- Yeah.

[ Learoyd ]

Miss Mary Dawson.

[ Woman Chattering ]

- Miss Dawson?

- Yes.

Well, my name is Hazard.

This is Inspector Learoyd.

- You want to talk to me about Sapphire?

- Yes.

I saw it in the paper.

It upset me very much.

- Did you like Sapphire?

- Yes, I did.

- Tell me, was she fond of dancing?

- Mad about it.

And who were her dancing partners?

Ray Landa, Paul Slade.

Uh-huh. How can we get in touch

with these people?

Ray Landa went home to Nigeria

six months ago...

but I can give you

Paul Slade!s telephone number.

- What is that?

- Chancery 2 49&.

- Thank you.

- Paul Slade was a law student then.

Now he!s a barrister.

Well, thank you, Miss Dawson.

You!ve been most helpful.

Oh, tell me -

Why did you stop seeing Sapphire?

She stopped seeing me.

I!m rather distinctive, you know.

Hello, Ted.

He!s down there.

He!s been back and forth

along that footpath all afternoon.

- What!s he looking for?

- Search me.

But whatever it is,

he hasn!t found it.

See you.

None of the neighbors saw Sapphire

leave Harris!s house on Saturday, sir.

-[ Knocking ]

-[ Hazard ] Yes?

- Mr. Paul Slade, sir.

- Oh, bring him in.

- The dancing lawyer.

- I beg your pardon, sir?

What? Oh, it doesn!t matter.

This way, sir.

Oh, it!s very good of you

to come all this way, Mr. Slade.

- Not at all.

- Thank you, Sergeant.

I!d rather call on you

than have you call on me.

My father!s in London

for a conference at Lambeth Palace.

I don!t think there!s a bishop living

who!d appreciate his son...

being mixed up in a murder inquiry...

however indirectly.

Here, won!t you sit down?

Here, let me take that.

I understand you knew Sapphire Robbins.

Very well.

- May I?

- Please do.

Oh, thank you.

Where did you first meet her?

At the International Club -

one of those get-together,

let!s-be-brothers places.

How long since you last saw her?

Seven, eight months.

Has she any other friends

besides yourself?

Chap called Ray Landa.

He!s gone home, I believe.

Anyone else?

Not that I know of.

You sent for me

to ask where I was on Saturday.

I was meeting my father

off a boat at Southampton.

We stayed the night...

and I drove him back to town

on Sunday morning.

Thank you.

Did you ever have a photograph

taken with Sapphire?

Yes.

In a group.

Did you ever have one taken alone,

dancing at a nightclub?

Never alone, Superintendent.

Did you ever take her shopping

in Shaftesbury Avenue?

- Babette!s, for instance.

- [ Laughing ] Good Lord, no. Why?

Well, if you didn!t, it doesn!t matter.

What sort of a girl was Sapphire?

Oh, neither one thing nor tother

when I knew her.

I imagine she changed

after she got this yen to marry light.

If you know what I mean.

I do. That ruled you out anyway.

The question of marriage between Sapphire

and myself could never have arisen.

- How's that?

- My father would never have permitted it.

Well, why not?

Sapphire came from a good home.

Her brother!s a doctor.

She was part white.

- Is that all?

- Well, for the moment, yes.

If we need you, we!ll send for you.

- Any help I can give.

- Thank you.

Hmm.

- Did he ask aboutjohnny?

- No.

- Good.

- [ Exhales ]

If my old man knew

I!d been around places like Tulip!s...

he!d cut off my allowance

and yank me back home.

- Is this policeman likely to get onto it?

- Shouldn!t think so.

Didn!t strike me

as being overburdened with brains.

Sanctimonious -

Always so careful

to have his hand out first.

I know.

We!re all the children of God.

Forget it.

[ Engine Revving ]

I see you!ve been talking to Slade.

I suppose he!s got a cast-iron alibi.

- Yes.

- Yeah.

But there!s something

he didn!t want me to know.

- What!s that?

- I don!t know.

He said he met Sapphire

at the International Club.

Get onto them, find out what time

all the kids are likely to be there together.

- Okay.

-[ Knocking ]

Yes? What is it, Sergeant?

- It!s about young Harris, sir.

- What about him?

He!s up on the heath. He!s been there

all the afternoon looking for something.

He pushed it down the drain. sir.

It was quite deliberate, so I thought

I!d best find out what it was.

Well, it!s a piece of wood.

Must have been painted

at some time.

Look, you can see

the red and blue marks.

Yeah.

Been jointed at both ends.

Must have come off something.

Off what, I wonder.

- Take this to the lab

and see what they make of it.

- Very good, sir.

Now, why on earth should that boy be

so anxious to find that and then get rid of it?

[ Children Chattering ]

You didn!t go in today.

Davy, this is a terrible thing that!s happened,

but you!ve got to pull yourself together.

In three weeks, you!ll be going away.

Rome. It!s a new world.

New people, new places.

You!ll forget.

I shan!t.

I can!t.

Davy, you did speak the truth

about Saturday?

You didn!t meet Sapphire, did you?

Davy...

what happened on Saturday night?

Mum, never ask

what happened on Saturday.

Never.

Davy.

You didn!t meet Sapphire

on Saturday, did you?

Answer me, Davy. Did you?

-[ irl ] rannyI

- There are the twins.

- Answer me, Davy.

- rannyI rannyI

- ranI

- All right, kids. Granny!s here.

- Granny! Granny!

- Granny! Granny!

What!s the matter? I thought

you!d gone to tea with Molly Turnbull.

- Her mother didn!t want us.

- Why?

She said we were a funny family

and she didn!t want us.

What!s happened?

What is it, Mother?

Go and take

your hats and coats off, hmm?

What is it?

Mrs. Turnbull wouldn!t have the twins for tea.

I think they ought to go and stay

with Katie in Richmond.

Oh, I don!t know what Sid would say.

Stop pretending about Sid.

He doesn!t care whether they!re here

or in Timbuktu.

He!s a bad husband and a bad father.

All right, Mum.

I!ll get Dad to drive them down tomorrow.

Ring Katie now.

All right.

Mildred.

What time did you leave Sapphire

on Saturday?

Half 1 :
00, Mum.

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