夜雨聆风Family solidarity,” said Julia. “I suddenly realized who you were. I’dhad no idea till that moment.”
“I’d had the same idea as Julia did,” said Phillipa, her voice trembling alittle. “After I—lost my husband and the war was over, I wondered what Iwas going to do. My mother died many years ago. I found out about myGoedler relations. Mrs. Goedler was dying and at her death the moneywould go to a Miss Blacklock. I found out where Miss Blacklock lived and I—I came here. I took a job with Mrs. Lucas. I hoped that, since this MissBlacklock was an elderly woman without relatives, she might, perhaps, bewilling to help. Not me, because I could work, but help with Harry’s educa-tion. After all, it was Goedler money and she’d no one particular of herown to spend it on.
“And then,” Phillipa spoke faster, it was as though, now her long reservehad broken down, she couldn’t get the words out fast enough, “that hold-up happened and I began to be frightened. Because it seemed to me thatthe only possible person with a motive for killing Miss Blacklock was me. Ihadn’t the least idea who Julia was—we aren’t identical twins and we’renot much alike to look at. No, it seemed as though I was the only onebound to be suspected.”
She stopped and pushed her fair hair back from her face, and Craddocksuddenly realized that the faded snapshot in the box of letters must havebeen a photograph of Phillipa’s mother. The likeness was undeniable. Heknew too why that mention of closing and unclosing hands had seemed fa-miliar—Phillipa was doing it now.
“Miss Blacklock has been good to me. Very very good to me—I didn’t tryto kill her. I never thought of killing her. But all the same, I’m Pip.” She ad-ded, “You see, you needn’t suspect Edmund any more.”
