The Riddle of Sphinx Island Read Free Page A

Maisie, I think. The other day I saw her standing outside John’s door, talking to him through the keyhole.’
    Antonia had the impression Sybil regretted mentioning Mrs Garrison-Gore’s name.
    ‘I wonder if she’s been attempting to nudge him into a more enlightened direction? That’s the sort of thing an American girl would do. She is terribly well-meaning and of course she is pretty as a picture. So refreshingly innocent and unspoilt, a tabula rasa , as papa would have put it – unless she turns out to be an accomplished little actress who’s after Oswald’s millions. I find American girls incomprehensible, don’t you? Apparently John told her that he liked fried chicken best, he whispered it through the keyhole, which suggests some kind of a bond might have been forged between them. He also told her she mustn’t think he enjoyed chewing blotting paper.’
    ‘Does your brother chew blotting paper?’ Antonia asked. I want to see these people, she thought.
    ‘He does. As it happens, there’s a perfectly rational explanation for it. I bet you’ll never guess what it is.’
    Payne cleared his throat. ‘Old-fashioned remedy for headaches that develop as a result of shooting?’
    ‘You are clever. I don’t believe I’ve ever said that to a Major before. That’s the reason he does it, yes. John is a shooting nut. He is the proud owner of several guns. He shoots at seagulls, mainly. He is tormented by blinding headaches, which he insists on explaining with the fact that he is left-handed. He is, to use an awful phrase – please, you must forgive me – in denial .’
    ‘Who else is on the island?’ Payne asked.
    ‘Well, there is Ella. Ella Gales. She works for Oswald. General dogsbody and so on. Ella’s got the patience of a saint, though she is too clever for straightforward virtue. I believe she was born a Swede. “Stoic and isolate”. Quite distinguished-looking, a former beauty queen, apparently. The epitome of style and sheer chic . Ella and Doctor Klein are thick as thieves, which I find intriguing. If you could imagine Beauty and the Beast … Shall I tell you who they remind me of? Those two hunted outcasts, Hagar and Ishmael, abandoned and wandering in a psychic wilderness of their own creation. Whenever I happen to walk in on them I get a palpable sense of having interrupted some cabal in its scheming.’
    ‘Who is Doctor Klein?’
    ‘He is Oswald’s doctor. Doctor Klein is what papa would have called an “Americanised Kraut”. Papa used to refer to America as a “land of sanctimony and barbarism”. Papa would have detested that awful senator with the vests, what was his name? Why would anyone in their right mind want to be the President of America, I simply can’t imagine. Papa was one of the most zealously xenophobic people you are ever likely to meet, yet when he was confronted with real aliens, he didn’t turn a hair.’
    ‘What real aliens?’
    ‘There was an incident in the early 1950 s. A landing of sorts. All part of the Sphinx Island mythology. I keep getting letters from madmen asking questions about it. They call themselves “ufologists”, or something like that.’ Sybil waved a dismissive hand. ‘Doctor Klein is enormous – and I mean enormous. It’s odd since he eats next to nothing and invariably declines pudding.’
    ‘Why does Oswald Ramskritt need a doctor?’ Antonia asked. It occurred to her that she had heard Mrs Garrison-Gore’s name before, only where?
    ‘I am not sure. All I know is that Doctor Klein holds reflexology sessions with him, if that’s what they are called. Rich Americans appear to suffer from all kinds of peculiar conditions, have you noticed, or perhaps they only imagine they do? Oswald is surrounded by nice and helpful people. It makes me green with envy. You wouldn’t believe this, but the moment they realised there were no servants on the island, Ella and Maisie offered their services!’
    ‘No servants?’ Payne’s left eyebrow