Night Companion

In night-time New York, a taxi is the best way to get where you can relax or keep the party going. Perhaps that’s why a woman in an elegant evening gown ran out of a nightclub into the street — the taxi driver barely had time to brake. A few large bills calmed his anger and ended the questions, and the woman’s identity pleasantly surprised him. The driver recognized her as Talita Rice, a star of Broadway musicals. The beauty jumped into the back seat, said “To the bridge!” and didn’t speak to the driver again. At the nearest bridge, when the car stopped at a traffic light, the passenger opened the door and disappeared just as suddenly as she had appeared. At least that’s the taxi driver’s story. He went to the police when, the next morning, the news reported that Talita Rice had died, having thrown herself from that very bridge, and asked potential witnesses to come forward for a reward. Newspaper headlines about the star’s death stirred everyone. Theories about the cause of the tragedy vary; there have been no official police statements yet, and suicide remains the working theory. But it doesn’t satisfy everyone and can’t explain everything. Three days after the tragedy, Inspector Hope summoned to the police station those who knew something about what happened and other interested parties. They all came willingly and agreed to help the police investigate Talita Rice’s death.