The Inspector now had a certain cue, and responded instantly to it. ‘I could see at a glance that you were a mass of nerves,’ he said brazenly.

‘That’s just it!’ said Valerie, immensely gratified. ‘Only none of these people realise it, or care a damn about anyone but themselves. Except Uncle Joe: he’s nice; and I rather like Willoughby Roydon too. But the rest have been simply foul to me.’

‘Jealous, I wouldn’t wonder,’ nodded Hemingway.

She laughed, and patted her curls. ‘Well, I can’t imagine why they should be! Besides, Stephen’s as bad as the others. Worse if anything!’

‘Perhaps he’s jealous too, in a different way. I know I would be.’

‘Oh, Stephen’s not in the least like that!’ she said, brushing the suggestion aside. ‘He doesn’t care what I do. No, honestly he doesn’t! In fact, he doesn’t behave as though he cared for me a bit, in spite of having brought me down here to get to know his uncle. Of course, I oughtn’t to be saying this to you,’ she added, with a belated recollection of their respective positions.

‘You don’t want to worry about what you say to me,’ said the Inspector. ‘I daresay it’s a relief to be able to get it off your chest. I can see you’ve been through a lot.’

‘I must say, I think you’re frightfully decent!’ she said. ‘It’s been sheer hell ever since Mr Herriard was killed; and that other Inspector was too brutal for words! – I mean, absolute Third Degree! All about Stephen’s filthy cigarette-case!’

‘I’m surprised at Inspector Colwall!’ said Hemingway truthfully. ‘What did you happen to do with the case, if you don’t mind my asking?’

‘I didn’t do anything with it. I mean, I simply took a cigarette out of it, and put the case down on the table in the drawing-room, and never thought of it again until all this loathsome fuss started. Only Mathilda Clare – who’s quite the ugliest woman I’ve ever laid eyes on – practically accused me of having had the case all the time. Of course, she was simply out to protect Stephen, Willoughby says. Because Mr Mottisfont said, who was likely to pick up the case except Stephen himself? which is perfectly true, of course. And if you ask me, Mathilda Clare deliberately tried to throw the blame on to me because she knew Mr Herriard didn’t like me!’

‘Now that’s a thing I can’t believe!’ said the Inspector gallantly.

‘No; but he didn’t, all the same. In fact, that’s why I came here. It was my mother’s idea, actually, that I should have a chance to get to know Mr Herriard. Personally I think he was a woman-hater.’

‘If he didn’t like you, he must have been. Didn’t he want his nephew to marry you?’

‘Well, no, as a matter of fact he didn’t. Only I feel sure I could have got round him, if only Stephen hadn’t made everything worse by annoying him over something or other. Of course, that’s just like Stephen! He would! I did try to make him be sensible, because Uncle Joe dropped a word in my ear, but it was no use.’