He managed to say, “Where is he now? You used the past tense.”

“That’s the devil of it. He only stayed a few months and left in late winter, giving Mrs. Farrell-Smith the opportunity to hire someone else before spring. She said it was very considerate of him, and gave him an excellent reference.”

“That reference. Where was he going with it?”

“He said he had an offer from one of the large estates in Staffordshire. I didn’t know of any, but that’s neither here nor there.”

Staffordshire. Kenton had had trouble remembering where the elder Summers had taken up his new position. He had dithered between Staffordshire and Shropshire.

Another connection. They had been plain to see, if one had just known where to look.

Rutledge said, “There’s Moseley Old Hall at Bushby—Wolseley Hall at Colwich—Pillaton Hall near Penkridge. It’s possible. But is it likely?”

“We must speak to Mrs. Farrell-Smith, then.”

“There are two tasks I must see to first.”

He left directly for Hastings and The White Swans. When he got there, he learned that Sergeant Gibson had returned his telephone call as expected, but he had left no messages.

“And your guests, Mr. and Mrs. Pierce. Are they still here?”

“I’m afraid they left yesterday morning, unexpectedly. The housekeeper told me they were unhappy with their room.”

Unhappy with it—or had they learned of Rutledge’s intrusion? The maid could have said something.

Hamish was an angry buzz in the back of his mind.

“Never mind,” he said far more pleasantly than he felt. “Do you know where they were intending to travel next?”

“He left a message for anyone who asked after him. Mr. Pierce said he was intending to travel to Brighton.”

Rutledge thanked the clerk and went to the telephone closet, where he put in a call to the Yard.

Sergeant Gibson was away from his desk.

Rutledge rang off.

He went next to the police station. “Did you know,” he asked as he walked through to Inspector Norman’s office, “that Daniel Pierce was staying at The White Swans with his bride?”

“Was he, indeed. Well, I’ll be damned. Does his father know?”

“I doubt it. The happy couple never came to Eastfield. But that isn’t to say that Pierce didn’t come here to see them.”

“How is he connected with this business? I’d find it easy to believe that he had some part in it.”

“Evidence is slowly but inexorably pointing to one Thomas Summers. The problem is, he doesn’t appear to be in Sussex. And Pierce is. But in his case, there’s the question of motive. Why would Pierce turn to murder?”

“To rid himself of his brother,” Norman said unequivocally.

“Then why does he continue to kill?”