Their tea came, and the pastries. She let him pour her cup, and pass her the pastries, and as the occupants of the shop realized that there was to be no arrest or harsh interrogation to report to their friends, they lost interest. Mrs. Winslow nibbled a pastry, and then shyly reached for another. He realized it was a treat for her, that such outings had stopped long ago.

It was not until they had left the shop and he was walking toward her home that she answered the question he’d asked earlier.

“Daniel and Theo had a falling-out. Oh, it was years ago, Theo couldn’t have been more than nine or ten. Daniel was seven at the most. I don’t know what they fought about, but it couldn’t have been very serious, at that age, could it? Still, Theo gave Daniel a bloody nose, and afterward he came home terrified that the police would be sent for and take him up, that Tyrell Pierce would see that he was sent to Borstal. But nothing came of it, and Anthony told Theo later that Daniel claimed he’d fallen off Will Jeffers’s stallion, trying to ride him bareback.” She smiled at the memory. “I expect he was ashamed of being bested by Theo, but he was only seven, after all.”

“When was the last time your brother saw Daniel?”

“It was before the war. I’m sure of it. That fortnight when Daniel came back from France, Theo was still in hospital.”

“Did you see Daniel then?”

“Only once, and not to speak to.” She hesitated. “He’d just left the Misses Tate School, and it appeared that someone had hit him in the face, because there was a big red mark on his cheekbone. And he was angry. I did wonder how he came by it.”

They were at the corner of her street now, and she put out a hand. “If you won’t mind, I’d rather go the rest of the way alone. My husband keeps watch—”

He stopped, and she thanked him profusely for the tea and the pastries, then hurried on toward her door, as if acutely aware of how long she’d been away from home.

Hamish said, “A bluidy nose doesna’ lead to murder.”

“No,” Rutledge answered him silently. “If that was all there was to it. Theo Hartle may not have told his little sister the whole story.”

Still, it lent credence to the possibility that someone was erasing the worst memories of Daniel Pierce’s childhood. But what was more interesting was how Daniel had got that mark on his face.

He went back to the hotel for lunch, and found a letter waiting for him.

It was from Chief Inspector Cummins. Rutledge took it to his room and opened it.

Ian.