‘We had two minor rows and one major one. I forgot my manners.’

‘You shouldn’t do that. I don’t know, though. Perhaps you should. Who do you think committed this horrible crime, my dear?’

‘Garcia.’

‘Because he was drugged?’

‘I don’t know. You won’t say anything about—’

‘Now, Roderick!’

‘I know you won’t.’

‘Did you give her my invitation?’

‘Unfortunately we were not on them terms. I’ll be up betimes in the morning.’

‘Give me a kiss, Rory. Bless you, dear. Good night.’

‘Good night, little mum.’

*See page 467.

CHAPTER 14
Evidence from a Twig

Alleyn and Fox were back at Tatler’s End House at seven o’clock in the thin chilly light of dawn. A thread of smoke rose from one of the chimneys. The ground was hard and the naked trees, fast, fast asleep, stretched their lovely arms against an iron sky. The air was cold and smelt of rain. The two men went straight to the studio, where they found a local constable, wrapped in his overcoat, and very glad to see them.

‘How long have you been here?’ asked Alleyn.

‘Since ten o’clock last night, sir. I’ll be relieved fairly soon— eight o’clock with any luck.’

‘You can go off now. We’ll be here until then. Tell Superintendent Blackman I said it was all right.’

‘Thank you very much, sir. I think I’ll go straight home. Unless—’

‘Yes?’

‘Well, sir, if you’re going to work here, I’d like to look on—if it’s not a liberty, sir.’

‘Stay, by all means. What’s your name?’

‘Sligo, sir.’

‘Right. Keep your counsel about our business. No need to tell you that. Come along.’

Alleyn led them to the studio window. He released the blind and opened the window. The ledge outside was rimy with frost.

‘Last night,’ said Alleyn, ‘we noticed certain marks on this window-sill. Look first of all at the top of the stool here. You see four marks—indentations in the surface?’

‘Yes, sir.’

‘We’re going to measure them.’

Alleyn produced a thin steel tape and measured the distance between the indentations. Fox wrote the figure in his notebook.

‘Now the window-sill. You see these marks?’ He pointed to two lateral marks, shiny and well defined, like shallow grooves. Alleyn measured the distance between them and found that it corresponded exactly with the previous figure. The width of the marks, the depth, and the appearance were the same as those on the stool.