Leaving Fox at the garage, Alleyn walked round the house and rang the front-door bell. It was answered by a constable.

‘Good morning. Do you know if Miss Troy is down yet?’

‘She’s in the library, sir.’

‘Ask if I may see her for a moment.’

The man came back to say Troy would receive Alleyn, and he went into the library. By daylight it was a pleasant room, and already a fire blazed in the open grate. Troy, in slacks and a pullover, looked so much as she did on that first morning at Suva that Alleyn felt for a moment as if there had been nothing between them but the first little shock of meeting. Then he saw that she looked as if she had not slept.

‘You are early at your job,’ said Troy.

‘I’m very sorry, indeed, to worry you at the crack of dawn. I want to ask you if the caravan in the garage belongs to you.’

‘Yes. Why?’

‘When did you last use it, please?’

‘About a fortnight ago. We all went out in it to Kattswood for a picnic and a day’s sketching.’

‘Do you know how much petrol there was in the tank when you got back?’

‘It must have been more than half full, I should think. I got it filled up when we started, and we only went about forty miles there and back.’

‘What does she do to the gallon?’

‘Twenty.’

‘And the tank holds—?’

‘Eight gallons.’

‘Yes. It’s just over a quarter full this morning.’

Troy stared at him.

‘There must be a leak in the petrol tank,’ she said. ‘I couldn’t have used more than five that day—not possibly.’

‘There isn’t a leak,’ said Alleyn. ‘I looked.’

‘Look here, what is all this?’

‘You’re sure no one else has used the caravan?’

‘Of course I am. Not with my permission.’ Troy seemed puzzled and worried. Then as her eyes widened, ‘Garcia!’ she cried out. ‘You think Garcia took it, don’t you?’

‘What makes you so sure of that?’

‘Why, because I’ve puzzled my own wits half the night to think how he got his stuff away. The superintendent here told me none of the local carriers knew anything about it. Of course Garcia took it! Just like him. Trust him not to pay a carrier if he could get his stuff there free.’

‘Can he drive?’

‘I really don’t know. I shouldn’t have thought so, certainly. I suppose he must be able to drive if he took the caravan.’ She paused and looked steadily at Alleyn.

‘I know you think he went in the caravan,’ she said.

‘Yes, I do.’

‘He must have brought it back that night,’ said Troy.

‘Couldn’t have been some time on Saturday before you came back?’