Alleyn pointed a long finger at Nigel’s final sentence.

‘Mr Bathgate’s bright idea for the day,’ he said.

‘Yes,’ said Fox. ‘It looks nice and simple just jotted down like that.’

‘The thing’s quite neat in its way, Fox.’

‘Yes, sir. And I think he’s got the right idea, you know.’

‘Garcia?’

‘Yes. Don’t you?’

‘Oh Lord, Fox, you’ve heard my trouble. I don’t see how we can be too sure.’

‘There’s that bit of clay with his print on it,’ said Fox. ‘On the drape, where it had no business.’

‘Suppose it was planted? There’d be any number of bits like that lying on the floor by the window. We found some. Let’s get Bailey’s further report on the prints, shall we?’

Alleyn rang through to Bailey’s department and found that Bailey had finished his work and was ready to make a report. In a minute or two he appeared with a quantity of photographs.

‘Anything fresh?’ asked Alleyn.

‘Yes, sir, in a sort of way there is,’ said Bailey, with the air of making a reluctant admission.

‘Let’s have it.’

Bailey laid a set of photographs on Alleyn’s desk.

‘These are from the empty whisky bottle under Garcia’s bed. We got them again from different parts of the bed-frame, the box underneath and the stool he used for his work. Some of them cropped up on the window-sill and there’s a good thumb and forefinger off the light switch above his bed. These—’ he pointed to a second group—‘come from bits of clay that were lying about the floor. Some of them were no good, but there’s a couple of clear ones. They’re made by the same fingers as the first lot. I’ve marked them “Garcia”.’

‘I think we may take it they are his,’ said Alleyn.

‘Yes. Well then, sir, here’s the ones off the opium-box and the pipe. Four of those I’ve identified as Mr Malmsley’s. The others are Garcia’s. Here’s a photo of the clay pellet I found in the drape. Garcia again. This set’s off the edge of the throne. There were lots of prints there, some of them Mr Hatchett’s, some of Mr Pilgrim’s and some the French bloke’s—this Mr Ormerin. They seem to have had blue paint on their fingers, which was useful. But this set is Garcia’s again and I found it on top of the others. There were traces of clay in this lot, which helped us a bit.’

Alleyn and Fox examined the prints without comment. Bailey produced another photograph and laid it on the desk.

‘I got that from the drape. Took a bit of doing. Here’s the enlargement.’

‘Garcia,’ said Alleyn and Fox together.