‘That’ll look as if either Malmsley or Miss Troy was a liar, sir, won’t it? I must say I wouldn’t put Mr Malmsley down as a very dependable sort of gentleman. A bit cheeky in an arty sort of fashion.’

Alleyn smiled.

‘Fox, what a neat description of him! Admirable! No, unless Malmsley is lying, the knife was hammered through and the drape stretched out after they had all gone on Friday. And if Miss Troy found it stretched out on Saturday afternoon, then the thing was done before then.’

‘If,’ said Fox. And after a moment’s silence Alleyn replied:

‘“If”—of course.’

‘You might say Miss Troy had the strongest motive, sir, as far as the portrait is concerned.’

There was a longer pause.

‘Do you think it at all likely that she is a murderess?’ said Alleyn from the fireplace. ‘A very deliberate murderess, Fox. The outrage to the portrait was committed a week before the murder.’

‘I must say I don’t think so, sir. Very unlikely indeed, I’d say. This Garcia seems the likeliest proposition on the face of it. What did you make of Miss Phillida Lee’s statement, now? The conversation she overheard. Looks as though Garcia and the deceased were making an assignation for Friday night, doesn’t it? Suppose she came back to the studio on Friday night in order that they should resume intimacy?’

‘Yes, I know.’

‘He seems to have actually threatened her, if the young lady can be depended upon.’

‘Miss Seacliff didn’t contradict the account, and you must remember that extraordinary little party, Phillida Lee, confided the fruits of her nosy-parkering to Miss Seacliff long before the tragedy. I think we may take it that Garcia and Sonia Gluck had a pretty good dustup on the lines indicated by the gushing Lee. You took notes in the dining-room, of course. Turn up her report of the quarrel, will you?’

Fox produced a very smug-looking notebook, put on his spectacles, and turned up a page.

‘Garcia—’ he read slowly from his shorthand notes. ‘“All right. On Friday night then.” Sonia Gluck: “Yes, if it’s possible.” Then later Gluck said: “I won’t stand for any funny business with her, you know.” Garcia said: “Who?” and Gluck answered: “The Seacliff bitch, of course.” Sonia Gluck said Garcia ought to marry her. He did not reply. She threatened to go to Miss Troy with the whole story if he let her down. He said; “If you don’t shut up and leave me to get on with my work, I’ll bloody well stop your mouth for keeps.” That’s the conversation, sir.’