Kelsey interrupted. ‘There was no light then when you got there. Not a torch or any other light?’

‘No. The place was in darkness. We switched on the light and there she was. She—’

‘That’s all right,’ said Inspector Kelsey kindly, ‘you needn’t describe anything. I shall be going out there now and I shall see for myself. You didn’t meet anyone on your way there?’

‘No.’

‘Or hear anybody running away?’

‘No. We didn’t hear anything.’

‘Did anybody else hear the shot in the school building?’ asked Kelsey looking at Miss Bulstrode.

She shook her head. ‘No. Not that I know of. Nobody has said that they heard it. The Sports Pavilion is some distance away and I rather doubt if the shot would be noticeable.’

‘Perhaps from one of the rooms on the side of the house giving on the Sports Pavilion?’

‘Hardly, I think, unless one were listening for such a thing. I’m sure it wouldn’t be loud enough to wake anybody up.’

‘Well, thank you,’ said Inspector Kelsey. ‘I’ll be going out to the Sports Pavilion now.’

‘I will come with you,’ said Miss Bulstrode.

‘Do you want me to come too?’ asked Miss Johnson. ‘I will if you like. I mean it’s no good shirking things, is it? I always feel that one must face whatever comes and—’

‘Thank you,’ said Inspector Kelsey, ‘there’s no need, Miss Johnson. I wouldn’t think of putting you to any further strain.’

‘So awful,’ said Miss Johnson, ‘it makes it worse to feel I didn’t like her very much. In fact, we had a disagreement only last night in the Common Room. I stuck to it that too much P.T. was bad for some girls—the more delicate girls. Miss Springer said nonsense, that they were just the ones who needed it. Toned them up and made new women of them, she said. I said to her that really she didn’t know everything though she might think she did. After all I have been professionally trained and I know a great deal more about delicacy and illness than Miss Springer does—did, though I’ve no doubt that Miss Springer knows everything about parallel bars and vaulting horses and coaching tennis. But, oh dear, now I think of what’s happened, I wish I hadn’t said quite what I did. I suppose one always feels like that afterwards when something dreadful has occurred. I really do blame myself.’

‘Now sit down there, dear,’ said Miss Bulstrode, settling her on the sofa. ‘You just sit down and rest and pay no attention to any little disputes you may have had. Life would be very dull if we agreed with each other on every subject.’

Miss Johnson sat down shaking her head, then yawned. Miss Bulstrode followed Kelsey into the hall.

‘I gave her rather a lot of brandy,’ she said, apologetically. ‘It’s made her a little voluble. But not confused, do you think?’

‘No,’ said Kelsey. ‘She gave quite a clear account of what happened.’