She turned to Kelsey.

‘Have you people finished with the Sports Pavilion? It’s awkward if we can’t use it.’

‘We’ve finished with it. Clean as a whistle—from our point of view, I mean. For whatever reason the murder was committed—there’s nothing there now to help us. It’s just a Sports Pavilion with the usual equipment.’

‘Nothing in the girls’ lockers?’

Inspector Kelsey smiled.

‘Well—this and that—copy of a book—French—called Candide—with—er—illustrations. Expensive book.’

‘Ah,’ said Miss Bulstrode. ‘So that’s where she keeps it! Giselle d’Aubray, I suppose?’

Kelsey’s respect for Miss Bulstrode rose.

‘You don’t miss much, M’am,’ he said.

‘She won’t come to harm with Candide,’ said Miss Bulstrode. ‘It’s a classic. Some forms of pornography I do confiscate. Now I come back to my first question. You have relieved my mind about the publicity connected with the school. Can the school help you in anyway? Can I help you?’

‘I don’t think so, at the moment. The only thing I can ask is, has anything caused you uneasiness this term? Any incident? Or any person?’

Miss Bulstrode was silent for a moment or two. Then she said slowly:

‘The answer, literally, is: I don’t know.’

Adam said quickly:

‘You’ve got a feeling that something’s wrong?’

‘Yes—just that. It’s not definite. I can’t put my finger on any person, or any incident—unless—’

She was silent for a moment, then she said:

‘I feel—I felt at the time—that I’d missed something that I ought not to have missed. Let me explain.’

She recited briefly the little incident of Mrs Upjohn and the distressing and unexpected arrival of Lady Veronica.

Adam was interested.

‘Let me get this clear, Miss Bulstrode. Mrs Upjohn, looking out of the window, this front window that gives on the drive, recognized someone. There’s nothing in that. You have over a hundred pupils and nothing is more likely than for Mrs Upjohn to see some parent or relation that she knew. But you are definitely of the opinion that she was astonished to recognize that person—in fact, that it was someone whom she would not have expected to see at Meadowbank?’

‘Yes, that was exactly the impression I got.’

‘And then through the window looking in the opposite direction you saw one of the pupils’ mothers, in a state of intoxication, and that completely distracted your mind from what Mrs Upjohn was saying?’

Miss Bulstrode nodded.

‘She was talking for some minutes?’

‘Yes.’

‘And when your attention did return to her, she was speaking of espionage, of Intelligence work she had done in the war before she married?’

‘Yes.’

‘It might tie up,’ said Adam thoughtfully. ‘Someone she had known in her war days. A parent or relation of one of your pupils, or it could have been a member of your teaching staff.’

‘Hardly a member of my staff,’ objected Miss Bulstrode.

‘It’s possible.’

‘We’d better get in touch with Mrs Upjohn,’ said Kelsey. ‘As soon as possible. You have her address, Miss Bulstrode?’

‘Of course. But I believe she is abroad at the moment. Wait—I will find out.’