‘She’s dead—she is dead? There’s no chance that—that she might come round?’

Kelsey shook his head slowly.

‘It’s so awful,’ said Miss Chadwick, ‘with Miss Bulstrode away.’ She burst into tears. ‘This will ruin the school,’ she said. ‘This will ruin Meadowbank. I can’t bear it—I really can’t bear it.’

Kelsey sat down beside her. ‘I know,’ he said sympathetically, ‘I know. It’s been a terrible shock to you, but I want you to be brave, Miss Chadwick, and tell me all you know. The sooner we can find out who did it, the less trouble and publicity there will be.’

‘Yes, yes, I can see that. You see, I—I went to bed early because I thought it would be nice for once to have a nice long night. But I couldn’t go to sleep. I was worrying.’

‘Worrying about the school?’

‘Yes. And about Shaista being missing. And then I began thinking of Miss Springer and whether—whether her murder would affect the parents, and whether perhaps they wouldn’t send their girls back here next term. I was so terribly upset for Miss Bulstrode. I mean, she’s made this place. It’s been such a fine achievement.’

‘I know. Now go on telling me—you were worried, and you couldn’t sleep?’

‘No, I counted sheep and everything. And then I got up and took some aspirin and when I’d taken it I just happened to draw back the curtains from the window. I don’t quite know why. I suppose because I’d been thinking about Miss Springer. Then you see, I saw…I saw a light there.’

‘What kind of a light?’

‘Well, a sort of dancing light. I mean—I think it must have been a torch. It was just like the light that Miss Johnson and I saw before.’

‘It was just the same, was it?’

‘Yes. Yes, I think so. Perhaps a little feebler, but I don’t know.’

‘Yes. And then?’

‘And then,’ said Miss Chadwick, her voice suddenly becoming more resonant, ‘I was determined that this time I would see who it was out there and what they were doing. So I got up and pulled on my coat and my shoes, and I rushed out of the house.’

‘You didn’t think of calling anyone else?’

‘No. No, I didn’t. You see I was in such a hurry to get there, I was so afraid the person—whoever it was—would go away.’

‘Yes. Go on, Miss Chadwick.’

‘So I went as fast as I could. I went up to the door and just before I got there I went on tiptoe so that—so that I should be able to look in and nobody would hear me coming. I got there. The door was not shut—just ajar and I pushed it very slightly open. I looked round it and—and there she was. Fallen forward on her face, dead…’

She began to shake all over.

‘Yes, yes, Miss Chadwick, it’s all right. By the way, there was a golf club out there. Did you take it out? Or did Miss Vansittart?’