‘And another thing,’ invisibly screamed Mrs Bagg. ‘What was them two Americans doing nosey-parkering about the place last-week-was a-month-back, taking photers and never letting-on they was the same as before.’

Alleyn set himself to bawl again and thought better of it. ‘What does she mean?’ he asked Mr Bagg.

‘You don’t have to notice,’ he said. ‘But it’s correct, all right. They been here before, see, taking photographs and Mum recognized them. She wouldn’t have made nothink of it only for suspecting they done us.’

‘When were they here? Where did they stay?’

‘In the spring. May. Late April: I wouldn’t know. But it was them all right. They made out, when I says weren’t they here before, they was that taken with the place they come back for more.’

‘You’re sure about this?’

‘Don’t be funny,’ Mr Bagg said. ‘Course I’m sure. This way, for Gawd’s sake.’

They went out. Mr Bagg had re-addressed himself to the door when Alleyn said: ‘Can you tell us anything about these motorcyclists?’

‘Them? Couple of mods. Staying up at the Star in Chantry Street. Tearing about the country all hours and disturbing people. Tuesday evening Mum ‘eard something in our yard and caught the chap nosing round. Looking for old chain he said, but she didn’t fancy him. She took against him very strong, did Mum, and anyway we ain’t got no old chain. Chain!’

‘Why,’ began Mr Tillottson on a note of anguish, ‘didn’t you mention—’

‘I never give it a thought. You can’t think of everything.’

‘Nor you can,’ Alleyn hurriedly intervened. ‘But now you have thought, can you tell us what drew Mrs Bagg’s attention to the chap in the yard?’

‘Like I said, she ‘eard something.’

‘What, though?’

‘Some sort of screech. I ‘eard it too.’

‘You did!’

‘But I was engaged with a customer,’ Mr Bagg said majestically, ‘in my shop.’

‘Could the screech have been made by the door in the sideboard?’

Mr Bagg peered into Alleyn’s face as if into that of an oracle. ‘Mister,’ he said, ‘it not only could but it did.’ He took thought and burst into protestation.

‘Look,’ he said. ‘I want an explanation. If I been done I want to know how I been done. If I been in possession of a valuable article and sold this article for a gift without being fully informed I want to get it back, fair and proper. Now.’

They left him discontentedly pursuing this thought but not loudly enough to arouse the curiosity of old Mrs Bagg. The door shrieked and slammed and they heard the bolts shoot home on the inside.

‘Star Inn,’ Alleyn said as they got in the car but when they reached the inn it was to find that the motorbicyclists had paid their bill the previous evening and set off for an unknown destination. They had registered as Mr and Mrs John Smith.