Smith stopped short. ‘So he did go to the Bay,’ he yelled.

‘Yeh? And when Uncle James said wasn’t it a pity the pootacows weren’t in bloom he said yes, too bad. And they were blazing there all the time.’

‘He did go to the Bay. He took Huia. You ask Huia. Eru told me. So get to hell,’ added Smith and disappeared.

‘What do you know about that!’ Simon demanded. ‘Here, do you reckon Eru changed his shirt in our kitchen? Or was it another man on the hill that Questing saw?’

‘He did not go to Pohutukawa Bay,’ said his uncle. ‘I bowled him over. I completely bowled him over. Huia!’

After a short delay Huia, still weeping, appeared in the doorway.

‘What you want?’ she sobbed.

‘Did you go in Mr Questing’s car to Pohutukawa Bay on the day when Smith was nearly run over?’

‘I never do anything bad with him,’ roared poor Huia, relapsing into pidgin English. ‘Only go for drive to te Bay and come back. Never stop te engine, all time.’

‘Did you see the pootacows?’ said Simon.

‘How can we go to Pohutukawa Bay and not see pohutukawas? Of course we see pohutukawas like blazes all over te shop.’

‘Did Eru Saul change his shirt in the kitchen that night?’

‘What te devil you ask me nex’! Let me catch him change his shirt in my kitchen.’

‘Oh, gee!’ said Simon disgustedly and Huia plunged back into the house.

‘It must be nearly lunch time,’ the Colonel remarked vaguely. He followed Huia indoors and shouted for his wife.

‘This is a madhouse,’ said Dr Ackrington.

Webley came out of Questing’s room. ‘Mr Bell,’ he said, ‘may I trouble you, please?’

IV

‘I couldn’t feel more uncomfortable,’ Dikon thought as he walked along the verandah, ‘if I’d killed poor old Questing myself. It’s extraordinary.’

Webley stood on one side at the door, followed Dikon inside and shut it. The blind was pulled down and the light was on so that Dikon was vividly reminded of his visit of the previous night. The pearl-grey worsted suit was still neatly disposed upon a chair. The ties and the puce-coloured pyjamas were in their former positions. Webley went to the dressing-table and took up an envelope. Dikon saw with astonishment that it was addressed to himself in the neat commercial script of Smith’s talisman.

‘Before you open this, Mr Bell, I’d like to have a witness.’ He put his head round the door and mumbled audibly. Mr Falls was cautiously admitted.

‘A witness before or after the fact, Sergeant?’ he asked archly.

‘A witness to the fact, shall we say, sir?’

‘But why in heaven’s name did he write to me?’ Dikon murmured.

‘That’s what we’ll find out, Mr Bell. Will you open it?’