The Todds’ house stood on a corner and was the biggest in the quiet street. George knocked on the door. It was opened immediately by a motherly, middle-aged woman. She seemed embarrassed, and in the hall she introduced herself as Elsie, Albert’s daughter-in-law.

Then she whispered: “You mustn’t mind him. Don’t be offended. He gets peculiar ideas. It’s his age.”

She showed him into a small sitting room. George had expected to see a frail and elderly man. He was surprised at once by the size and the power of Albert Todd. He was large and fleshy with rather short legs, so he was stranded on his high chair, like a whale on a beach, but he did not seem ridiculous. He had his eyes shut. That gave an impression not of rest, but of regeneration. He did not acknowledge George’s presence in the room, but George was sure that the old man knew he was there. The eyes opened slowly and were fixed, unblinking, on George’s face.

“You’ve been asking questions about me,” the old man said. His voice was deep, his accent broad, unchanged since childhood. “ Why was that then?”

He spoke slowly, but his eyes were alert and angry.

“Not about you,” George said. “About your sons’ business.”

“It’s my business.” The reply was loud and furious.

“I’m sorry,” George said. “If I had realized I should have come to you first.”

“They should all remember that I still own the business. I’m not dead yet.”

Then he leaned back on his chair, the anger past.

“Well,” he said, speaking slowly again. “ You’re here now, so ask away.”

But George would not go straight to the point. He would not allow himself to be bullied by this formidable old man.

“How did you know that I was asking questions about the business?”

“There’s not much about the business that I don’t know. At least, there never used to be.”

“So you didn’t know what was going on between Charlie and your other sons?”

Albert did not answer, but George knew that he had scored a point.

“Did your sons tell you that I’d been asking questions?”

“Laurence said you’d been into the office. I’ve got other friends who said that someone was being nosy.”

“So you know the questions I’ve been asking. I wanted to know if Charlie had been blackmailing the family. I’ve been asking if there has been any irregularity or fraud which could have been used against you. I still want to know.”

Albert shut yellow, reptilian eyelids. He was thinking. He was obviously coming to a difficult decision. George did not interrupt. He waited until the eyes opened again.

“Are you a friend of young Mardle?” the old man asked sharply.

“Yes,” George said. “ I suppose that I am.”

“Is this in confidence? You won’t go bleating to the police?”

“Not unless it’s relevant to the murder.”

“So that’s why you’re interested. You don’t think that Mardle did it either. I told Savage that the boy wouldn’t have killed Charlie. He didn’t take any notice. When I heard that you’d been asking questions, I started asking some of my own. They knew that I wouldn’t have approved. That’s why they didn’t tell me. I don’t blame Laurence. I don’t think he liked it any more than I did.”