John shook his head.

“But I couldn’t guarantee that no one was there. It was very windy. It was difficult enough to stand up. I was worried about Elizabeth and just hurried back into the observatory.”

“Which way did you go into the observatory—the door by the ringing room, or the back entrance by the kitchen?”

“The door by the ringing room. I wanted to make a note of the coastguard call-out. We get paid for the cone.”

“Did you see anyone there? Anyone who looked as if they had been out?”

“No.”

“Did you get the impression that everyone was still asleep?”

“I’m not sure,” John said slowly. He was thinking. “No. I did expect to see someone. I thought that one of the residents was up, but I can’t remember why. Perhaps I heard someone moving around in the common room. I’m not sure. I just wanted to get back to Elizabeth. I didn’t especially want to see anyone. I will try to remember.”

“Did Elizabeth tell you yesterday evening that Jerry had arranged to meet Charles in the seawatching hide?”

“No.”

“What sort of season has it been so far?” The polite, conventional question seemed strangely out of context.

“Very good. We had a lot of school parties in the summer. More recently there’ve been a couple of ringing groups—one from Edinburgh and one from Worcester. That’s why I can’t be certain who used that mist-net last. Everyone who comes uses our nets.”

“Yes. I see. Have there been any strangers hanging round the observatory? Anyone trying to camp?”

“Campers are always a problem in the summer, but there’s been no one recently. And in the summer they were only kids.”

John said hopefully, uncertainly: “ Do you think that someone from outside might have killed him?”

“No. It’s a possibility I suppose, but really very unlikely.”

“Have you any idea who…?”

George interrupted: “No. Not yet.”

“I was just going to the kitchen to get a cup of tea,” John said. He seemed restless. He wanted to get away from the generator shed and the questions. “Will you come?”

“No, thank you. Not just yet. Will all the ringing records be in the log in the common room?”

“All except last week’s. They’re on the day sheets in the ringing room.”

“Did you catch any waders last week?”

“I didn’t, but the Worcester Ringing Group who were staying did.”

“You didn’t go out with them?”

“No.” He grinned. “I wanted to get the place tidied up for the committee weekend.”

“Were any of the committee over?”

“Nick came for a couple of evenings. The Worcester lot have been here before and he’s quite friendly with them. I think they did more drinking than ringing, though. Jasmine spent all day Tuesday here. I picked her up in the morning and took her back after the tide. I don’t know if she did any mist netting, though she had a tremendous seawatch. She saw Sabine’s gull. I remember it very well, because I need it for the island.”