Rose swung around to look at him. "In essence there has, Morgan," she replied. "We came face-to-face with irrefutable logic, and we must go forward. Actually, Mr. Monk allowed the possibility of accident, but I do not. Two such accidents-it is absurd. Either Mr. Havilland and Mary both took their own lives, or Toby Argyll tried to kill Mary and fell in himself."

"Rose ...," he started to say, his face now heavy with concern.

"Oh, it's inescapable," she said, brushing aside his interruption, and turned again to Hester. "The question is: Who killed Mary? And it must be whoever killed James Havilland."

"Your logic is at fault, my dear," Applegate said gently, but his voice was quite firm. "According to the police, there was no one involved in poor Mary's death apart from Toby Argyll, and he, poor man, went off the bridge with her. If he was responsible, then he has already paid the ultimate price."

Rose looked at him patiently. "You have missed the point, Morgan. I am not concerned with trying to have someone pay! I wish to clear Mary of the sin of suicide, and of Toby's death also, if any might suppose she meant to pull him over. And I want to vindicate her father as well, which is what she wanted above all things."

"But-" he started.

"And possibly even more important," she went on, as if he had not spoken, "I want to show that they were both right in their fear of some terrible accident, so that we can still prevent it. So you see we are anything but finished! Is that not so, Mrs. Monk?" She turned her steady, bright gaze on Hester.

"Rose!" Applegate said exasperatedly. "You are placing Mrs. Monk in an impossible position! Please, you must not embarrass her."

"I am not embarrassed," Hester lied quickly. "But if I were, it could hardly matter! We are speaking of other people's deaths, and of the possible deaths and mutilation of scores of men, even hundreds, if there should be a major cave-in or a flood."

"You see?" Rose said with finality. "We must do everything we can, and we shall begin by learning whatever it was that Mary already knew."