‘No,’ said Mrs Folliat, ‘I’m afraid she doesn’t. I don’t think these good secretaries ever do care for wives much, if you know what I mean. Perhaps it’s natural.’

‘Was it you or Lady Stubbs who asked Miss Brewis to take cakes and a fruit drink to the girl in the boathouse?’

Mrs Folliat looked slightly surprised.

‘I remember Miss Brewis collecting some cakes and things and saying she was taking them along to Marlene. I didn’t know anyone had particularly asked her to do it, or arranged about it. It certainly wasn’t me.’

‘I see. You say you were in the tea tent from four o’clock on. I believe Mrs Legge was also having tea in the tent at that time.’

‘Mrs Legge? No, I don’t think so. At least I don’t remember seeing her there. In fact, I’m quite sure she wasn’t there. We’d had a great influx by the bus from Torquay, and I remember looking round the tent and thinking that they must all be summer visitors; there was hardly a face there that I knew. I think Mrs Legge must have come in to tea later.’

‘Oh, well,’ said the inspector, ‘it doesn’t matter.’ He added smoothly, ‘Well, I really think that’s all. Thank you, Mrs Folliat, you’ve been very kind. We can only hope that Lady Stubbs will return shortly.’

‘I hope so, too,’ said Mrs Folliat. ‘Very thoughtless of the dear child giving us all so much anxiety.’ She spoke briskly but the animation in her voice was not very natural. ‘I’m sure,’ said Mrs Folliat, ‘that she’s quite all right. Quite all right.’

At that moment the door opened and an attractive young woman with red hair and a freckled face came in, and said:

‘I hear you’ve been asking for me?’

‘This is Mrs Legge, Inspector,’ said Mrs Folliat. ‘Sally, dear, I don’t know whether you’ve heard about the terrible thing that has happened?’

‘Oh, yes! Ghastly, isn’t it?’ said Mrs Legge. She uttered an exhausted sigh, and sank down in the chair as Mrs Folliat left the room.

‘I’m terribly sorry about all this,’ she said. ‘It seems really unbelievable, if you know what I mean. I’m afraid I can’t help you in any way. You see, I’ve been telling fortunes all the afternoon, so I haven’t seen anything of what was going on.’

‘I know, Mrs Legge. But we just have to ask everybody the same routine questions. For instance, just where were you between four-fifteen and five o’clock?’

‘Well, I went and had tea at four o’clock.’

‘In the tea tent?’

‘Yes.’

‘It was very crowded, I believe?’

‘Oh, frightfully crowded.’

‘Did you see anyone you knew there?’