Trehern peered sidelong at him. He waited for a moment and then said: ‘I seed the doctor, in ‘is launch. Putting out across the gap to go home, he was, having seen Bessy Trethaway, over the way, yurr, come to light with another in this sinful vale of tears.’

‘Is your clock right?’

‘Good as gold,’ he said quickly. ‘Can’t go wrong.’

‘Can I see it?’

He looked as if he might refuse but in the end, lurched into the house, followed by Fox, and returned with a battered alarm clock. Alleyn checked it by his watch.

‘Six minutes slow,’ he said.

Trehern burst out angrily: ‘I don’t have no call for clocks! I’m a seafaring chap and read the time of day off of the face of nature. Sky and tides is good enough for me and my mates in the bay’ll bear me out. Six minutes fast or six minutes slow by thicky clock’s no matter to me. I looked outer my winder and it wur dead water and dead water come when I said it come and if that there por female was sent to make the best of ’ erself before ‘er Maker when I looked outer my winder she died at dead water and that’s an end of it.’

‘Trehern,’ Alleyn said, ‘what are you going to make of this? Mrs Trethaway’s baby was born at seven-thirty and Dr Maine left in his launch about ten minutes later. You’re a full half hour out in your times.’

There was a long silence.

‘Well?’ Alleyn said. ‘Any comment?’

He broke into a stream of oaths and disjointed expostulations. Did they call him a liar? Nobody called Jim Trehern a liar and got away with it. If they weren’t going to believe him why did they ask? There was talk against him in the bay. Jealousy seemed to be implied. His anger modulated through resentfulness and fear into his familiar occupational whine. Finally he said that a man could make mistakes, couldn’t he? When Alleyn asked if he meant that he’d mistaken the time, Trehern said he didn’t want his words taken out of his mouth and used against him. He could scarcely have made a more dubious showing. He was joined briefly by his spouse who emerged from the interior, stood blinking in the back doorway, and was peremptorily ordered back by her husband. Inside the cottage, actors could be heard, galloping about on horses and shouting ‘C’m’ on. Let’s go,’ to each other. Wally, Alleyn supposed, was enjoying television.

Trehern suddenly bawled out: ‘You boy! Wal! Come yurr! Come out of it when you’re bid!’

Wally shambled into the back porch, saw Alleyn and smiled widely.

‘Come on!’ his father said and took him by the arm. Wally began to whimper.

‘Now then. Tell truth and shame the devil. You been chucking rocks?’

‘No. No, I be’ant.’