‘He took his hands from his face. He had turned away with his back against the door. I—I got the impression he suddenly realized where he was. Then the shape moved away and turned misty and then disappeared. I heard the outer door shut.’

‘And at last you were able to escape?’

‘I waited for a moment.’ Miss Harris looked carefully at Alleyn. Perhaps she saw something in his eye that made her feel, after all, her recital had not been such a terrible affair.

‘It was awkward,’ she said, ‘wasn’t it? Honestly?’

‘Honestly,’ said Alleyn, ‘it was.’

CHAPTER NINETEEN

The General

‘THEN YOUR IDEA IS,’ said Fox as they headed again for Belgrave Square, ‘that this chap in the WC was the murderer.’

‘Yes, Fox, that is my idea. There’s no earthly reason why an innocent person should not admit to interrupting the telephone call and nobody has admitted to it. I’m afraid we’ll have to go again through the whole damn boiling, guests, servants and all, to make sure of our ground. And we’ll have to ask every man jack of ’em if they burst across the threshold of Miss Harris’s outer sanctuary. Every man jack. Thank the Lord there’s no need for the women, though from what I know of my niece Sarah we wouldn’t meet with many mantling cheeks and conscious looks among the débutantes. If nobody admits to the telephone incident, or to the sequel in the usual offices, then we can plot another joint in our pattern. We can say there is a strong probability that our man overheard Bunchy telephone to me, interrupted the sentence: “and he’s working with—” waited in the green sitting-room until Bunchy had gone and then blundered into the ante-room.’

‘But why would he do that?’ said Fox. ‘Did he think it was a man’s, or was he trying to avoid somebody? Or what?’

‘It’s a curious picture, isn’t it? That dim figure seen through the thick glass. Even in her mortal shame Miss Harris noticed that he seemed to be agitated. The hands over the face, the body leaning for a moment against the door. And then suddenly he pulls himself together and goes out. He looked, said Miss Harris, as though he’d had a shock. He’d just intercepted a telephone call to the Yard from a man who apparently knew all there was to know about his blackmailing activities. He might well feel he must blunder through the first door he came to and have a moment alone to pull himself together.’

‘Yes,’ agreed Fox, ‘so he might. I’d like something a bit more definite to hinge it on, though.’

‘And so, I promise you, would I. The detestable realms of conjecture! How I hate them.’

‘Miss Harris didn’t get us any further with the business down in the hall.’