‘I don’t know,’ I said. What was I supposed to know about?

Eventually White was brought into the hall, escorted by a uniformed policeman. Hanna looked at him levelly for a long time, then said, ‘Remember what you told me when we met last?’

‘Yes, sir.’

‘Right. You saw a woman taking out that dinghy at four in the morning.’

‘Yes, sir.’

‘Who was it?’

‘I don’t know, sir.’

‘You said you thought it was Mrs Salton.’

‘Who else would it be?’ White shuffled his feet embarrassedly.

‘How long have you worked here?’

‘Ever since Mr David built the place.’

‘And you’ve always looked after the boats?’

‘Yes, sir. Mr David – he said I looked after them well. That’s when he gave me a raise.’

‘Now, listen carefully to this question. Have you ever known Mrs Salton take out a dinghy alone at night?’

White frowned and his feet jiggled around some more. At last, after evidently painful thought, he said, ‘No, sir. I don’t recollect any time she did that.’

Hanna permitted himself a snort of exasperation. ‘But this time you thought it was Mrs Salton. Why?’

‘Well, who else would take it?’ His brows knitted together. ‘I thought it was all right if Mr David was there.’

Hanna was momentarily speechless, then he spluttered, ‘Salton was there?’

‘I don’t know, sir. I didn’t see him.’

I thought Hanna was going to explode, so I touched his arm. ‘Hang on a minute.’ To White, I said gently, ‘Let’s get this straight, Raymond. You saw a woman in the dinghy in the moonlight. You couldn’t identify her for sure, but you thought it was Mrs Salton. And because you thought it was Mrs Salton, you assumed that Mr Salton was in the boat as well. Is that what you’re saying?’

White’s brow cleared. ‘Yes, sir,’ he said eagerly. ‘That’s it exactly.’

‘But you didn’t actually see Mr Salton?’

‘No, sir.’

‘Or any other man?’

‘No, sir.’

I said to Hanna, ‘I think that’s it.’

Hanna made a sign to the waiting policeman. ‘Take him away,’ he said disgustedly. ‘Keep an eye on him, though.’ To me, he said, ‘Not just loyal, but stupid.’

‘What now?’

‘We talk to Mrs Salton again.’

We went back and found Stern giving Jill the length of his tongue. He was saying, ‘… and if you ignore my advice like this ever again, I shall have to think seriously about representing you.’ He looked up as we came in and shut his mouth like a steel trap.

Hanna said, ‘Forgive me, Mrs Salton. I am obliged to put this question to you formally. Did you kill your husband?’

Stern was horrified. ‘Superintendent!’

‘Shut up, Abel,’ said Jill, and stood up and faced Hanna. ‘No, I did not kill my husband.’

‘Did you take the dinghy from the boathouse on the morning of the tenth?’

‘No, I did not.’