‘… I would like to emphasize that until the pathologist’s report comes in, there can be no certainty, but in the meantime I think we must try to arrive at a complete pattern of events. There are a number of points still to be settled and to that end I have kept you so long and asked you to come here. Fox?’

Fox had brought a small case with him. He now opened it, produced the empty scent bottle and laid it on the table.

‘“Unguarded,”’ Alleyn said and turned to Pinky. ‘Your birthday present, wasn’t it?’

Pinky said angrily: ‘What have you done with the scent? Sorry,’ she added. ‘It doesn’t matter, of course. It’s only that – well, it was full this morning.’

‘When you gave it to Miss Bellamy? In this room?’

‘That’s right.’

Alleyn turned to Florence. ‘Can you help us?’

‘I filled her spray from it,’ Florence said mulishly.

‘That wouldn’t account for the lot, Florry,’ Pinky pointed out.

‘Was the spray empty?’ Alleyn asked.

‘Just about. She didn’t mind mixing them.’

‘And how much was left in the bottle?’

‘He asked me all this,’ Florence said, jerking her head at Fox.

‘And now I do.’

‘About that much,’ she muttered, holding her thumb and forefinger an inch apart.

‘About a quarter. And the spray was full?’

She nodded.

Fox, with the expertise of a conjuror, produced the scent spray and placed it by the bottle.

‘And only about “that much,” ‘Alleyn pointed out, ‘is now in the spray. So we’ve got pretty well three-quarters of this large bottle of scent to account for, haven’t we?’

‘I fail utterly,’ Warrender began, ‘to see what you think you’re driving at.’

‘Perhaps you can help. I understand, sir, that you actually used this thing earlier in the day.’

‘Not on myself, God damn it!’ Warrender ejaculated and then shot an uneasy glance at Charles Templeton.

Gantry gave a snort of delight.

‘On Miss Bellamy?’ Alleyn suggested.

‘Naturally.’

‘And did you happen to notice how much was left?’

‘It was over three-quarters full. What!’ Warrender demanded, appealing to Charles.

‘I didn’t notice,’ he said, and put his hand over his eyes.

‘Do you mind telling me, sir, how you came to do this?’

‘Not a bit: why should I?’ Warrender rejoined, and with every appearance of exquisite discomfort added: ‘She asked me to. Didn’t she, Charles?’

He nodded.

Alleyn pressed for more detail and got an awkward account of the scene with a grudging confirmation from Florence and a leaden one from Charles.

‘Did you use a great deal of the scent?’ he asked.

‘Fair amount. She asked me to,’ Warrender angrily repeated.

Charles shuddered and Alleyn said: ‘It’s very strong, isn’t it? Even the empty bottle seems to fill the room if one takes the stopper out.’