‘I told her! I told her I was the only one to lay my poor girl out and make her look more like herself. She said I couldn’t. She said she wasn’t to be touched by doctor’s orders. Doctor’s orders! I’d of pulled her away and gone through. I’d got me hands on ’er to do it, but it was too late.’

She turned to Fox. ‘He’d come in. He was coming upstairs. She said, “That’s the police. D’you want to get yourself locked up?” I had to give over and I went to my room.’

‘I’m afraid she was right, Florence.’

‘Are you! That shows how much you know! I wasn’t to touch the body! Me! Me, that loved her. All right! So what was Clara Plumtree doing in the bedroom? Now!’

‘What!’ Fox ejaculated. ‘In the bedroom? Mrs Plumtree?’

‘Ah!’ Florence cried out in a kind of triumph. ‘Her! She’d been in there herself and let her try and deny it!’

Alleyn said: ‘How do you know she’d been in the bedroom?’

‘How? Because I heard the tank filling and the basin tap running in the bathroom beyond. She’d been in there doing what it was my right to do. Laying her hands on my poor girl.’

‘But why do you suppose this? Why?’

Her lips trembled and she rubbed her hand across them. ‘Why! Why! I’ll tell you why. Because she smelt of that scent. Smelt of it, I tell you, so strong it would sicken you. So if you’re going to lock anybody up, you can start on Clara Plumtree.’

Her mouth twisted. Suddenly she burst into tears and blundered out of the room.

Fox shut the door after her and removed his spectacles. ‘A tartar,’ he observed.

‘Yes,’ Alleyn agreed. ‘A faithful, treacherous, jealous, pig-headed tartar. You never know how they’ll cut up in a crisis. Never. And I fancy, for our pains, we’ve got a brace of them in this party.’

As if to confirm this opinion there was a heavy single bang on the door. It swung violently open and there, on the threshold was Old Ninn Plumtree with PC Philpott, only less red-faced than herself, towering in close attendance.

‘Lay a finger on me, young man,’ Old Ninn was saying, ‘and I’ll make a public example of you.’

‘I’m sure I’m very sorry, sir,’ said Philpott. ‘The lady insists on seeing you and short of taking her in charge I don’t seem to be able to prevent it.’

‘All right, Philpott,’ Alleyn said. ‘Come in, Ninn. Come in.’