“All the same,” George said. “ You will talk to us.”

“I’ll talk to you, but it’ll do no good.”

In that she was right. She had spent most of the wedding party in the kitchen, she said. Mary was supposed to help her, but she had always been unreliable. Maggie had left the hall for a few minutes to get some air during the interval, but had seen nothing suspicious. There were lots of people coming and going. Then she had asked Agnes where Mary had been and all the fuss had started. As soon as they had drunk their tea, George and Sarah left.

Outside in the road Alec had the lorry’s bonnet up and was fiddling with the engine. He heard them coming, stood up, smiled lewdly at Sarah.

“Got your chaperon?” he said. “That’s a pity.”

“Where are the police?” George asked.

“Taking statements, they said. I lent them my car. It saves me having to hang around with them.”

“I haven’t seen them yet,” Sarah said. “ Perhaps I’d better go home.”

“Yes,” George said. He was quite happy for her to go. Alec watched her walk away down the road, whistled softly under his breath.

“Did you talk to Sylvia Drysdale in Taft on Monday morning?” George asked.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Alec gave a last, lingering look at Sarah, then turned his attention back to the lorry.

“I need to know,” George said. “Two people have died. I need to know what was going on between you and Sylvia Drysdale.”

Alec stood up. He was balancing the spanner in his hand as if it were a weapon.

“Let the police do their own dirty work, he said. “ Whatever happens on Kinness has nothing to do with you. You might bully other folk into answering your questions, but you’ll not bully me.”

Deliberately he turned his back on George once more.

As George walked back towards the school house the plane took off from the airstrip. He was glad to see the police go. Their presence had only added to the pressure. The men had irritated him. But he had expected them to consult him before they left, and he felt belittled because they had ignored him.