“Oh, that was my doing. I said to him, when he told me about the will: ‘And suppose Blackie dies before I do?’ He was quite surprised. I said, ‘Oh, I know Blackie is as strong as a horse and I’m a delicate creature—but there’s such a thing as accidents, you know, and there’s such a thing as creaking gates …’ And he said, ‘There’s no one—absolutely no one.’ I said, ‘There’s Sonia.’ And he said at once, ‘And let that fellow get hold of my money? No—indeed!’ I said, ‘Well, her children then. Pip and Emma, and there may be lots more by now’—and so he grumbled, but he did put it in.”

“And from that day to this,” Craddock said slowly, “you’ve heard nothing of your sister-in-law or her children?”

“Nothing—they may be dead—they may be—anywhere.”

They may be in Chipping Cleghorn, thought Craddock.

As though she read his thoughts, a look of alarm came into Belle Goedler’s eyes. She said, “Don’t let them hurt Blackie. Blackie’s good—really good—you mustn’t let harm come to—”

Her voice trailed off suddenly. Craddock saw the sudden grey shadows round her mouth and eyes.

“You’re tired,” he said. “I’ll go.”

She nodded.

“Send Mac to me,” she whispered. “Yes, tired …” She made a feeble motion of her hand. “Look after Blackie … Nothing must happen to Blackie … look after her….”

“I’ll do my very best, Mrs. Goedler.” He rose and went to the door.

Her voice, a thin thread of sound, followed him….

“Not long now—until I’m dead—dangerous for her—Take care….”

Sister McClelland passed him as he went out. He said, uneasily:

“I hope I haven’t done her harm.”

“Oh, I don’t think so, Mr. Craddock. I told you she would tire quite suddenly.”

Later, he asked the nurse:

“The only thing I hadn’t time to ask Mrs. Goedler was whether she had any old photographs? If so, I wonder—”

She interrupted him.

“I’m afraid there’s nothing of that kind. All her personal papers and things were stored with their furniture from the London house at the beginning of the war. Mrs. Goedler was desperately ill at the time. Then the storage despository was blitzed. Mrs. Goedler was very upset at losing so many personal souvenirs and family papers. I’m afraid there’s nothing of that kind.”

So that was that, Craddock thought.

Yet he felt his journey had not been in vain. Pip and Emma, those twin wraiths, were not quite wraiths.