He looked at me, as if he was seeing me for the first time. “Yes, the house was empty for the afternoon. I don’t know how or why Sir Toby came back. He knew Marie was off and that I would be kept all afternoon trying to muddle my way through the things he wanted done.” He looked at me again. “But you were on the yacht with him. You must know of his movements.”

“I left his yacht quite early in the day,” I said. “A friend came to the yacht to collect me in his motorboat, so I never saw in which direction Sir Toby eventually sailed. It was heading for Monte Carlo at the time I chose to leave.”

“I see.” He was frowning, trying to read the full meaning of my words.

“We all just arrived home,” I said, “and we happened to spot the body in the swimming pool.”

“It’s too bad, isn’t it?” Johnson made a face. “I thought I’d landed myself a plum job for once and I’d be in clover. Now I’m back to square one.” He sighed. “Oh, well. I suppose I’d better go down and face the music. I hope one of the policemen speaks some English. I don’t suppose one of you would like to come down and translate for me?”

“Certainly not,” Vera said. “Such impudence, talking to your betters like that.”

Johnson flushed. “I’m sorry, ma’am. I didn’t mean what I said. I meant one of your servants, of course. I’m just so flustered at the news. I won’t trouble you any longer.”

He hurried out. Mummy closed the door behind him. “What an extraordinary young man.”

“He was obviously very upset,” I said. “And frightened of dealing with foreign policemen. I can’t say I blame him. He’ll have to try to explain his own movements, won’t he?”

“Luckily for him he’s arrived back in the car to find the entrance blocked,” Mummy said. “That pretty much guarantees that he was not pushing his master into a swimming pool.”

“Why would he want to, anyway?” I said. “He’s upset that he’s lost such a good position. If he had been the one to hit his master over the head, he’d have absconded with some of Sir Toby’s art treasures.” As I said this I felt a horrid flush rising on my face, because stealing a treasure was exactly what I had planned to do. Thank heavens I hadn’t been caught in the house with the snuffbox in my hand and Sir Toby lying dead in the pool. That would have looked bad for me, wouldn’t it?

Suddenly Coco ran to the front door and wrenched it open again. “Young man, wait,” she called. Johnson was already at our gate. He turned and looked back hopefully.