It was at this point that one of the stage-hands, following, no doubt, his routine for the night, pulled up the curtain and exhibited the scene of climax to the deserted auditorium.

CHAPTER EIGHT

After-Piece

WHEN MARTYN considered the company as they sat about their own working stage, bruised by anxiety and fatigue, Jacko’s ugly word sounded not so much frightening as preposterous. It was unthinkable that it could kindle even a bat-light of fear in any of their hearts. ‘And yet,’ thought Martyn, ‘it has done so. There are little points of terror, burning in all of us like match-flames.’

After Jacko had spoken there was a long silence broken at last by Adam Poole who asked temperately: ‘Are we to understand, Alleyn, that you have quite ruled out the possibility of suicide?’

‘By no means,’ Alleyn rejoined. ‘I still hope you may be able, among you, to show that there is at least a clear enough probability of suicide for us to leave the case as it stands until the inquest. But where there are strong indications that it may not be suicide we can’t risk waiting as long as that without a pretty exhaustive look round.’

‘And there are such indications?’

‘There are indeed.’

‘Strong?’

Alleyn waited a moment. ‘Sufficiently strong,’ he said.

‘What are they?’ Dr Rutherford demanded.

‘It must suffice,’ Alleyn quibbled politely, ‘that they are sufficient.’

‘An elegant sufficiency, by God!’

‘But, Mr Alleyn,’ Helena cried out, ‘what can we tell you? Except that we all most sincerely believe that Ben did this himself. Because we know him to have been bitterly unhappy. What else is there for us to say?’

‘It will help, you know, when we get a clear picture of what you were all doing and where you were between the time he left the stage and the time he was found. Inspector Fox is checking now with the stage-staff. I propose to do so with the players.’

‘I see,’ she said. She leant forward and her air of reasonableness and attention was beautifully executed. ‘You want to find out which of us had the opportunity to murder Ben?’

Gay Gainsford and Parry began an outcry but Helena raised her hand and they were quiet. ‘That’s it, isn’t it?’ she said.

‘Yes,’ Alleyn said, ‘that really is it. I fancy you would rather be spared the stock evasions about routine inquiries and all the rest of it.’

‘Much rather.’

‘I was sure of it,’ Alleyn said. ‘Then shall we start with you, if you please?’

‘I was on the stage for the whole of that time, Mr Alleyn. There’s a scene, before Ben’s exit between J.G.—that’s Mr Darcey, over there—Parry, Adam, Ben and myself. Then J.G. and Parry go off and Ben follows a moment later. Adam and I finish the play.’

‘So you, too,’ Alleyn said to Poole, ‘were here, on the stage, for the whole of this period?’