ALLEYN STOOD in front of Adam Poole’s portrait and looked at his little group of fellow-policemen.

‘Well,’ he said. ‘I’ve done it.’

‘Very unusual,’ said Fox.

Bailey and Thompson stared at the floor.

Gibson blew out a long breath and wiped his forehead.

PC Lamprey looked as if he would like to speak but knew his place too well. Alleyn caught his eye. ‘That, Mike,’ he said, ‘was an almost flawless example of how an investigating officer is not meant to behave. You will be good enough to forget it.’

‘Certainly, sir.’

‘What do you reckon, Mr Alleyn?’ Fox asked. ‘A confession? Brazen it out? Attempt to escape? Or what?’

‘There’ll be no escape, Mr Fox,’ Gibson said. ‘We’ve got the place plastered outside. No cars without supervision within a quarter of a mile and a full description.’

‘I said “attempt”, Fred,’ Mr Fox pointed out majestically.

‘If I’ve bungled,’ Alleyn muttered, ‘I’ve at least bungled in a big way. A monumental mess.’

They looked uneasily at him. Bailey astonished everybody by saying to his boots, with all his customary moroseness: ‘That’ll be the day.’

‘Don’t talk Australian,’ Mr Fox chided immediately but he looked upon Bailey with approval.

A door in the passage opened and shut.

‘Here we go,’ said Alleyn.

A moment later there was a tap at the greenroom door and Parry Percival came in. He wore a dark overcoat, a brilliant scarf, yellow gloves and a green hat.

‘If I’m still under suspicion,’ he said, ‘I’d like to know but I suppose no one will tell me.’

Fox said heartily: ‘I shouldn’t worry about that if I were you, sir. If you’d just give me your address and phone number. Purely as a reference.’

Parry gave them and Lamprey wrote them down.

‘Thank you, Mr Percival,’ Alleyn said. ‘Goodnight.’ Parry walked to the door. ‘They all seem to be going home in twos except me,’ he said. ‘Which is rather dreary. I hope no one gets coshed for his pains. Considering one of them seems to be a murderer it’s not too fantastic a notion though I suppose you know your own business. Oh, well. Goodnight.’

Evidently he collided with Gay Gainsford in the passage. They heard her ejaculation and his fretful apology. She came in followed by Darcey.

‘I couldn’t face this alone,’ she said and looked genuinely frightened. ‘So George brought me.’

‘Perfectly in order, Miss Gainsford,’ Fox assured her.

Darcey, whose face was drawn and white, stood near the door. She looked appealingly at him and he came forward and gave their addresses and telephone numbers. His voice sounded old. ‘I should like to see this lady home,’ he said and was at once given leave to do so. Alleyn opened the door for them and they went out, arm in arm.