“No,” Jimmy said shortly. “I spoke to Father in his study, came across the hall, went straight in to the sitting room where Bill was, and shut the door after me. I didn’t know Maurice was following me, if he was. I didn’t see anyone except Pat and Fen on the way.”

“I stayed in the sitting room after you ladies left,” Bill added. “The door was open until Jimmy came in. Once he shut it, I don’t suppose I’d have noticed anyone walking past unless they made a racket, which nobody did.”

“What did you do then?” Pat asked. “Were you both in there until lunch?”

“No,” Jimmy said. “I went—”

“Yes,” Bill said over him. “Of course we were.”

There was a second’s silence, in which nobody breathed. Jimmy looked round at Bill, eyes wide. Bill said, “You’re thinking of the other day, you fool. You were with me yesterday morning, in the sitting room, until lunch. Weren’t you?”

His tone didn’t allow for contradiction. Jimmy swallowed. “Uh, yes. I suppose you’re right.”

“I am right.”

“What were you up to?” Jack asked.

Jimmy opened his mouth, then flickered a glance to Bill, who said, “Just talking. We sat and discussed various matters—financial, you’ll excuse me from going into detail—until the luncheon gong sounded. Jimmy was with me the entire time.”

“Yes,” Jimmy said. “That’s right. How absurd of me.”

Pat opened her mouth with no idea what to say. Fen put in, “But you must have heard something in that time?”

“What do you mean?” Jimmy asked.

“Well, Mr. Haworth didn’t come to lunch, which I expect is because he couldn’t. And that room, the one he was found in, is right above the one you were in, isn’t it?”

Bill shut his eyes. “Great Scott. Are you seriously suggesting he was murdered up there while Jimmy and I were talking downstairs?”

“Wasn’t he?”

“All I can say is, we didn’t hear it. Not consciously, at least. This is a creaky old place at the best of times and there was that howling wind. I would have thought I’d have heard a scream, still, but I didn’t. Given how little blood there was, he may not have had time to cry out.”

Fen shuddered. “Would you not have heard someone walking around above you?”

“Well, I didn’t,” Jimmy said shortly.

“Nor I,” Bill said. “Or perhaps I did but it’s what Jack said: there was no reason to notice or remember. There are plenty of people in the house, all of whom were entitled to go anywhere they pleased, including upstairs.”

“Indeed,” Jack said. “So you didn’t notice if Maurice went straight up to the room where he was killed? Surely you’d have heard him going up the stairs after Jimmy came in, if he was right behind you?”