We crossed the entrance hall and turned into the side corridor. The suit of armor was lying sprawled on the tiled floor. Suddenly a tall apparition wearing a helmet and visor staggered out at us, making Stella, who was first in line, scream. Darcy grabbed it. Then he said angrily, “Broxley-Foggett, what the devil do you think you’re doing?”

“I say, get this bally thing off me, will you?” a muffled voice said.

It took two of them to wrench the helmet off Algie’s head. He looked suitably sheepish. “Sorry about that, everyone,” he said. “Dashed silly of me, I know. I saw the suit of armor and I realized I was rather keen to be an extra in the film and wondered what I’d look like and whether Mr. Goldman might decide to make me a star too. So I put the helmet on and the blasted visor dropped and I couldn’t see where I was going. I must have knocked the whole bally thing over.”

“I’m surprised Mr. Goldman hasn’t bawled you out for knocking over one of his prized possessions,” Ronnie said. “Where did he go?”

“He was still in the library when I came out,” Algie said. “But I went to spend a penny and it took me hours to locate a loo. Almost left it too late, don’t you know? Had to put on a bit of a sprint. Do you know that even the lavatories have banners hanging in them?”

Ronnie stepped over the armor and pushed open the library door. The smell of cigar smoke still lingered in the air. “Mr. Goldman, sir?” he began. Then he said, “He’s not in there. That’s strange. Wouldn’t we have noticed if he had come out?” Then he said, “The candlesticks are missing.”

“What?” Darcy pushed past him into the room. I followed and saw the foot at about the same moment he muttered, “Oh my God.”

Chapter 19

Cy Goldman was lying between the big library table and the heavy drapes that were now closed around the window alcove. One of his candlesticks lay on the floor beside him, matted with hair and blood. I didn’t want to look but with that morbid fascination one has for anything gruesome I couldn’t help myself. The back of his head had been smashed in.

“Everyone stand back,” Darcy said. “Out of the room now and nobody touch anything. Someone should call the police.”