“Thank you, Miss Brightwell,” the sheriff said. “I’m not sure what we’re going to do with you at this point, but I suggest that we all get some breakfast and we’ll see how things turn out. And please don’t think of trying to escape. There’s no way out of here except through that gate and my men are guarding it.”

“Thank heavens for that. I’m starving,” Belinda said.

“You can let go of her now.” The sheriff looked from Belinda to me. “Nice work, ladies,” he said. “Very astute of you, and gutsy too. You English ladies are not the prissy little wallflowers you are claimed to be.” He took Bella’s arm. “Come along, little lady. I want to keep you in my sight.”

“Prissy little wallflowers indeed,” Belinda muttered into my ear as we crossed the foyer. “Odious man. I’m of a good mind to help Bella escape.”

“I don’t think you’d better do that. Darcy wouldn’t be pleased.”

We heard the sheriff’s big boots echoing behind us until we reached the corridor leading to the library, where the sheriff paused. “Before we go and eat I’d like you to take just one more look, Miss Brightwell,” he said. “Just to see if anything else triggers your mind. You never know . . . any little thing.”

He ushered her down the narrow hallway ahead of him. I followed because I was curious. I too wanted to get another look at the library in daylight.

“I don’t know about you but I’m off to breakfast,” Belinda called to me. “I have no wish to see crime scenes or dead bodies. It would quite put one off one’s scrambled eggs.”

The sheriff turned the key to unlock the library door. The heavy drapes were still closed and amid the smell of dust, old leather, and furniture polish there lingered the unmistakable smell of death. When you’ve smelled it once, you never forget it. The sheriff didn’t open the drapes but instead turned on the electric light to reveal the body still lying where it had fallen, although now it was covered by a sheet. Bella gave a little gasp on seeing it. “He’s still there.”

“Yes, well we couldn’t get our hands on the morgue wagon until this morning. It will be on its way now. And the doc wants to perform an autopsy, although the cause of death looks clear enough to me. So take your time. Look around the room. Is there anything you remember now that wasn’t quite right? Anything to tip you off that someone else was still in the room—because I don’t know how the hell he or she got out.”