Then Miss Overton gave Lindsay a handful of keys taken from another drawer. “The single key is for the music room, the bunch is Miss Callaghan’s.”

Cordelia nodded. “Thank you.”

“One more thing,” Lindsay chipped in. “What can you tell us about James Cartwright? This isn’t a large community; you must know a fair bit about him. We have virtually no background, I’m afraid,” she apologized.

The headmistress thought for a moment, a flicker of distaste appearing momentarily in her eyes. Finally, she said, “He is a very successful builder. He started off in a small way, as a one-man business working locally. He did general work, but began to specialize in buying old properties, doing them up and converting them into flats and selling them at a handsome profit. In the property boom of the seventies, he made some very shrewd deals and amassed a considerable amount of money. He expanded to employ a fairly large workforce and now takes on work throughout the Peak area. He is generally thought of as having done very well.

“He still keeps a close contact with the day-to-day running of the business—it’s not unusual to see him up some scaffolding with a hard hat and a bricklayer’s trowel. He is well liked locally, though some find him ostentatious. However, I must say there have been fewer signs of that lately. His wife left him and Sarah about nine years ago. I believe she left him for an American civil engineer, though I know little about the circumstances. Mr. Cartwright has done his best to give Sarah a decent life—and not simply by spending money. He tries to spend time with her, though the pressures of his business don’t allow him much free time. She in her turn worships him. He is ruthless, but not, I think, insensitive. Will that do?”

Lindsay smiled and said, “Admirably. Thank you. We won’t take up any more of your time now.”

As they moved toward the door, Miss Overton spoke again. “I will be here at all times to answer any questions. I know you may well be reluctant to discuss your progress with me, but I ask that if you think you have reached a solution you tell me before you communicate with the police.” It was a command rather than a request.

“Of course, if that is possible,” said Cordelia. Then they managed to leave. They walked down the corridor to the back stairs, Cordelia muttering, “She terrifies me. If I didn’t have the evidence of my own eyes that she didn’t budge from the hall, I’d swear she was the only person cool enough to get away with murder under everyone’s nose.”