Lindsay gathered together her bag and fastened her jacket. “Well,” she said, “I think you’ve covered what we wanted to know, more or less. We won’t keep you from Matlock any longer. Just one thing, though—you say you weren’t near Derbyshire House on Saturday. Now that seems a little odd to me. Because I saw you there about five o’clock. Just when you were walking on the moors, according to what you’ve said.” She got to her feet, as did Cordelia, who felt a little bewildered. “Funny that,” added Lindsay. “You must have a double.”

They got as far as the door before he spoke. “Wait a minute,” he said uncertainly.

Lindsay half turned toward him. “Yes?”

“All right, dammit,” he said, “all right. I did drop in at the school. I was looking for Sarah, if you must know. But I couldn’t find her, so I just buzzed off again. I saw no point in mentioning it; it might have given the wrong impression.”

“It certainly gives me a strange impression, Mr. Cartwright. And I’m sure your good friend Inspector Dart would think the same, especially if I told him that I’d also seen the person you were talking to—or should I say arguing with? And it wasn’t your Sarah.”

If she had expected James Cartwright to collapse at her words, she was mistaken. His eyes suddenly came to life and there was venom in his voice. “Don’t you sodding well threaten me! I don’t have to explain myself to two bloody girls. If you heard so much, what’s the need for your bloody questions? Unless you heard nothing and you’re trying to bluff me. Well, I’ve news for you. I always call bluffs.”

“Okay,” said Lindsay. “Call mine, then. It won’t take long to tell all this to Inspector Dart. It may not make him release Paddy Callaghan on the spot, but it will provoke some hard questions and give her solicitor enough fuel to make a pretty bonfire at the committal hearing, especially if she asks for the reporting restrictions to be lifted. What price your business then, Mr. Cartwright?”

She had opened the door and had gone halfway down the hall with Cordelia at her side before Cartwright caught up with them. “What did you hear?” he demanded.

Lindsay stopped. “So you want to talk, then?” He nodded and they all walked back to his office. He threw himself petulantly into his chair. The women remained standing.

“What did you hear?” he repeated.