“As soon as you had explained who Colin James was, I saw that Fanshawe’s alibi was destroyed. You said almost as much yourself, in so many words. So as soon as I could, I telephoned to him. I hoped he would get away, but——”

“You hoped to defeat justice, eh?”

“Yes.” Harper’s voice became more and more apologetic. “I’m sorry, Inspector, I quite see that it was very wrong of me, but I had to.”

“What do you mean?”

“You see, he was my father’s best friend.”

“And helped to ruin him, I’m told.”

“Exactly. Although my father always insisted that he was not really to blame. I saw him the day he was released from prison. He promised to help me if he could. Then the morning after the inquest on Ballantine I got this.”

He drew from his pocket a crumpled letter which he handed to the inspector. It was in Fanshawe’s writing, addressed from Daylesford Court Mansions, and ran as follows:

My dear boy,

Circumstances over which I had no control have prevented me from making any repayment of the debt which I owed to your father. Will you please accept the enclosed by way of some recompense? You will oblige me by not acknowledging this letter, or mentioning to anyone the fact that you have received it. God bless you.

J.F.

“With the letter were banknotes to the value of two thousand pounds,” Harper explained. “I didn’t know—I swear I didn’t know—where the money came from. I mean, I never connected him with Ballantine’s death in any way, not until this afternoon in the taxi.”

“No?” Mallett’s brows shot up.

“No. I didn’t know—how could I? Why, Inspector, you must believe me. You’ve only just tumbled to it yourself,” he protested, with a spark of his old arrogance. “And the money—it meant simply everything in the world to me. I didn’t think—I didn’t let myself think—that that could have anything to do with the murder.” The young man’s urgent voice broke, and then he added, almost under his breath: “At first.”

“At first. And then?”

“And then—God, it was awful! The not knowing, I mean! And not a soul to share one’s doubts with!” He shuddered, and went on in quieter tones: “Well, it’s over now. I needn’t go on deceiving myself, anyway. And Ballantine’s bloody creditors can have the money. I haven’t spent a bob of it.”

“Just a minute,” said Mallett. “You’ve been through a bad time, and I’m not at all sure you don’t deserve all you’ve got, but there’s no reason why you should make things worse than they are.”

“Worse?” Harper laughed mirthlessly. “I like that!”