I went down the hall to bathe. The bathtub was a huge claw-footed affair and I only filled it a few inches, thinking that it would have taken hours to fill it properly. As I sat in the warm water I found myself wondering about Tony Summers again. He had just bathed. His hair was wet. Was it possible that someone had killed him in the bathtub and then brought him to Belinda’s room? But Detective Inspector Watt had said that, based on the bloodstain, he did not think Tony was already dead when he was lain on the bed. And there was the added complication of how he could have been moved from a bathroom inside his own bedroom all the way to Belinda’s room. That would be a mighty feat indeed.

Belinda was dressed when I returned to my room. We went downstairs, not encountering anybody, and found breakfast laid and ready. Belinda helped herself to generous amounts, but today I was the one who could only face a small portion of scrambled egg and toast. We were halfway through when we heard the tap of footsteps and Rose came in. She looked pale and lifeless and gave us the slightest nod as she went to pour coffee.

“How are you feeling?” I asked as she sat down.

“Numb,” she said. Then she added, “Look, I’m sorry, but I simply can’t speak to you. I should never have invited you here. I want you out of this house now.”

“I’m afraid we can’t leave. The police said so,” I replied. “Not until the investigation is complete.”

“How can it not be complete?” Rose snapped. “My husband is dead and you killed him.”

“Rose,” Belinda said, “I didn’t kill Tony, I swear.”

“You must have.” Rose’s voice sounded high and hysterical. “He was lying on your bed. And don’t think I didn’t know what was going on.”

“Nothing was going on,” Belinda said.

“Oh no? I wasn’t born yesterday, you know. I saw him looking at you. And you looked back at him. It’s that look between people who have slept together.” She took a big breath. “You came here deliberately, didn’t you? You hoped to renew your relationship with Tony. You arranged to bump into me and got yourself invited to our house.”

“Rose, think about it,” I said. “If Belinda was still attracted to Tony, why on earth would she want to kill him?”

“Because he rejected her, of course. He told her he was married to me now and he wasn’t interested.”

“And why was he on her bed naked if he wasn’t interested?” I asked.

She flushed angrily. “How do I know? All I know is that he was killed in your bedroom, Belinda. What was he doing there?”

“I have no idea,” Belinda said.