Dalgliesh had resisted the obvious retort: Miss Gradwyn’s death had been bizarre. Chandler-Powell confirmed that he had been with Sister Holland in her apartment from just after eleven until one o’clock. Neither of them had seen or heard anything unusual. There were medical matters he needed to discuss with Sister Holland, but they were confidential and had nothing to do with Miss Gradwyn. His evidence had been confirmed by Sister Holland, and it was obvious that neither had any intention at present of saying more. Medical confidentiality was an easy excuse for silence, but it was a valid one.

Dalgliesh and Kate had interviewed the Westhalls together in Stone Cottage. Dalgliesh had seen little family resemblance, and the differences were emphasised by Marcus Westhall’s youthful, if conventional, good looks and his air of vulnerability compared with the strong sturdy body, dominant features and anxiety-lined face of his sister. He had said little except to confirm that he had had dinner at the Chelsea house of a surgeon, Matthew Greenfield, who would be including him in his team to spend a year in Africa. He had been invited to stay the night and proposed to do some Christmas shopping the next day in London, but his car had been causing trouble and he had thought it wiser to leave promptly after an early dinner, at eight-fifteen, so that he could take it in next morning to the local garage. He hadn’t yet done so, because the murder had put everything else out of mind. The traffic had been light but he had driven slowly and it had been about twelve-thirty when he got back. He had seen no one in the road, and there were no lights on in the Manor. Stone Cottage was also in darkness and he thought that his sister was asleep, but as he parked the car her light went on, so he knocked at her door, looked in and said good night before going to his own room. His sister had seemed perfectly normal but sleepy and had said that they would talk about the dinner party and his plans for the African trip in the morning. The alibi would be difficult to challenge unless Robin Boyton, when questioned, had heard the car arriving next door and could confirm the time. The car could be checked but even if it was now running well, Westhall could allege that he was unhappy with the noises it was making and felt it safer not to risk being stuck in London.

Candace Westhall said that she had indeed been woken by the car and had spoken to her brother, but couldn’t say precisely when he returned, as she hadn’t looked at her bedside clock. She had gone to sleep immediately.