“Our problem is that we have a group of seven people in the household, any of whom could have killed Miss Gradwyn. All knew where she was sleeping, knew that the suite beyond was unoccupied, providing a possible hiding place, knew where the surgical gloves were kept, and all either had or could have obtained keys to the west door. And although the Westhalls are non-resident, they knew Gradwyn’s room and have keys to the front door and the one leading to the lime walk. If Marcus Westhall didn’t return to Stone Cottage until twelve-thirty he’s probably in the clear, but he hasn’t been able to provide a witness. He could very well have got back earlier. And his explanation of why he decided to return here last night is odd. If he feared the car might be unreliable, wouldn’t it have been safer to stay in London and get it fixed rather than risk a breakdown on the motorway? And then there’s Robin Boyton. It’s doubtful whether he knew where Miss Gradwyn was sleeping and he wouldn’t have been given a house key, but he is the only one to have known the victim personally, and he admits he booked into Rose Cottage because she was here. Mr. Chandler-Powell is insistent that he bolted the door to the lime walk promptly at eleven o’clock. If the murderer came from outside and was a stranger to the Manor, he would have had to be let in by one of the household, told where to find his victim, provided with gloves and eventually let out again, the door bolted behind him. The strong possibility is that this was an inside job, which makes motive of prime importance.”

Dalgliesh said, “It’s usually unwise to concentrate too early or too strongly on motive. People kill for a variety of reasons, some unacknowledged even by the killer. And we must bear in mind that Rhoda Gradwyn might not have been the sole victim. Was this directed against Chandler-Powell, for example? Did the murderer want to destroy the clinic, or had he a double motive, to get rid of Gradwyn and ruin Chandler-Powell? It’s difficult to imagine a more effective deterrent than the brutal and unexplained murder of a patient. Chandler-Powell calls the motive bizarre but it has to be kept in mind.”