“No, and I’m not surprised. I mean I’m not surprised he didn’t tell me. She probably asked him to keep it secret. Robin could keep a secret if he thought it was worth his while. All he said was that he was having a few days in the guest cottage at Stoke Cheverell. He never mentioned that Rhoda would be there.”

Kate asked, “What was his mood? Did he seem excited or did you get the impression that this was just a routine visit?”

“Like I said, he was depressed when he got back after the first visit but excited when he set off last Thursday night. I’ve seldom seen him happier. He said something about having good news for me when he got back but I didn’t take that seriously. Robin’s good news usually turned out to be bad news or no news at all.”

“Apart from that first call, did he speak to you again from Stoke Cheverell?”

“Yes, he did. He gave me a ring after you’d interviewed him. He said you were pretty rough with him, not particularly considerate to a man grieving for a friend.”

Kate said, “I’m sorry he felt that. He made no formal complaint of his treatment.”

“Would you in his place? Only fools or the very powerful antagonise the police. After all, you didn’t exactly set about him with truncheons. Anyway, he did ring me again after you’d interviewed him in the cottage and I told him to come to me and let the police grill him here, where I’d arrange for my solicitor to be present if necessary. It wasn’t entirely disinterested. We’re busy, and I needed him here. He said he was determined to stay on for the week he’d booked. He talked about not deserting her in death. A bit histrionic, but that was Robin. Of course, he knew more about it by then, and told me that she’d been found dead at seven-thirty on the Saturday morning and that it looked like an inside job. After that, I rang him again several times on his mobile, but couldn’t get a reply. I left messages asking him to ring back, but he never did.”

Benton said, “When he first rang, you said he sounded frightened.

Didn’t it strike you as odd that he was preparing to stay on with a murderer on the loose?” “Yes, it did. I pressed him and he said he had unfinished business.”

There was a silence. Kate’s voice was deliberately incurious.

“Unfinished business? Did he give you any clue what he meant?”

“No, and I didn’t ask. As I’ve said, Robin could be histrionic. Perhaps he thought of lending a hand in the investigation. He’d been reading a detective story which you’ll probably find in his room. You’ll want to see the room, I suppose?”