Dalgliesh spread out the will, and they studied it in silence. He said, “The whole will is in holograph, with the date written in full, the seventh day of July 2005. The day of the London bombings. If one were forging the date, not a sensible one to choose. Most people remember what they were doing on 7/7 as we remember what we were doing on 9/11. Let’s assume, then, that both the date and the will itself are in Professor Westhall’s handwriting. The writing is distinctive and a forgery at such length would almost certainly be detected. But what about the three signatures? Today I telephoned a member of the firm of Professor Westhall’s solicitors with questions about the will. One signatory, Elizabeth Barnes, an elderly maid with long service at the Manor, is now dead. The other is Grace Holmes, who was something of a recluse in the village and emigrated to Toronto to live with a niece.”

Benton said, “Boyton arrives last Thursday and tries to discover Grace Holmes’s address in Toronto by calling at Rosemary Cottage. And it’s after his first visit that Candace Westhall knew that, however ridiculous his first suspicions, he was now focusing his attention on the will. It was Mog who told us about Boyton’s visit to Rosemary Cottage. Did he also pass on that piece of gossip to Candace? She flies to Toronto ostensibly to give Miss Holmes a contribution from Professor Westhall’s bequest, something that could easily have been arranged by letter, telephone or e-mail. And why wait until now to reward her for her services? And why was it so important to see Grace Holmes in person?”

Kate said, “If we’re thinking of forgery, it’s a strong motive all right. I suppose minor defects in a will can be put right. Can’t bequests be changed if all the executors consent? But forgery is a criminal act. Candace Westhall couldn’t risk jeopardising her brother’s reputation as well as his inheritance. But if Grace Holmes accepted money from Candace Westhall in return for her silence, I doubt whether anyone will get the truth out of her now. Why should she speak? Perhaps the prof was always writing wills, then changing his mind. All she has to do is to say that she signed several holograph wills and can’t remember specific ones. She helped to nurse the old professor. Those years couldn’t have been easy for the Westhalls. She’d probably think it morally right that brother and sister should inherit the money.” She looked at Dalgliesh. “Do we know, sir, what the previous will stipulated?”

“I did ask that when I spoke to the solicitors. The whole estate was divided into two parts. Robin Boyton was to receive half, in recognition that his parents and he had been unfairly treated by the family; the remaining half to be divided equally between Marcus and Candace.”

“And he knew that, sir?”