There was a silence; then Coxon asked, “You mean the day of the London bombings?”

“Yes, the seventh of July 2005.”

Again there was a pause, in which Dalgliesh thought Coxon was resisting the temptation to ask what 7/7 had to do with Robin’s death. Then he said, “Who doesn’t? It’s like 9/11 and the day Kennedy died. One remembers.”

“Robin Boyton was your friend at that time, wasn’t he? Do you recall what he did on 7/7?”

“I can remember what he told me he did. He was in central London. He turned up at the Hampstead flat where I was living then just before eleven at night and bored me into the small hours with the recital of his narrow escape and long walk to Hampstead. He’d been in Tottenham Court Road, close to the bomb that blew up that bus. He was clutched by some old biddy who was pretty shocked and had to spend time quietening her down. She told him that she lived in Stoke Cheverell and that she’d come to London the previous day to stay with a friend to do some shopping. She planned to return home the following day. Robin was afraid he was going to get stuck with her, but he managed to find a solitary cab outside Heal’s, gave her twenty quid for the fare and she went off calmly enough. That was typical of Robin. He said he’d rather part with twenty quid than be landed with the old dear for the rest of the day.”

“Did he tell you her name?”

“No, he didn’t. I don’t know the name of the lady or the address of her friend—or, for that matter, the number of the cab. It wasn’t a big deal, but it happened.”

“And that’s all you remember, Mr. Coxon?”

“That’s all I was told. There is one more detail. I think he did mention she was a retired servant who was helping his cousins to look after some old relative they’d been landed with. Sorry I can’t be more helpful.”

Dalgliesh thanked him and snapped shut his mobile. If what Coxon had told him was accurate and if the maid was Elizabeth Barnes, there was no way she could have signed the will on 7 July 2005. But was she Elizabeth Barnes? She could have been any village woman who was helping at Stone Cottage. With Robin Boyton’s help they might have traced her. But Boyton was dead.

It was after three o’clock. Dalgliesh was still awake and restless.