‘The loyal wife!’

‘Don’t say that in that sneering tone of voice.’

‘I didn’t mean to sneer. I think you are loyal. I admire you for it. But darling Gina, you can’t keep it up, you know.’

‘What do you mean, Steve?’

‘You know quite well what I mean. You and Wally don’t belong together. It’s just one of those things that doesn’t work. He knows it too. The split is going to come any day now. And you’ll both be much happier when it has come.’

Gina said:

‘Don’t be idiotic.’

Stephen laughed.

‘Come now, you can’t pretend that you’re suited to each other or that Wally’s happy here.’

‘Oh, I don’t know what’s the matter with him,’ cried Gina. ‘He sulks the whole time. He hardly speaks. I — I don’t know what to do about him. Why can’t he enjoy himself here? We had such fun together once — everything was fun — and now he might be a different person. Why do people have to change so?’

‘Do I change?’

‘No, Steve darling. You’re always Steve. Do you remember how I used to tag round after you in the holidays?’

‘And what a nuisance I used to think you — that miserable little kid Gina. Well, the tables are turned now. You’ve got me where you want me, haven’t you, Gina?’

Gina said quickly:

‘Idiot.’ She went on hurriedly, ‘Do you think Ernie was lying? He was pretending he was roaming about in the fog last night, and hinting that he could tell things about the murder. Do you think that might be true?’

‘True? Of course not. You know how he boasts. Anything to make himself important.’

‘Oh, I know. I only wondered — ’

They walked along side by side without speaking.

II

The setting sun illumined the west façade of the house. Inspector Curry looked towards it.

‘Is this about the place where you stopped your car last night?’ he asked.

Alex Restarick stood back a little as though considering.

‘Near enough,’ he said. ‘It’s difficult to tell exactly because of the fog. Yes, I should say this was the place.’

Inspector Curry stood looking round with an appraising eye.

The gravelled sweep of drive swept round in a slow curve, and at this point, emerging from a screen of rhododendrons, the west façade of the house came suddenly into view with its terrace and yew hedges and steps leading down to the lawns. Thereafter the drive continued in its curving progress, sweeping through a belt of trees and round between the lake and the house until it ended in the big gravel sweep at the east side of the house.

‘Dodgett,’ said Inspector Curry.

Police Constable Dodgett, who had been holding himself at the ready, started spasmodically into motion. He hurled himself across the intervening space of lawn in a diagonal line towards the house, reached the terrace, went in by the side door. A few moments later the curtains of one of the windows were violently agitated. Then Constable Dodgett reappeared out of the garden door, and ran back to rejoin them, breathing like a steam engine.