Lee drew in her breath.

“I shan’t say anything either.”

Peter squared his shoulders.

“I don’t really give a damn about Mavis. She got herself into this, and we’re all going to want a lot of luck to get her out of it. But it’s you-” he came over to Lee and dropped his hands on her shoulders-“you, my dear-you. They’ll ask you all sorts of questions. They may press you pretty hard. Because you don’t belong here, and your coming in like that just on the very night that Ross was shot-well, it’s bound to make them sit up and take notice.”

Lee’s eyelids lifted slowly and she looked up at him. She was not nearly so pretty as Mavis-the features too irregular, and just now her whole aspect too pale, too drawn with fatigue. But she had eyes which would be beautiful even when she was old. Something in the shape, something in the way that they were set, something in the shadow which the lashes cast-very dark lashes, thick, and dark, and fine-something in the deep, changing grey of the iris. Peter’s heart always stirred in him when Lee looked up at him as she was looking now. But this time it stirred to a pulse of fear. His hand tightened on hers, and he said,

“You’ve got to hold your tongue about yourself, my dear. You came here, you were very tired, and you went to bed. You slept all night, and when you heard the commotion on the landing you came out to see what was going on. And that’s all. Do you hear? That’s all.”

“Peter-”

He shook her a little.

“It’s true, isn’t it? You did go to bed and sleep all night, and that’s all you know.”

She kept her eyes on his face.

“Peter-” Her voice went away to just a breath. “Peter-weren’t there any-footprints-inside that door?”

If he had thought there was the slightest chance of persuading her that the whole thing was a dream, and that there never had been any footprints, Peter might have grasped at this serviceable lie, but as he saw no chance of getting Lee to believe in it he let it go. He said,

“That’s all right-I smudged them out.”

“How? Oh, Peter!”

“Well, I was waiting for Peterson. I rather banked on his doing just what he did do, tearing off downstairs to get Rush and leaving the door open, so I was all ready with some damp paper. If there were footprints, I knew I shouldn’t have time to get rid of them altogether, but I thought I could bank on being able to mess them up so that they couldn’t possibly be identified. I’d plenty of time to do it, get back, get rid of the paper, wash my hands, and run out in my dressing-gown to join Peterson when he came back with Rush.”

“It was very clever of you.” Lee’s lashes fell for a moment and then rose again. “Peter, do you think I did it?” she said in an exhausted voice.

She startled him horribly. He said,

“What do you mean?” And then, on a quick note of anger, “Don’t be a damned little fool!”

Lee stepped back from him, her gaze mournful and steady.

“No, Peter-please-I can’t bear it. It’s all shut up inside me, and if I can’t talk about it-oh, don’t you see?”

He saw, and the anger went out of him. He said,

“What do you want to talk about?”

“I want to tell you. I’m so afraid. It’s no good just bottling it up, and I can’t tell anyone else. You see, it was rather horrid about those Merville people. I don’t know whether she ever meant to sail. I’ve begun to think perhaps she didn’t. Anyhow at the last minute they had a row, and she walked out and took the child. I don’t know if it was a real row. It may have been, because he was awfully worked up. And he didn’t want to let me go-yes, I know-you said so all along, and we quarrelled about it. And you were perfectly right, which is lovely for you but not quite so much fun for me. But that doesn’t matter now. What does matter is this. That Merville man was just slime-he really was. And when he took hold of me I saw scarlet, and, Peter, if I could have got my hands on a pistol I’d have shot him. I would, and I’d have liked doing it.” The colour came into her face just for a moment and then ebbed again.

Peter controlled his voice to a careless tone.

“A good riddance, but possibly a bit awkward. On the whole, just as well that there wasn’t a pistol.”

Lee nodded.

“I know. And I got away all right. I threw the big inkstand at him and the ink went into his eyes. I didn’t wait after that.” There was a faint satisfaction in her tone, but the strained note came back again. “I got here, and I was most awfully tired, but I didn’t feel like going to sleep. I rummaged round for a book, and I found a stupid murder story. It really was stupid, and I didn’t get very far with it, because I went to sleep, and the last bit I remember was about a man creeping down a long passage in the dark, and when he’d got about half way he found a pistol, and all at once a door opened at the other end and he saw the most dreadful face looking at him, and he fired at it with the pistol he had just picked up. As if anyone would!”

“What has all this got to do with Ross?”

“It might have started me off dreaming. I did dream, you know, and I did walk in my sleep, and I did go into Ross’s flat. If my footprints were there, it proves that I went in.” Her voice dropped wretchedly. “If I could only remember what the dream was about. But suppose-just suppose I got that murder story all mixed up in a dream with René Merville. I might-have taken-Ross’s pistol-and if he caught hold of me, I might have-thought he was René-and I might-have shot him-” The last word scarcely sounded. She put out a hand to steady herself against the back of the chair.

Peter pushed his hands deep into his pockets where he could clench them unseen, and remarked,

“My child, you’ll have to take to writing thrillers yourself. That’s a marvellous effort of the imagination. But I don’t think I should produce it for the Inspector. Nobody admires the police more than I do, but imagination just isn’t their strong suit. They have an earthy preference for facts, you know-things like-”

“Footprints,” said Lee.

Chapter XIV

Detective Abbott ushered in Mr. Peter Renshaw. He gave his name as Peter Craddock Renshaw, and admitted to eight years’ service in the Westshire regiment, at present stationed at Lahore in Northern India. He was at home on leave, and was occupying the flat of his late cousin, Miss Mary Craddock, whose executor he was.

“Now, Mr. Renshaw,” said the Inspector, “I believe you are Mr. Craddock’s next of kin. Do you happen to know whether he made a will?”

Peter did a stupid thing. He said at once and without thinking,

“I’m pretty sure he didn’t.”

“And what makes you think that, Mr. Renshaw?”

He was in for it now. It would be the worst possible folly to hesitate.

“Well, it was something he said. I can’t remember how it came up, but it was something to do with my being my cousin’s executor-something on the lines of he hadn’t made a will and he wasn’t going to, because he didn’t give a damn who had his money when he was gone.”

“And there was a good deal of money?”

“Quite a piece,” said Mr. Renshaw soberly.

The Inspector leaned forward.

“You’re telling me Mr. Craddock was a wealthy man-and he lived in a little flat like this?”

“Yes, he did. But there were reasons. His father had a lot, but the depression hit them very hard indeed. My uncle had to economize, cut everything to the bone. He died about four years ago. But the reason I said there was quite a piece of money is that a lot of leasehold property fell in this year. I’ve no idea of the amount, but it was something pretty considerable.”

“And if there’s no will-you’re next of kin and heir at law, I take it.”

“I suppose I am-if there’s no will.” Peter went on looking at the Inspector for a moment, then he turned and looked at Detective Abbott.