"He expected John back from town at any time! — Naturally Marcia, when she flew out at him, would have told him she expected John. She had told him John was coming down to the pavilion, whenever he got home. Rainger knew John hadn't got back, or he would have heard the car. So, if he tries the long process of messing up his tracks, and meets John halfway up the lawn… you see?"
"I say, this is-the perverseness of things… But what did he do? What could he do?"
Bennett drew a deep breath. "Here we go. Now this non-arrival of John, according to Maurice, supplied Rainger with his inspiration. He knew that, at some time during that night, or very early in the morning, John would come down to the pavilion. He'd either go down there as soon as he got back from London, or turn up for early horseback-riding according to Tait's orders. Rainger might have to wait a long time, but the probabilities were overwhelming that John would be the first person at Tait's side in the morning. And if not John, somebody else might do as well.
"He heard John's car come in about quarter-past three.
John didn't come down at the moment, but that might only mean he had gone into the house for a short time. Rainger was always in danger if he tried to venture out of the pavilion, not knowing what John was up to. So his inspiration grew until he worked out the whole scheme into a perfect alibi for himself. Did you see Rainger this morning?"
She looked at him queerly. "Yes. About half-past eight. He was standing in the door of his room putting on a ghastly-looking dressing-gown. I think he was patting one of the maids — yes, it was Beryl! — he was patting her on the head and saying, `Good girl, good girl.' I don't know whether he was drunk then."
"Yes! We come back to Maurice's theory again. Beryl was the girl who told him John's bed hadn't been slept in last night. It wasn't slept in because John didn't go to bed at all. He paced the floor all night after he got in, with the light on, wondering whether he had the nerve to go and face Tait with the bad news! Do you see it? And still Rainger as I told you, didn't dare venture out of the pavilion… because he saw the light on in John's room.
"Maurice asked the very significant question: `How did Rainger, at the very beginning of the case, before any of us knew the 'circumstances, come to inquire whether or not John's bed had been slept in? What made him think of it?' And Maurice answered, `Because Rainger saw the light on all night in that room, and he was working out his scheme to throw the blame on John.' — Now, then, you saw Rainger this morning. He was still in his evening clothes, wasn't he? At least the shirt and trousers?"
"Y-yes, I, think so. I don't remember.
"He was when he spoke to us in the library. Did you notice certain very black grimy stains on his shoulders, and powdered down his shirt?"