She shook her head.
“Could they have been oiled for some time without you noticing it?”
“Rebecca does the dusting and cleaning up in here. She certainly should have noticed — but she didn’t say anything. Hester cleans and dusts the outside. She might not have noticed. She isn’t particularly perceptive.”
Mason said, “Steele was in an admirable position then to leave this room, cross the kitchen, go down the cellar stairs, cross through the garage, and go over to the flat next door.”
“Why... why, I guess he could have if he’d wanted to.”
Mason went on, “There’s a door leading from the cellar into the garage, then a door from the garage leading into the yard, and a few feet beyond that a side door to Hocksley’s flat. Is that right?”
She nodded and said, “But I can’t understand... Surely, Mr. Mason...”
Mason said, “Let’s just step inside this room for a moment. I want to look around a bit.”
“I’m afraid he wouldn’t like it if he should come in.”
“I think I can take the responsibility for that,” Mason said. “It’s rather important to find out why Mr. Steele isn’t in now, why the hinges on his door have been oiled.”