"At Greystones, on the night of the late Ernest's murder," replied the Sergeant promptly. "Look, Super! Supposing you forget Mrs. North's second instalment for the moment. Take it that Carpenter was hiding in the garden all the time she was with the late Ernest -'
"What the devil would he be hiding for, if he had come to blackmail Fletcher?"
The Sergeant thought for a moment. "How about his having hidden for exactly the same reason Mrs. North did? He may have been walking up the path when he heard her open the gate behind him -'
"Impossible. If that were so, he must have met Budd, and he didn't."
"All right," said the Sergeant, in long-suffering accents. "We'll take it he was there all the time. Came in while Budd was with the late Ernest. Instead of hopping out of his hiding-place the instant Budd left, he waited a moment to be sure the coast was clear. Then Mrs. North came into the garden, and he continued to lie low. When she left the late Ernest, North had just arrived. She hid, just as she told us, recognised her husband, and bunked - No, she didn't, though! The postman saw her leaving by the front entrance just after 10.00! Wait a bit! Yes, I've got it. North killed the late Ernest somewhere between 9.45 and 10.00, and left by way of the garden-gate, watched by Mrs. North, and our friend Charlie. Not knowing of Charlie's presence, Mrs. North slipped into the study, just to see what kind of fun and games had been going on, found the late Ernest, got into a panic, and bunked through the house. Carpenter, meanwhile, made his exit by way of the garden-gate - time 10.02 - was seen by Ichabod, and bolted in the same direction that North had taken. He came in sight of North, followed him -'
"Followed him where?"
"Back to town, I suppose. He must have tracked him to his flat to have found out who he was. After that he tried his blackmailing game on North, and North naturally had to eliminate him. How do you like that?"
"Not much," said Hannasyde.
"Well, if it comes to that I don't fancy it a lot myself," confessed the Sergeant. "The trouble is that whichever way you look at it that North dame's story gums up the works. We've got to believe she hid behind the bush at some time or other, because we found her footprints. Similarly we've got to believe she went back into the house, because of the postman's evidence."
"Exactly," said Hannasyde. "And, according to your latest theory, she went back into the study when Fletcher was dead. Now, you've seen the photographs. Do you seriously think that a rather highly strung woman, seeing what she must have seen from the window, deliberately went into the study?"