Charles had at last got himself connected with the police-station, and was endeavouring to make an apparently sleepy constable understand. "Hullo! Hullo, is that Manfield Police Station?… Yes? This is Malcolm speaking - Malcolm… M.A.L.C.O.L.M. — yes, Malcolm, from Framley… No, Framley. Is Inspector Tomlinson there?… Damn! Look here, you'd better send a man over at once. There's been an accident… No, I said there's been an accident… Yes, that's right… What?… Well, it's either suicide, or murder, and the sooner you get a man over here the better… You'll what?… Oh good, yes!… I'm speaking from the Bell Inn, and if you call for me here I'll take you to the place. Right, good-bye." He hung up the receiver, and turned to tell Peter what the constable had said. "He's going to get hold of Tomlin…' He broke off, staring past Peter. The front door was open, and on the threshold, his hand on the latchkey which he had not yet withdrawn from the lock, was Michael Strange, standing as though arrested by what he had heard, and looking directly at him.
Peter turned quickly, following the direction of Charles' gaze. "Strange!" he ejaculated. "What the hell are you doing?"
Strange drew the key out of the lock, and shut the door. "I might echo that question," he said coolly. He came towards them, and they saw that he was looking decidedly unpleasant. "What have you found?" he said.
Charles laid a restraining hand on Peter's arm. "Do you know, that is something we propose to tell the police," he said. "I don't immediately perceive what it has to do with you."
Strange looked at him under frowning brows. "Look here," he said harshly, "if you're wise you'll stop poking your nose in where it's not wanted."
Charles' brows rose in polite surprise. "Is that a threat?" he inquired.
"No, it's not a threat. It's a warning, and one which you'd do well to follow." He swung around on his heel as he spoke and went up the stairs without another word.
Peter had started forward as though to pursue him, but again Charles checked him. "Leave it," he said. "We've no right to detain him. All we can do is to tell the police."
"While you stand on ceremony he'll get clean away!" Peter said hotly.
"I don't think it," Charles answered, "if he had anything to do with what we found to-night I'm pretty sure we've discovered who the Monk is. And he's a damned cool customer - much too cool to give himself away by bolting." He glanced up the staircase. "I don't know about you, but I feel as though I could do with a stiff peg. What on earth's Wilkes up to all this time?"