“Rubbish. The case was perfectly clear. The disappearance of the butler doesn’t affect it—if he has disappeared. The fellow may very well have gone off on some affair of his own, and turn up again in a day or two. And if he doesn’t, it’s nothing to the purpose. The butler was known to have a kindness for Mark Carwell. If we never hear of him again I shall conclude that he had a hand in the murder, and when he saw the case was going against Mark thought he had better vanish.”
“Theory number two,” Reggie murmured.
“What do you mean?”
“Your first was that the butler knew nothing. Your second is that he knows too much. Better choose which leg you’ll stand on in the Court of Appeal.”
Finchampstead glared.
“In the meantime, Finch, we’ll try to find the butler for you,” said Lomas cheerfully.
“And I think I’ll have a look at the evidence,” Reggie murmured.
“There is no flaw in the evidence,” Finchampstead boomed.
“Well, not till you look at it.”
Finchampstead with some explosions of disgust removed himself.