“When?”
“The rest of the staff got away about nine. I left at ten past, sir, and returned about eleven-twenty. The others were back then, and all in bed. I went straight to bed myself, sir.”
“You came in by a back door, I suppose?”
“Yes, sir. We’ve been talking it over. None of us noticed anything unusual.”
“Can you hear the wireless in your part of the house?”
“No, sir.”
“Well,” said Alleyn, looking up from his notes, “that’ll do, thank you.”
Before Chase reached the door Fox came in.
“Beg pardon, sir,” said Fox, “I just want to take a look at the Radio Times on the desk.”
He bent over the paper, wetted a gigantic thumb, and turned a page.
“That’s it, sir,” shouted Chase suddenly. “That’s what I tried to think of. That’s what he was always doing.”
“But what?”
“Licking his fingers, sir. It was a habit,” said Chase. “That’s what he always did when he sat down to the radio. I heard Mr. Hislop tell the doctor it nearly drove him demented, the way the master couldn’t touch a thing without first licking his fingers.”
“Quite so,” said Alleyn. “In about ten minutes, ask Mr. Hislop if he will be good enough to come in for a moment. That will be all, thank you, Chase.”
“Well, sir,” remarked Fox when Chase had gone, “if that’s the case and what I think’s right, it’d certainly make matters worse.”
“Good heavens, Fox, what an elaborate remark. What does it mean?”
“If metal knobs were substituted for bakelite ones and fine wires brought through those holes to make contact, then he’d get a bigger bump if he tuned in with damp fingers.”
“Yes. And he always used both hands. Fox!”
“Sir.”
“Approach the Tonkses again. You haven’t left them alone, of course?”
“Bailey’s in there making out he’s interested in the light switches. He’s found the main switchboard under the stairs. There’s signs of a blown fuse having been fixed recently. In a cupboard underneath there are odd lengths of flex and so on. Same brand as this on the wireless and the heater.”
“Ah, yes. Could the cord from the adapter to the radiator be brought into play?”
“By gum,” said Fox, “you’re right! That’s how it was done, Chief. The heavier flex was cut away from the radiator and shoved through. There was a fire, so he wouldn’t want the radiator and wouldn’t notice.”
“It might have been done that way, certainly, but there’s little to prove it. Return to the bereaved Tonkses, my Fox, and ask prettily if any of them remember Septimus’s peculiarities when tuning his wireless.”
Fox met little Mr. Hislop at the door and left him alone with Alleyn. Phillipa had been right, reflected the Inspector, when she said Richard Hislop was not a noticeable man. He was nondescript. Grey eyes, drab hair; rather pale, rather short, rather insignificant; and yet last night there had flashed up between those two the realization of love. Romantic but rum, thought Alleyn.
“Do sit down,” he said. “I want you, if you will, to tell me what happened between you and Mr. Tonks last evening.”
“What happened?”
“Yes. You all dined at eight, I understand. Then you and Mr. Tonks came in here?”
“Yes.”
“What did you do?”
“He dictated several letters.”
“Anything unusual take place?”
“Oh, no.”
“Why did you quarrel?”
“Quarrel!” The quiet voice jumped a tone. “We did not quarrel, Mr. Alleyn.”
“Perhaps that was the wrong word. What upset you?”
“Phillipa has told you?”
“Yes. She was wise to do so. What was the matter, Mr. Hislop?”
“Apart from the… what she told you… Mr. Tonks was a difficult man to please. I often irritated him. I did so last night.”
“In what way?”
“In almost every way. He shouted at me. I was startled and nervous, clumsy with papers, and making mistakes. I wasn’t well. I blundered and then… I… I broke down. I have always irritated him. My very mannerisms—”
“Had he no irritating mannerisms, himself?”
“He! My God!”
“What were they?”
“I can’t think of anything in particular. It doesn’t matter does it?”
“Anything to do with the wireless, for instance?”
There was a short silence.
“No,” said Hislop.
“Was the radio on in here last night, after dinner?”
“For a little while. Not after—after the incident in the hall. At least, I don’t think so. I don’t remember.”
“What did you do after Miss Phillipa and her father had gone upstairs?”
“I followed and listened outside the door for a moment.” He had gone very white and had backed away from the desk.
“And then?”
“I heard someone coming. I remembered Dr. Meadows had told me to ring him up if there was one of the scenes. I returned here and rang him up. He told me to go to my room and listen. If things got any worse I was to telephone again. Otherwise I was to stay in my room. It is next to hers.”
“And you did this?” He nodded. “Could you hear what Mr. Tonks said to her?”
“A — a good deal of it.”
“What did you hear?”
“He insulted her. Mrs. Tonks was there. I was just thinking of ringing Dr. Meadows up again when she and Mr. Tonks came out and went along the passage. I stayed in my room.”
“You did not try to speak to Miss Phillipa?”
“We spoke through the wall. She asked me not to ring Dr. Meadows, but to stay in my room. In a little while, perhaps it was as much as twenty minutes—I really don’t know—I heard him come back and go downstairs. I again spoke to Phillipa. She implored me not to do anything and said that she herself would speak to Dr. Meadows in the morning. So I waited a little longer and then went to bed.”
“And to sleep?”
“My God, no!”
“Did you hear the wireless again?”
“Yes. At least I heard static.”
“Are you an expert on wireless?”
“No. I know the ordinary things. Nothing much.”
“How did you come to take this job, Mr. Hislop?”
“I answered an advertisement.”
“You are sure you don’t remember any particular mannerism of Mr. Tonks’s in connection with the radio?”
“No.”
“Will you please ask Mrs. Tonks if she will be kind enough to speak to me for a moment?”
“Certainly,” said Hislop, and went away.
Septimus’s wife came in looking like death. Alleyn got her to sit down and asked her about her movements on the preceding evening. She said she was feeling unwell and dined in her room. She went to bed immediately afterwards. She heard Septimus yelling at Phillipa and went to Phillipa’s room. Septimus accused Mr. Hislop and her daughter of “terrible things.” She got as far as this and then broke down quietly. Alleyn was very gentle with her. After a little while he learned that Septimus had gone to her room with her and had continued to speak of “terrible things.”
“What sort of things?” asked Alleyn.
“He was not responsible,” said Isabel. “He did not know what he was saying. I think he had been drinking.”
She thought he had remained with her for perhaps a quarter of an hour. Possibly longer. He left her abruptly and she heard him go along the passage, past Phillipa’s door, and presumably downstairs. She had stayed awake for a long time. The wireless could not be heard from her room. Alleyn showed her the curtain knobs, but she seemed quite unable to take in their significance. He let her go, summoned Fox, and went over the whole case.