'I'm quite sure that I've never seen the woman before in my life.'
'We're very grateful to you, Miss Crackenthorpe. That's all I wanted to know. Perhaps you'd like to lie down?'
'I must go to my father. I telephoned to Dr. Quimper as soon as I heard about this and the doctor is with him now.'
Dr. Quimper came out of the library as they crossed the hall. He was a tall genial man, with a casual off- hand, cynical manner that his patients found very stimulating.
He and the inspector nodded to each other.
'Miss Crackenthorpe has performed an unpleasant task very bravely,' said Bacon.
'Well done, Emma,' said the doctor, patting her on the shoulder. 'You can take things. I've always known that. Your father's all right. Just go in and have a word with him, and then go into the dining-room and get yourself a glass of brandy. That's a prescription.'
Emma smiled at him gratefully and went into the library.
'That woman's the salt of the earth,' said the doctor, looking after her. 'A thousand pities she's never married. The penalty of being the only female in a family of men. The other sister got clear, married at seventeen, I believe. This one's quite a handsome woman really. She'd have been a success as a wife and mother.'
'Too devoted to her father, I suppose,' said Inspector Bacon.
'She's not really as devoted as all that – but she's got the instinct some women have to make their menfolk happy. She sees that her father likes being an invalid, so she lets him be an invalid. She's the same with her brothers. Cedric feels he's a good painter, what's-his-name – Harold – knows how much she relies on his sound judgement – she lets Alfred shock her with his stories of his clever deals. Oh, yes, she's a clever woman – no fool. Well, do you want me for anything? Want me to have a look at your corpse now Johnstone has done with it' (Johnstone was the police surgeon) 'and see if it happens to be one of my medical mistakes?'
'I'd like you to have a look, yes. Doctor. We want to get her identified. I suppose it's impossible for old Mr. Crackenthorpe? Too much of a strain?'
'Strain? Fiddlesticks. He'd never forgive you or me if you didn't let him have a peep. He's all agog. Most exciting thing that's happened to him for fifteen years or so – and it won't cost him anything!'
'There's nothing really much wrong with him then?'
'He's seventy-two,' said the doctor. 'That's all, really, that's the matter with him. He has odd rheumatic twinges – who doesn't? So he calls it arthritis. He has palpitations after meals – as well he may – he puts them down to 'heart'. But he can always do anything he wants to do! I've plenty of patients like that. The ones who are really ill usually insist desperately that they're perfectly well. Come on, let's go and see this body of yours. Unpleasant, I suppose?'
'Johnstone estimates she's been dead between a fortnight and three weeks.'
'Quite unpleasant, then.'
The doctor stood by the sarcophagus and looked down with frank curiosity, professionally unmoved by what he had named the 'unpleasantness'.
'Never seen her before. No patient of mine. I don't remember ever seeing her about in Brackhampton. She must have been quite good-looking once – hm – somebody had it in for her all right.'
They went out again into the air. Doctor Quimper glanced up at the building.
'Found in the – what do they call it? – the Long Barn – in a sarcophagus! Fantastic! Who found her?'
'Miss Lucy Eyelesbarrow.'
'Oh, the latest lady help? What was she doing, poking about in sarcophagi?'
'That,' said Inspector Bacon grimly, 'is just what I am going to ask her. Now, about Mr. Crackenthorpe. Will you –?'
'I'll bring him along.'
Mr. Crackenthorpe, muffled in scarves, came walking at a brisk pace, the doctor beside him.
'Disgraceful,' he said. 'Absolutely disgraceful! I brought back that sarcophagus from Florence in – let me see – it must have been in 1908 – or was it 1909?'
'Steady now,' the doctor warned him. 'This isn't going to be nice, you know.'
'No matter how ill I am, I've got to do my duty, haven't I?'
A very brief visit inside the Long Barn was, however, quite long enough. Mr. Crackenthorpe shuffled out into the air again with remarkable speed.
'Never saw her before in my life!' he said. 'What's it mean? Absolutely disgraceful. It wasn't Florence – I remember now – it was Naples . A very fine specimen. And some fool of a woman has to come and get herself killed in it!'
He clutched at the folds of his overcoat on the left side.
'Too much for me… My heart… Where's Emma? Doctor…'
Doctor Quimper took his arm.
'You'll be all right,' he said. 'I prescribe a little stimulant. Brandy.'
They went back together towards the house.
'Sir. Please, sir.'
Inspector Bacon turned. Two boys had arrived, breathless, on bicycles. Their faces were full of eager pleading.
'Please, sir, can we see the body?'
'No, you can't,' said Inspector Bacon.
'Oh, sir, please, sir. You never know. We might know who she was. Oh, please, sir, do be a sport. It's not fair. Here's a murder, right in our own barn. It's the sort of chance that might never happen again. Do be a sport, sir.'
'Who are you two?'
'I'm Alexander Eastley, and this is my friend James Stoddart-West.'
'Have you ever seen a blonde woman wearing a light-coloured dyed squirrel coat anywhere about the place?'
'Well, I can't remember exactly,' said Alexander astutely. 'If I were to have a look – '
'Take 'em in, Sanders,' said Inspector Bacon to the constable who was standing by the barn door. 'One's only young once!'
'Oh, sir, thank you, sir.' Both boys were vociferous. 'It's very kind of you, sir.'
Bacon turned away towards the house.
'And now,' he said to himself grimly, 'for Miss Lucy Eyelesbarrow!'
III
After leading the police to the Long Barn, and giving a brief account of her actions, Lucy had retired into the background, but she was under no illusion that the police had finished with her.
She had just finished preparing potatoes for chips that evening when word was brought to her that Inspector Bacon required her presence. Putting aside the large bowl of cold water and salt in which the chips were reposing, Lucy followed the policeman to where the Inspector awaited her. She sat down and awaited his questions composedly.
She gave her name – and her address in London , and added of her own accord:
'I will give you some names and addresses of references if you want to know all about me.'
The names were very good ones. An Admiral of the Fleet, the Provost of an Oxford College , and a Dame of the British Empire . In spite of himself Inspector Bacon was impressed.
'Now, Miss Eyelesbarrow, you went into the Long Barn to find some paint. Is that right? And after having found the paint you got a crowbar, forced up the lid of this sarcophagus and found the body. What were you looking for in the sarcophagus?'
'I was looking for a body,' said Lucy.
'You were looking for a body – and you found one! Doesn't that seem to you a very extraordinary
