“I don’t know if that is possible,” said Hamish cautiously.

“In that case, forget it.”

“I’ll come,” said Hamish quickly. “I’ll get the sleeper down tonight and be with you in the morning.”

She gave him directions to her address and rang off.

If Blair had been on the case, thought Hamish, then he would just have disappeared off to London without saying anything. But Donati was a different matter.

Donati was staying at the Lochdubh Hotel. Hamish made his way there.

The detective listened to him in silence and then said colourlessly, “You stepped out of line. It is certainly unfortunate the Yard sent along someone tactless who put her back up. Do not take such actions again without my permission, do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“Yes, what?”

“Yes, sir.” Hamish looked down at Donati, who was sitting in an armchair in the hotel lounge, with a tinge of surprise. “Now I suppose you’d better go. We must put personalities aside and if this woman can give you anything useful, it will be worth your fare. You may go.”

And Hamish left. Blair never would have given him permission to go. Blair would have practically foamed at the mouth.

So why was it that he suddenly missed Blair?

Alison set about helping Hamish Macbeth. She felt she had everything in the world she had ever wanted except security. While the criminal remained at large, there was no peace, and every evening shadow held menace and every footstep on the stairs was that of an assailant. Unlike most bungalows, this one had most of the bedrooms on an upper floor with dormer windows. Peter Jenkins, Mrs. Todd, and James Frame slept on the same floor as Alison, with Steel Ironside and Crispin Witherington in bedrooms off one of the two corridors that ran off the large sitting room. The dining room which adjoined the sitting room was little-used since Maggie’s death, the guests preferring to eat their meals in the more cheerful kitchen. Another incentive to help was that despite her blossoming love for Peter Jenkins, Alison felt restless and wanted something to do to occupy her time. The efficient Mrs. Todd had made all the arrangements for Maggie’s funeral and Alison had weakly left it all to her.

Alison had replied to P.C. Graham’s questions about where she had been that morning by saying evasively that she had felt upset and so had gone for a little drive. Mary told her sharply not to leave the house again without saying where she was going, leaving Alison feeling more like the hired help than the lady of the house. Mrs. Todd added her own admonitions. Alison resented Mrs. Todd all over again and kept away from her as much as possible, unfairly blaming her for Mary’s high and mighty manner.

Alison took pencil and paper into the dining room to start making notes on what she already had gleaned about the men’s relationships with Maggie. There was a better chance of being undisturbed in the dining room than in the study.

But no sooner had she started than Steel walked in.

“Feel like getting out of this place and going somewhere?” he asked.

Alison looked at him and thought he might still be quite presentable if he shaved and wore ordinary clothes. His shirts were always open to the waist showing that repulsive that of hair.

“Where did you think of going?” she asked.

“Up the hill at the back. Get some fresh air.”

“All right,” said Alison.

To P.C. Graham’s sharp question, Alison told the policewoman where they were going.

The couple walked past the garage and through a little gate in the garden fence and up a winding path that led to the top of a heathery hill behind the house. A stiff breeze had sprung up blowing warm air in from the Gulf Stream. They paused at the top of the hill and looked at the view. Great clouds were rolling in from the Atlantic and down below, the restless sea was green with flying black shadows as the clouds passed overhead.

“Can you lend me any money?” asked Steel abruptly.

“I’ll need to consult my lawyers. I don’t have the money yet.”

“They’ll advance it to you if you ask,” said Steel crossly. “You’ve already got enough for that car of yours.”

“Well, it is my money now.”

“Look,” wheedled Steel, “I’ve got this great song. I need money to launch it. I could pay you back with interest.”

“Let me think about it,” said Alison. “Isn’t the view pretty?”

“Bugger the view,” he said morosely.

“You must still be very upset by Maggie’s death,” said Alison, seizing on what she hoped was the one subject that would divert his mind from money.

“I was shocked, but not particularly upset,” he said. “She’d changed. Used to be all fun and games. God! The amount of money that harpy took from me, now I think of it. At least you could say she did something for it. It’s just fallen into your lap and all you do is screw around with Jenkins.”

“That’s not true,” said Alison, her face flaming.

“Aw come on, you could hear the pair of you all over the house.”

Alison rounded on him. “You can’t have any money, not ever,” she shouted.

As she ran down the hill, his jeering voice followed her, “Just mind how you go, sweetie. With you out of the way, there wouldn’t be any trouble in us getting our hands on it.”

Alison walked into the house. Donati was in the kitchen, telling off P.C. Graham. He had just been reminding her it was her duty to keep a watch on Alison and not to sit drinking coffee.

He subjected Alison to another long interview before taking his leave.

Alison went into the sitting room and James Frame rose at her approach. “Where’s Peter?” asked Alison.

“Gone down to the village for cigarettes, I think,” said James. “I’ve been wanting to have a talk with you.”

“What about?” asked Alison, although she was sure she knew what was coming.

“Fact is, I need a bit of financial help and wondered if you could let me have a few thou’.”

“No,” said Alison. “Why should I?”

“Because I think you should pay me back some of the money Maggie got out of me in the past. She was insatiable. The things I had to do to find money to keep her.” His voice took on a faintly cockney whine. “Come on, darling, you wouldn’t miss it.”

“I don’t know,” said Alison desperately. “Leave me alone for just now. In fact, now I think of it, I think you should all leave after the funeral. It’s my house and I can turn you all out when I want to.”

“Well, that’s downright inconsiderate. I took leave and I need a holiday.”

“I shouldn’t think you would want to stay under the circumstances.”

“I’ve got a strong stomach.”

“I’m telling you now,” said Alison as Crispin Witherington walked in. “You’ve all got to leave right after the funeral and that’s that.”

She walked back to the dining room and stood there, feeling strangely exhilarated. She couldn’t remember standing up for herself before.

Then she sensed someone standing behind her and swung round. Crispin Witherington was there, a little smile curving his mouth though his eyes were hard.

“So the chips are down, are they?” he said. “No money for any of us, except perhaps what Jenkins gets for laying you. Do you know why we all rushed up here? Money. Maggie’s money. Do you really think one of us gave a damn for that tart after all those years? She cheated us and conned us rotten and we all wanted some of our money back. It makes me sick to think of a wimp like you with your prissy ways walking off with that old tart’s fortune. If I were you, I wouldn’t walk along any dark roads for some time to come.”

“Mrs. Todd!” screamed Alison.

Both Mrs. Todd and Mary Graham erupted into the room as if they had been listening outside the door.

“He threatened me,” said Alison shakily. “Oh, Mrs. Todd, you’ve got to tell them all to go home after the

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