woman in his own car to her lodging-house. The scout, who had gone to their rendezvous on his motorcycle, followed them. Lawrence and the girl went to the house in Headman’s Lane and the man says he waited outside for an hour, but Lawrence did not emerge, so he went to his own home, intending to call upon Miss St Malo on the following morning to find out what he could and, presumably, to cut himself in on any deal which might have been made between the two parties. I suppose he intended to offer to support Miss St Malo’s claim if his deductions as to a possible breach of promise action proved to be correct.’
‘You said that this man lived in her neighbourhood, but how well did he know Miss St Malo?’ asked Dame Beatrice.
‘That is one of the things we have to find out. However, to go on with the man’s story, it appears that he did call on the following morning, only to find nobody at home.’
‘Why wasn’t he about his College duties?’
‘Oh, didn’t I mention that? The fellow had taken so much umbrage over the accusation of having stolen the wine that he had handed in his notice, so for the time under consideration he was unemployed.’
‘With leisure to make as much mischief as he could,’ said Laura.
‘That’s it. He says he called several times on Miss St Malo after that, but she was not in residence. He questioned the other residents, but nobody had seen her leave, so he states that he thought it his duty to contact the police because of the quarrel in the pub and the threats he had heard the woman utter. We made enquiries and we turned up a very significant fact. Lawrence and Miss St Malo were married twelve years ago at a registrar’s office in Portsmouth and we can find no evidence that they were ever divorced.’
‘But that is impossible!’ exclaimed the High Mistress. ‘As I said, he is married to the Dean’s secretary.’
‘Well, he may be married to her
‘You have nothing, then, except this servant’s somewhat tainted evidence, to indicate that she is not alive at this moment,’ said Dame Beatrice.
‘The fact remains that she has disappeared from her lodging, and that the last time she was seen was in company with Lawrence. Then there was the demand for money and a quarrel.’
‘Are there any other witnesses, apart from this disgruntled manservant?’ asked Dame Beatrice.
‘The barmaid at the public house remembers the quarrel. It was too early in the evening for the bar to be much patronised, so she noticed the couple particularly, and states that they seemed ill-assorted. In her own words, ‘him being quite the gentleman and her as common as muck’. However, she also states that the man talked the woman round, bought her a second drink and that they left the bar apparently on friendly terms. Later, two women who have rooms in the same lodginghouse as Miss St Malo saw her come back that same evening with a man, but this was so common an occurrence that they were not even interested and cannot describe the man. Miss St Malo seems to have done a moonlight flit, however.’
Lunch over, Dame Beatrice and Laura took the path between the High Mistress’s and the Fellows’ gardens and reached Bessie’s Quad. Here they found the student awaiting them. Laura went over to where she had parked the car on the previous afternoon and Dame Beatrice greeted Miss Runmede.
‘I do hope you have not been waiting long,’ she said. ‘I don’t want to take up too much of your time, but I am more than ever interested in your ghostly prowler. I wonder whether you will be kind enough to show me exactly where he was on the occasions on which you saw him?’
‘Yes, of course I will.’
‘And, after that, if you have no objection, I should like to be taken to the window from which you observed him.’
‘Well,’ said Miss Runmede, when the two ghost-walks were completed, ‘that’s as near as I can remember, but it seems very different by daylight and of course it’s different from down here. I was high up in the building when I saw him each time.’
‘Yes, of course. I am very greatly obliged to you. Have no further fear. I am convinced that nobody will ever see the prowler again. In any case, as I told you, you are not the only person to have seen him, therefore steps have been taken.’
‘You wanted me to show you where I think he disappeared. Why?’
‘Because, from what you have shown me, I think your prowler, wearing a white anorak or some other kind of white jacket over dark trousers, entered the Abbess’s Walk from the main quadrangle and that is why he seemed to disappear. He then, I think, went into the cloisters and left by the way you took me to visit them first of all. I want to go to your window to determine whether, if that is what he did, you would or would not have been able to witness his departure.’
They mounted uncarpeted stone steps until they reached the top-floor landing. Here a long, bare corridor, interspersed with white-painted doors bearing names slotted into metal holders, indicated those who slept in each of the rooms.
‘Not so different from what the convent itself was like, I suppose,’ said Miss Runmede, producing a key and unlocking the door which bore her name.
‘Not so different from a present-day convent, perhaps,’ said Dame Beatrice, surveying the somewhat Spartan simplicity of the room which, except for a bookcase, a good copy of Jan Molenaer’s
She established herself at the window. ‘Would Miss Peterson’s room be directly below this one?’ she asked.
‘Not quite, but near enough. She shares a scout with Miss Hastings and Miss Hastings’s rooms back on to Miss Peterson’s. In fact, her sitting-room is exactly below this room, but looks out the other way.’
‘So Miss Hastings would not have seen your ghost?’
‘Not unless she was in Miss Peterson’s room talking to her and looking out of her window, but I don’t think even the dons sit up as late as two o’clock in the morning.’
