Dame Beatrice got out of the car, closely followed by Laura, and went up to her.
'Good morning, Miss Nutley,' said Dame Beatrice briskly. 'Rather early, I'm afraid, for a social call, but this is nothing of that kind. I want a word with your man Penworthy.'
'Oh?' said Niobe. 'Well, there he is-' she raised her voice - 'idling his time away as usual. Oh, good morning, Mrs Gavin. Do you know Mrs Farintosh, then?'
'I work for her, only I know her as Dame Beatrice Lestrange Bradley,' said Laura.
'Well, yes, of course, I know that now, but I knew her first as Mrs Farintosh. There's Penworthy. Help yourselves. Is it - may I know what it's about?'
'Oh, yes, certainly,' said Dame Beatrice. 'It is in connection with the death of Miss Minnie.'
'I see. Yes, I suppose the police are still trying to find out about that, now they've seen fit to release Chelion. I can't think Penworthy will be of any help, though.'
'So you are having the bungalow pulled down,' said Dame Beatrice, gazing admiringly at the orderly nature of the wreckage.
'Yes, it seemed the best thing. I am going to have a heated swimming pool in its place.'
'That, perhaps, will be pleasanter for Mr Piper than bathing from the beach, and will save your own journeys into the town when you wish to bathe.'
Niobe looked suspiciously at her, but Dame Beatrice remained bland and seemed innocent of intending any double meaning. Then Niobe said, as unrestrained tears began to pour down her face:
'Chelion won't be using the pool. He isn't here. He's going to be married. He's left me Weston Pipers and some money. I don't suppose I'll ever see him again.'
'Dear me!'
'I expect it's all for the best.' Niobe began some vigorous mopping-up operations. 'He can't feel any kindness towards me now.'
'I am sorry to hear it. Just a word with Penworthy then, if I may.'
Penworthy, who had heard Niobe's strictures, was now engaged with the roller, but thankfully abandoned his task when Dame Beatrice approached.
'Mornin'!' he said. 'You want to know some more about them old buckets of sea water? Drownded in one on 'em, they says. What you think to that, eh?'
'So you know that, do you? You were a great help, you know. Will you help me again?'
Penworthy wiped the palm of his hand down the side of his trousers. Dame Beatrice took the hint and produced a fifty pence coin.
'I likes to be helpful, I do,' said Penworthy, taking the coin and giving it the benison of a slight spit on the reverse side before he tucked it away. 'What would it be this time?'
'Trespassers.'
'Trespassers?'
'Trespassers.'
'Oh, them! Only ent ever been one or two. They come paddlin' round at low tide along the foreshore. Ent nothin' to stop 'em, not at low tide.'
'I am surprised that this only happened once or twice, if it is so easy to get to these grounds that way.'
'Course there might have been more. If I'd been in the kitchen up at the house getting my elevenses, any number could of come and I wouldn't see 'em, but you wouldn't get 'em comin' this time of year. Nobody wouldn't come paddlin' round the creek at this time o' year. Come to think of it, though, I do recollect of one what come, but I don't reckon he paddled, 'cos he had his shoes and socks on, you see.'
'How observant you are! Did you speak to him?'
'Ar, of course I did. I said as how he was on private property. He said he had heard a friend of his, Mr Shard, had rented a flat here, and he give me ten p. to go and find out if Mr Shard would come out and speak to him.'
'Did you not think that a very strange request? Why could he not have gone up to the house?'
'He had give me ten p., so I went, but when I got back, me having to go by way of the kitchen, not being allowed the front door, and having to find somebody as was willin' to take a message to Miss Nutley's office to ask her to get hold of Mr Shard, and me 'angin' about only to find as Mr Shard had gone out, well, when I goes back to tell the feller, what does I find but he's gorn. Got tired of waitin', I suppose, and me takin' all that trouble.'
'Can you describe the man?'
'Ar, reckon I can, near enough. He was a shortish, roundish kind of feller with one of them faces, all smooth-shaven and a bit yeller, what look as if they're smilin' until you look at their eyes. Some kind of a foreigner, though you couldn't tell that from the way he talked, and his hair was jet black and quite thick and looked kind of greasy.'
'That is a very good description. Had you ever seen him anywhere before?'
'Not so far's I know. I reckon I'd have remembered him if I had.'
'Now how long ago was this? Can you remember?'
'Oh, that's an easy one. He come the day I took the last buckets of sea water up to the bungalow door. The arrangement was that when the old lady wanted her sea water she put out the buckets first thing in the mornin'. She never stuck to no regular days, but it was always three times a week she had the sea water. Well, I used to fill the buckets as soon as the tide come in and took 'em to her front door and give her a knock and a shout, and then, when she felt like it, which was always in my dinner-time, so I never see her do it, she took 'em in.'
Dame Beatrice took Laura, who had been talking to Niobe, in tow, they drove
