CHAPTER TWENTY-ONEDetective Inspector Frank Abbott was at Field End by nine o’clock next morning. The first person whom he saw after Stokes had admitted him was Miss Maud Silver coming downstairs. Since she was hatless and was carrying her flowered chintz knitting-bag, he could come to no other conclusion than that she was staying in the house. He waited for her, received a leisured greeting, and said,
‘Is it permitted to ask how you got here?’
‘Certainly, Frank. Miss Grey drove me over in her car.’
‘I thought you were paying Monica a visit. She seemed to think you were, yesterday when I was there after lunch. You had only just come, hadn’t you?’
She said with composure,
‘Miss Grey has retained my professional services.’
He c****d an eyebrow.
‘A fast worker. She came, she saw, you c
