" Very interesting indeed , " Miss Hocking murmured when he ended .sx " But I'm afraid I can't enlighten you .sx Not at all .sx Mrs. Pritchard frequently marked books , made little annotations on passages that interested her .sx " " Oh , lots of people do that , I know .sx But this mention of a neighbour's name- and his suspecting something- and the sentence not finished- and the book on the floor when she died .sx Come now , Miss Hocking , you can't tell me you don't think that adds up to something .sx " She didn't answer , just looked down , her eyes moving slightly behind lowered lids .sx Satisfied that he had silenced her , he said :sx " This message- do you reckon it could've been for Mrs. McEvoy , warning her that her husband suspected her of using the boatshed as a place of assignation ?sx " " I've told you I have no idea who this warning could have been for .sx If it was a warning .sx " " Did anyone turn up at her place , " he probed patiently , " soon after she was dead ?sx " " Everyone .sx The news spread quickly , and everyone came in to see if there was anything they could do .sx " Grogan turned to Stephen .sx " What were the grounds for your and Mrs. McEvoy's divorce ?sx " he asked .sx " Desertion , " Stephen said promptly , and flicked on a lighter and lighted a cigarette .sx " On whose part ?sx " " Mine .sx On our return from Singapore things weren't too happy between us , and I left her and she divorced me .sx " And that was that , Grogan thought .sx A nice clean decent desertion , and she never so much as turned her eyes on any other bloke !sx No !sx A brick wall here every bit as thick as the old girl was putting up .sx Pointedly , Miss Hocking reached over and took Stephen's cup , and put it back on the tray and straightened the things on it as though to say , Good morning , Inspector , and I hope you're satisfied with what you haven't learnt .sx Forestalling her , Grogan got up , took his hat off the chair and stood a moment turning the brim round in his hands .sx " By the way , " he said , and kept his eyes steadily on her face , " about where McEvoy was shot .sx " " Yes ?sx " she said , as he paused .sx " We find now that it didn't happen down by the fowlyard and him carried indoors .sx He was shot in the bedroom , as it first appeared .sx So it doesn't have to be a strong man after all .sx " Miss Hocking's expression was admirably impassive under his stare .sx But the blood that rises to or drains away from the face at certain moments is under no one's control .sx In the shade of a tree on one of the stones that enclosed his small domain , Jeffrey Cornwall was sitting filling a mid-morning pipe .sx To the tune of Cherry Ripe droned several tones flat he rolled the tobacco round and round in his palms .sx Round and round and round , while meditatively , as a cow chewing the cud , he let his eyes rest on the flat water ahead of him .sx The near-to-overhead sun seemed to flatten it still further so that hardly a ripple stirred its surface .sx The shadow of a bird flying low was a black cloud , a small fish leaping was an explosion .sx " H'm .sx .h'm..h'm.. Ripe I cry , Full [SIC] and fair ones come and buy .sx " Round and round and round .sx . Grogan , leaving Miss Hocking's , stopped to have a word with him .sx Leaning up against the tree , taking out a cigarette and lighting it , the inspector said there were worse occupations than what Mr. Cornwall was engaged on !sx That himself he wasn't half looking forward to the day when he'd sit in the shade and smoke his pipe and give the job away .sx Cornwall agreed heartily .sx He'd always said , Retire while you've got the health to enjoy your leisure , cultivate your mind instead of an ulcer .sx Then , talking of jobs , he wanted to know whether the police had got any nearer to solving the crime .sx Grogan said that there had been several small developments .sx For instance- and he brought Cornwall up to date about the warning message written by old Mrs. Pritchard in the book .sx Cornwall listened , blew a cloud of fragrant smoke , and pressed the tobacco down with his thumb .sx " Would you think , " Grogan asked , " that McEvoy suspected his wife of meeting a feller in the boatshed ?sx " " What fellow ?sx " Cornwall wanted to know in exchange , with an upward squint of the eye .sx " Say , Mr. Pritchard .sx " Cornwall gave a soundless whistle .sx " Well .sx . I don't know anything about that .sx Everyone admires the girl , of course .sx But I haven't seen any signs of her carrying on with anyone .sx But then , more than likely , I wouldn't have seen it if it'd been right under my nose .sx I've got beyond the stage , thank God , of being interested in love affairs , wouldn't give a damn even if it was my own .sx And frankly I don't think Boris would've cared two hoots if she'd had a dozen men in the boatshed .sx " " No ?sx How say he wanted to divorce her and was snooping around for evidence ?sx " Cornwall rejected this , too , with a shake of his long , thick head .sx " No .sx . " He enveloped a passing fly in a cloud of smoke .sx " No .sx Divorces cost money .sx " " Well , he had a bit , hadn't he ?sx Didn't have to work , seemed comfortable enough .sx " " Yes , but he didn't like to spend it .sx Not in getting rid of a wife when all he had to say was- if he wanted to , that is- 'I know what you're up to , beat it' .sx " " Look , if you can prove adultery against a wife you don't have to keep her .sx If you haven't got the evidence but just turn her out on suspicion , she can force you to support her .sx Maybe it wouldn't've suited her to clear out with nothing , even if it wasn't much of a match for a girl as young and pretty as that .sx " " You may have something there , " Cornwall nodded .sx " For Dal's sake , too , she might've wanted to stay with him .sx However , I wouldn't know .sx All that side of life- I'm not concerned with it .sx " Grogan , looking down at him thought , Not a bad looking old cove .sx Upright and well-preserved , hair still dark and thick .sx Was he a bit too emphatic about how little interest he had in the other sex ?sx He said suddenly :sx " By the way , Mr. Cornwall , about that gun of yours .sx " " By jove , yes .sx When am I going to get it back ?sx " " Chatting with Mrs. McEvoy , she says again that she never saw her husband fire a gun , or speak of shooting .sx " " Doesn't mean a thing .sx He was an odd sort of chap. He'd plant vegetables and forget to water them , yet he'd wage war on anything that took a nibble at them .sx " " His wife says he didn't give a damn for the vegetables .sx " " He didn't give a damn till somebody else wanted them- even if it was only a rabbit .sx He was like that about a lot of things .sx He didn't give a damn for a lot of his old records but he'd hit the roof if young Dal Owen touched them .sx " " You'd say , then , McEvoy wasn't too fond of his brother-in-law ?sx I thought that might be why he came down here to your place to sleep .sx " " Look , Inspector , I wouldn't know .sx Don't quote me , " Cornwall said hastily .sx No , Grogan thought as he nodded and passed on his way , Don't quote me- don't expect any opinion- don't expect any help .sx Don't help the police if there's a dozen murderers loose in the community .sx Stand on the sidelines and cheer on anyone out to down the cops .sx Well , he'd forget 'em all if he could just get one bit more on the old girl .sx Half-way up the hill , he met Manning coming down it .sx Grudgingly , Manning admitted that the other's guess had not been too bad a one .sx He'd just been talking to the Fordham police , and this was the way it was .sx . CHAPTER =15 .sx THE FRYS WERE HOME BY MIDDAY .sx There had been no nice little lunch out , no trip to the pictures ; instead , the hire car deposited them at the top , and they came down the hill even more slowly than they had gone up it .sx Edward's face was still more pale and drawn , and Jane's manner more determinedly cheerful than when they had set out .sx Walking ahead , as earlier , she quickly opened the door with her key so as to have it wide before he reached it , and hurried into the living-room , lowered the blinds half-way , arranged cushions on the sofa , and went out to the refrigerator to get him a cool drink .sx She sat and watched him as he sipped the milk and soda ; and now one more fear was added to all the others in Jane's eyes .sx One fear worse than the others , worse than the hateful children in class , the birds in the morning , the frogs in the night .sx Edward had voiced the fear several times in the car on the drive home ; and each time , with dry mouth and a faith that she was far from feeling , Jane had said :sx " Don't worry , Eddie .sx It's like the confessional .sx " " Should be , but is it ?sx " " Of course it is .sx Of course it is .sx " Even now , when steps sounded on the veranda , she said , with last-ditch courage ; " That'll be Vetch's boy , " though the steps were clearly of four feet , not two , and Vetch's boy never came to the front door .sx The entry of Grogan and Manning , following on Manning's information to Grogan , left no room for further ostrich tactics on Jane's part .sx The Frys greeted the visitors with no small talk .sx Jane , having brought them in , murmured :sx " The police , Eddie , " and went back to her chair and they sat looking at the two detectives with their habitual air of resigned anxiety .sx The room was as trim and orderly as the Frys themselves .sx From year to year not the smallest thing in it was ever changed .sx Jane dusted it once a day , and put each object back in its allotted place .sx Grogan wasn't long in explaining the reason for their call :sx the Frys' visit to a doctor's surgery , their visit to a chemist near by , the purchase of surgical lint , bandages and antiseptics .sx The damning facts gathered by a police constable in Fordham couldn't be denied , nor could the deductions to be drawn from them .sx Yes- yes- and yes , Edward admitted .sx It was his blood that had spattered the stones in the yard outside Boris McEvoy's fowl-run .sx Edward , his legs along the sofa , reached out and put his glass down on a table .sx Jane , her eyes filled with burning intensity , seemed not to breathe now .sx It would have been hard to say just what the Frys were clinging to with such tenacity , life in the austere house seemed so joyless , its barrenness so little different from that of that " fine and private " , the grave .sx " Where were you wounded , Mr. Fry ?sx " Grogan asked when the facts had been stated and admitted .sx " In the calf of the leg , a flesh wound , " Edward rapped out .sx " The bullet ricocheted off a stone .sx My wife thought it had begun to look more than slightly angry today , and I was persuaded to see a doctor .sx Otherwise , we could have been able to keep the whole miserable incident to ourselves .sx Or , even , if I could have relied on this much-vaunted medical etiquette I might have maintained that the things I bought at the chemist's were for some minor injury that had nothing to do with McEvoy's death .sx " " Who fired the shot ?sx " " Boris McEvoy .sx I've lived in this locality for three years , and all I ask is to be left in peace to- " " Was it deliberate ?sx " " Kindly allow me to tell the story in my own fashion , " Edward rasped at him .sx The stern schoolmaster's glance was turned on the inspector .sx Edward would be in control of the class and none other , and interrupters would be promptly dealt with .sx His injured leg up on the sofa did little to lessen his air of authority ; his uplifted hand commanded it , and the sharp turn of his head and the snap of his eyes .sx