Artists in Crime. Ngaio Marsh

up, sir?’ asked Fox.

      ‘Look.’

      It was a portrait of a girl in a green velvet dress. She stood, very erect, against a white wall. The dress fell in austere folds about the feet. It was most simply done. The hands looked as though they had been put down with twelve direct touches. The form of the girl shone through the heavy dress, in great beauty. It was painted with a kind of quiet thoughtfulness.

      But across the head where the paint was wet, someone had scrubbed a rag, and scratched with red paint an idiotic semblance of a face with a moustache.

      ‘Lor’,’ said Fox, ‘is that a modern idea, too, sir?’

      ‘I hardly think so,’ murmured Alleyn. ‘Good God, Fox, what a perfectly filthy thing to do. Don’t you see, somebody’s wiped away the face while the paint was wet, and then daubed this abortion on top of the smudge. Look at the lines of paint—you can see a kind of violence in them. The brush has been thrust savagely at the canvas so that the tip has spread. It’s as if a nasty child had done it in a fit of temper. A stupid child.’

      ‘I wonder who painted the picture, sir. If it’s a portrait of this girl Sonia Gluck, it looks as if there’s been a bit of spite at work. By gum, it’d be a rum go if the murderer did it.’

      ‘I don’t think this was Soma,’ said Alleyn. ‘There’s a smudge of blonde hair left. Sonia Gluck was dark. As for the painter—’ He paused. ‘I don’t think there’s much doubt about that. The painter was Agatha Troy.’

      ‘You can pick the style, can you?’

      ‘Yes.’

      With a swift movement Alleyn turned the canvas to the wall. He lit a cigarette and squatted on his heels.

      ‘Let us take what used to be called a “lunar” at the case. In a little while I must start interviewing people, but I’d like you fellows to get as clear an idea as possible of the case as we know it. At the moment we haven’t got so much as a smell of motive. Very well. Eight students, the model, and Miss Troy have used this studio every morning from Saturday the 10th until last Friday, the 16th. On Friday they used it until twelve-thirty, came away in dribbles, lunched at the house, and then, at different intervals, all went away with the exception of Wolf Garcia, a bloke who models and sculps. He stayed behind, saying that he would be gone when they returned on Sunday. The studio was not locked at any time, unless by Garcia, who slept in it. They reopened this morning with this tragedy. Garcia and his belongings had gone. That’s all. Any prints, Bailey?’

      ‘There’s a good many blue smears round the edge, sir, but it’s unplaned wood underneath, and we can’t do much with it. It looks a bit as if someone had mopped it up with a painty rag.’

      ‘There’s a chunk of paint-rag on the floor there. Is it dusty?’

      ‘Yes, thick with it.’

      ‘Possibly it was used for mopping up. Have a go at it.’

      Alleyn began to prowl round the back of the throne.

      ‘Hullo! More grist for the mill.’ He pointed to a strip of wood lying in a corner of the studio. ‘Covered with indentations. It’s the ledge off an easel. That’s what was used for hammering. Take it next, Bailey. Let’s find an easel without a ledge. Detecting is so simple when you only know how. Mr Hatchett has no ledge on his easel—therefore Mr Hatchett is a murderer. Q.E.D. This man is clever. Oh, lawks-a-mussy me, I suppose I’d better start off on the statements. How goes it, Bailey?’

      ‘This paint-rag’s a mucky bit of stuff,’ grumbled Bailey. ‘It’s been used for dusting all right. You can see the smudges on the platform. Same colour. I thought I might get a print off some of the smears of paint on the rag. They’re still tacky in places. Yes, here’s something. I’ll take this rag back and have a go at it, sir.’

      ‘Right. Now the ledge.’

      Bailey used his insufflator on the strip of wood.

      ‘No,’ he said, after a minute or two. ‘It’s clean.’

      ‘All right. We’ll leave the studio to these two now, Fox. Try to get us as full a record of footprints as you can, Bailey. Go over the whole show. I can’t tell you what to look out for. Just do your stuff. And, by the way, I want photographs of the area round the window and the tyre-prints outside. You’d better take a cast of them and look out for any other manifestations round about them. If you come across any keys, try them for prints. Lock the place up when you’ve done. Good sleuthing.’

      Fox and Alleyn returned to the house.

      ‘Well, Brer Fox,’ said Alleyn on the way, ‘how goes it with everybody?’

      ‘The Yard’s still in the same old place, sir. Pretty busy lately.’

      ‘What a life! Fox, I think I’ll see Miss Valmai Seacliff first. On the face of it she’s a principal witness.’

      ‘What about Miss Troy, sir?’ asked Fox.

      Alleyn’s voice came quietly out of the darkness:

      ‘I’ve seen her. Just before you came.’

      ‘What sort of a lady is she?’

      ‘I like her,’ said Alleyn. ‘Mind the step. Here’s the side door. I suppose we can use it. Hullo! Look here. Fox.’

      He paused, his hand on Fox’s arm. They were close by a window. The curtains had been carelessly drawn and a wide band of light streamed through the gap. Alleyn stood a little to one side of this light and looked into the room. Fox joined him. They saw a long refectory table at which eight people sat. In the background, half in shadow, loomed the figure of a uniformed constable. Seven of the people round the table appeared to listen to the eighth, who was Agatha Troy. The lamplight was full on her face. Her lips moved rapidly and incisively; she looked from one attentive face to the other. No sound of her voice came to Alleyn and Fox, but it was easy to see that she spoke with urgency. She stopped abruptly and looked round the table as if she expected a reply. The focus of attention shifted. Seven faces were turned towards a thin, languid-looking young man with a blond beard. He seemed to utter a single sentence, and at once a stocky woman with black straight hair cut in a bang, sprang to her feet to answer him angrily. Troy spoke again. Then nobody moved. They all sat staring at the table.

      ‘Come on,’ whispered Alleyn.

      He opened the side door and went along the passage to a door on the left. He tapped on this door. The policeman answered it.