He hung up the receiver and returned to his chair.
‘Chief Detective-Inspector Alleyn, my lord,’ said Fox, ‘will take over the case. He will be here in half an hour. In the meantime he has instructed me to carry on. So if I may trouble you, my lord.’ He took out his note-book and adjusted his glasses. Lord Charles shivered, hunched up a shoulder, put his glass in his eye and waited.
‘I have here,’ said Fox, ‘the statement taken by the officer who was called in from the local station. I’d just like to check that over, my lord, if I may.’
‘Yes. It’s my own statement, I imagine, but check it by all means if you will.’
‘Yes. Thank you. Times. I understand Lord Wutherwood arrived here shortly after six and left at approximately seven fifteen?’
‘About then. I heard seven strike some little time before he left.’
‘Yes, my lord. Your butler gets a little closer than that. He noticed it was seven fifteen before his lordship rang for his man.’
‘I see.’
‘His lordship was alone in the lift for some minutes before any one went out to the landing,’ read Fox.
‘Yes.’
‘Thank you, my lord. After he had been there for some minutes he was joined by her ladyship; Lady Wutherwood, that is, and by Lady Charles Lamprey and by Mr Lamprey. Which Mr Lamprey would that be, my lord?’
‘Let me think. You must forgive me but my thoughts are intolerably confused.’
Fox waited politely.
‘My brother,’ said Lord Charles at last, ‘left me in the drawing-room. Soon after that the boys, I mean my three sons, joined me there. Then I think my wife opened the door and asked if one of the boys would take my brother and sister-in-law down in the lift. They never take themselves down. One of the boys went out. That will be the one you mean?’
‘Yes. That is so, my lord.’
‘I don’t know which it was.’
‘You don’t remember?’
‘Not that exactly. It was one of the twins. I didn’t notice which. Shall I ask them?’
‘Not just yet, thank you, my lord. Do I understand you to say that the two young gentlemen are so much alike that you couldn’t say which of them left the room?’
‘Oh, I should have been able to tell you if I had looked at all closely but you see I didn’t. I just saw one of the twins had gone. I – was thinking of something else.’
‘The other two remained in the drawing-room with you? Mr Henry Lamprey and the other twin?’
‘Yes.’
‘Yes, my lord. Thank you. Then you will have noticed the remaining twin if I may put it that way?’
‘No. No, I didn’t. He didn’t speak. I didn’t look at the boys. I was sitting by the fire. Henry, my eldest son, said something, but otherwise none of us spoke. They’ll tell you themselves which it was.’
‘Yes, my lord, so they will. It would be correct to say that while the lift went down you remained in the drawing-room with Mr Lamprey and his brother until when, my lord?’
‘Until –’ Lord Charles took out his glass and put it in his waistcoat pocket. It was an automatic gesture. Without the glass the myopic look in his weak eye was extremely noticeable. His lips trembled slightly. He paused and began afresh. ‘Until I heard there was – until I heard my sister-in-law scream.’
‘And did you realize, my lord –?’
‘I realized nothing,’ interrupted Lord Charles swiftly. ‘How could I? I know now, of course, that they had gone down in the lift and that she had made that – that terrible discovery, and that it was while the lift returned that she screamed. But at the time I was quite in the dark. I simply became aware of the sound.’
‘Thank you,’ said Fox again, and wrote in his note-book. He looked over the top of his spectacles at Lord Charles.
‘And then, my lord? What would you say happened next?’
‘What happened next was that I went out to the landing followed by the two boys. My wife and my girls – my daughters – came out of 26 at the same time. I think my youngest boy, Michael, appeared from somewhere but he wasn’t there for long. The lift was returning and was almost up to our landing.’
‘Up to the landing,’ repeated Fox to his notes. ‘And who was in the lift, my lord?’
‘Surely that’s clear enough,’ said Lord Charles. ‘I thought you understood that my brother and his wife and my son were in the lift.’
‘Yes, my lord, that is how I understand the case at present. I’m afraid this will seem very annoying to you but you see we usually take statements separately for purposes of comparison.’
‘I’m sorry, Mr Fox. Of course you do. I’m afraid I’m –’
‘Very natural, my lord, that you should be, I’m sure. Then I take it that Lady Wutherwood must have begun to scream while the lift was near the bottom of the shaft?’
Lord Charles twisted his mouth wryly and said yes.
‘And continued as it returned to your landing?’
‘Yes.’
‘Yes. Would you mind telling me what happened when the lift stopped at the top landing?’
‘We were bewildered. We couldn’t think what had happened, why she was – was making such an appalling scene. She – she – I should explain that she is rather highly-strung. A little hysterical, perhaps. The lift stopped and Henry opened the doors. She rushed out, almost fell out, into my wife’s arms. My son, the twin – I – it’s too stupid that I can’t tell you which it was, came out without speaking, or if he did speak I didn’t hear him. You see, I was looking in the lift.’
‘That must have been a great shock to you, my lord,’ said Fox simply.
‘Yes. A great shock.’
‘I saw my brother,’ said Lord Charles loudly and rapidly. ‘He was sitting at the end of the seat. The injury – it was there – I saw it – I – I didn’t understand then, that they – my sister-in-law and my son – had gone down in the lift without at first realizing there was anything the matter.’
‘When did you realize this, my lord?’
‘As soon as my wife had calmed her down a little she began to speak about it. She was very wild and incoherent, but I made out as much as that.’
‘You did not question your son, my lord? Whichever son it was,’ enquired Fox, as if the confusion of one’s children’s identities was the most natural thing in the world.
‘No. There doesn’t seem to have been any time to talk to anybody.’
‘And of course if you had questioned him you would have known which he was?’
‘Yes,’ rejoined Lord Charles evenly, ‘of course.’
‘Did any of the others talk to him, my lord?’
‘I really don’t know. How should I? If I had heard that, I would –’ He stopped short. ‘I really can’t tell you more than that.’
‘I