Sebastian nodded and settled to listen.
Crawford tugged his notebook from his pocket. “If we assume that the murders were committed by the same person—and, please God, that’s true—then the one thing we can take from her ladyship’s murder is that the murderer is a man. So we’re concentrating on the alibis of the men—and that the ladies all had solid alibis for Lord Ennis’s murder only underscores that our approach is correct. The murderer must be one of the male guests.” Crawford glanced at Sebastian.
Again, Sebastian nodded. “That conclusion seems inescapable. I can’t see Cecilia, dressed as she was, opening her door and admitting a male servant. Whoever strangled her was a gentleman she knew—ergo, one of the male guests.”
“Indeed.” Crawford flicked open his notebook. He leafed through several pages, then tapped his finger on an entry. “Here we are—the alibis of the male guests for the time of Lord Ennis’s murder. To remind you, my lord, other than yourself and Lord Ennis, there are seven male guests to account for, and the period in question is quite short—from roughly half past nine to ten o’clock. For argument’s sake, let’s say that Ennis left the dining room at nine thirty and, as he’d intimated, went straight to his study. We have no reports from anyone of seeing him anywhere else. So Ennis was in his study by, say, nine thirty-two. Next, McGibbin, Worthington, Filbury, and Wilson left the dining room for the billiards room. According to McGibbin, that was at nine forty.
“McGibbin and Worthington went straight to the billiards room—passing the study on the way. According to the pair of them, the study door was closed. They stayed in the billiards room, chatting and waiting for the other two. According to McGibbin and Worthington, neither of them left the billiards room until the ruckus when you found Ennis dead.”
The inspector paused to turn over a page. “Filbury and Wilson, however, did not go directly to the billiards room. They parted from McGibbin and Worthington in the front hall—and this is where things get interesting.
“According to Filbury and Wilson, they paused to chat near the gun room. They saw Boyne—who we’ll come to in a moment—go into the library, but they don’t think he saw them, and Boyne said he didn’t. Filbury and Wilson then went out through the door onto the rear terrace and so down onto the lawn. There, they smoked cheroots, but they didn’t remain together. Wilson says he went off to wander through the rose garden—apparently the design of such places is of interest to him—while Filbury says he ambled slowly around the lawns to the western side of the house. As you’re no doubt aware, my lord, there’s a small porch and an external door to the billiards room—Filbury, and later Wilson, entered the billiards room through that door, joining Worthington and McGibbin. Of necessity, both Filbury and Wilson passed Ennis’s study window, but apparently neither noticed whether it was open or not. Neither of them heard anything, either.” Crawford humphed. “Worthington, McGibbin, Filbury, and Wilson then started their game of billiards, and it was some time later—between five and ten minutes, they all say—that you raised the alarm.”
Crawford glanced up. “So that’s those four.” He turned another page and went on, “The next gentleman to leave the dining room, virtually on the earlier four’s heels, was Boyne. He says he went into the library, to the far end, sat in an armchair, and settled to read a book. Filbury and Wilson saw him enter the room, more or less at the time he says he did. Later, Parrish and Featherstonehaugh came into the library and saw him in the armchair at the far end, reading. They joined him and spoke with him for several minutes before the alarm was raised. According to Boyne, he remained in the chair in the library the whole time.”
Sebastian shifted his weight. His eyes narrowed, his gaze distant, he said, “I left the dining room a minute or so after Boyne. I didn’t see him, but if he’d gone into the library, I wouldn’t have. I did glimpse Filbury and Wilson strolling down the passage alongside the gun room—they looked to be heading for the door to the rear terrace, which fits with what they said.” He paused, then frowned. “When Filbury and Wilson went out onto the rear terrace, they should have been able to see Boyne walking down the library—if they happened to glance that way and the curtains hadn’t been drawn.” Sebastian met Crawford’s eyes. “You might ask Filbury and Wilson if they noticed Boyne in the library.”
Crawford nodded and made a note in the back of his notebook.