“He reminded me that he had an appointment for six-thirty, so I’ve brought him up straight away.”

“Ah yes, I’ve got a note of it here.” Without any visible sign of enthusiasm Craig pushed forward a chair. “Won’t you sit down and help yourself to a cigarette? I seem to know your name, but I don’t think I’ve had the pleasure of meeting you before.”

“Not that I can remember, though, as a matter of fact, we are fairly close neighbours.” In a lazily assured fashion the visitor took possession of the proffered seat. “I have a bungalow at Playford, about a couple of miles above Otter’s Holt.”

“Indeed, is that so?” Craig’s voice suggested a certain lack of interest.

“Well, I’ve plenty to do, so I dare say you’ll excuse me.” With what was presumably intended to be an affable smile Casey faded out on to the landing. The next instant the door closed softly behind him, and the other two occupants of the room were left facing each other in silence. Craig had resumed his seat and was tapping his leg with an ivory paper-knife which he had picked up off the desk.

“I presume that you wished to see me on a matter of business,” he observed. “I haven’t a great deal of time at my disposal, so perhaps it would be as well if we came to the point.”

“By all means.” Sutton took a leisurely draw at his cigar-ette. “I have a certain proposition I should like to put before you, but, to begin with, I think that a little preliminary explanation might help to clear the ground. It would give you a better idea of my position in the matter, and probably have some effect on your attitude with regard to my suggestion.”

“Please yourself; only be as quick as you can.”

“About four months ago I had a rather curious and distressing experience.” Sutton drawled out the words with what appeared to be intentioned deliberation. “I was going home late one night when I bumped into a friend of mine. It was that poor devil Medlicot who shot himself a day or two afterwards. By the way, wasn’t he a member of your Club?”

“Yes, he used to drop in here every now and then.” Craig spoke with an admirably assumed carelessness. “Struck me as being a pleasant, attractive sort of chap. Terrible affair his shooting himself like that—last thing in the world I’d have expected from a man of his type.”

“Seems to have taken everyone by surprise. Have you any idea what made him do it?”

“Money troubles of some sort, apparently. I only know what came out at the inquest.”

“Perhaps I can add a little to that. You see, on the night I met him Medlicot was in a pretty queer state. Looked as if he was badly up against it and had been playing around a bit too freely with the whisky. Thought he’d probably land himself in trouble if I didn’t do something about it, so I took him up to my place to give him a chance to cool off. Naval officers can’t afford to be arrested in Piccadilly.”

“Very sporting of you. It isn’t everybody who would be so considerate.”

“Always delighted to do a pal a good turn. Besides, sometimes it pays one handsomely. In the present case, for instance, if I hadn’t felt sorry for Medlicot and tried to be helpful I shouldn’t have enjoyed the advantage of being—how shall I put it—taken into his confidence.” Sutton paused. “It’s also highly improbable that I should be sitting here at the present moment.”

“I fail to grasp the connection between the two events. I liked Medlicot well enough in a way, but he was never an intimate friend of mine. What was your object in coming to me? If you have any inside information why didn’t you attend the inquest and give your evidence there?”

“I never act hastily: it’s nearly always a mistake. One is so apt to throw away the substance for the shadow.”

Once again Craig glanced at his watch. “You must forgive me reminding you that I am a rather busy man. Unless you have something really definite—”

“I have. Extremely definite.” Sutton still spoke in the same quiet drawl. “As a result of that little chat with Medlicot, and of certain facts that have come to my knowledge since then, I have arrived at the conclusion that you are playing a highly profitable but, if you don’t mind my saying so, a damned dangerous game.