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mildly.
    â€œWhatever it was, it wasn’t Nice. People Talking and that.”
    â€œLet’s hope they have no cause to this time,” said Carolus and walked firmly across to the telephone. When he picked up the receiver, Mrs. Stick left the room.
    He dialled the number of an intimate friend of his, a local doctor who looked after the school and had a busy practice in the town. His name was Lance Thomas, but he was known as Dr. Tom. He and his wife Phoebe had befriended Carolus when he had first come to Newminster.
    â€œHullo, Lance. How are you both? Good. Tell me, was old Grossiter a patient of yours?”
    â€œYes. Why?”
    â€œI’m rather interested. He died very suddenly, didn’t he?”
    â€œSo I understand. It wasn’t totally unexpected in his condition.”
    â€œNo?”
    â€œWell, no. The local man is an old friend of mine. We were at St. Thomas’s together, as a matter of fact. Splendid chap and a first-rate doctor. I’d begged him not to bury himself down in that end-of-the-world village but he did it for his wife who came from those parts.”
    â€œHe saw Grossiter?”
    â€œYes, and signed the death certificate.”
    â€œYou’re satisfied with his examination?”
    â€œOh, absolutely. I’ll give you the technical details if you like, but it’s the sort of thing no doctor could make a mistake about. Certainly not Stanley Jayboard who has tended to specialise in it.”
    â€œWhat sort of thing? What exactly did he die of?”
    â€œCall it a heart attack. That’s near enough for a layman.” Lance Thomas chuckled. “A perfectly natural death. No doubt about that.”
    â€œDo you think anything could have happened to cause such an attack? Would the patient have to be given a sudden alarm, or piece of bad news, or anything of that sort?”
    â€œReally, Carolus! All this investigation is going to your head. You’re beginning to be melodramatic. No. Nothing of that sort would be necessary. There
could
have been something, perhaps, but there’s no reason whatever to think so. Stanley doesn’t, anyway. Why? What are you up to?”
    â€œI’m interested. Duncan Humby was on his way to see Grossiter. His car was found half a mile from the house. As you know, he’s disappeared.”
    â€œIt’s curious, isn’t it? Could be coincidence.”
    â€œBut it never is. For me coincidences simply don’t exist.”
    â€œYou had better go and see Stanley Jayboard. Tell him you’re a friend of mine. He may be able to help you.”
    â€œThanks, Lance. Grossiter is being cremated tomorrow.”
    â€œYes, I know. Stanley’s quite happy about that. Though I gather he’s not fond of the nephews.”
    â€œYou’re not going to the cremation?”
    â€œLord, no. I’m worked off my feet just now. That was why I was so grateful to Stanley for signing that certificate. I ought really to have gone as the old man’s regular consultant. But don’t say anything about that, Carolus.”
    â€œOf course not.”
    â€œAsk Stanley if he remembers that night at Vine Street. Hooliganism, the magistrate called it next morning.”
    â€œI will. Did you know Duncan Humby?”
    â€œJust. He wasn’t a patient of mine.”
    â€œAll right, Lance. Thanks for the information.”
    Carolus dropped into his favourite armchair and remained perfectly motionless for some twenty minutes. Then he fell asleep.

C HAPTER F OUR
    C AROLUS DECIDED NEXT DAY to drive down to Beaslake for Grossiter’s cremation. He was curious to see who would attend and interested in getting a glimpse of the two nephews Holroyd and Cyril Neast, and perhaps of the man Darkin whom Mrs. Stick had heard described as “smarmy.” He also reflected that he had never yet attended a cremation and felt a certain morbid curiosity about it.
    He hurried over his breakfast and as he