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my wife, told me about him. Actually we had a bit of a row, and she asked me why the devil I didn’t let someone with a business head run the business, if I was so keen on it. Then I wormed it out of her, there’s this bloke Harrington. Er –’
    Claude dried up, and leaned back in his chair. That Claude was a frightened man was more than obvious from his unsteady hands and quavering tenor voice.
    Mark looked at Roger, and said: ‘There’s another thing, Roger. Mrs Prendergast talks in her sleep, and –’
    ‘I just can’t understand it,’ Claude exclaimed, and uttered his ridiculous titter. ‘Never thought people did, if you know what I mean. Thought it was a figure of speech. But she did, this morning. I didn’t catch all she said, but it was something about time I joined the others. I remembered what had happened to the others. Got under my skin. I was going to see my solicitor this morning, but he couldn’t keep the appointment. Had some lunch, and Maisie said “shall we join the others”, meaning some people at the next table who’d ordered claret. No time for claret, myself, but well, I realized what she’d said, then. My God, it’s got me down! I knew Lessing had been asking a lot of questions and generally snooping, and Potter, that’s my lawyer, said that Lessing fancied himself as a private detective. So I slipped round to see him. He persuaded me to come and see you.’
    ‘I’m very glad he did,’ said Roger. ‘I shouldn’t worry, but people often talk in their sleep, you know.’
    ‘Dammit! I told you what my wife said.’
    ‘Your wife made a comment in her sleep which might have applied to anything. She may have been dreaming of a house party, a dinner-party, a hundred-and-one things.’
    ‘That’s what you think,’ retorted Claude. ‘I don’t. Not now. I can’t help feeling she hates my guts. Coarse way of putting it, but in the last few hours I’ve done some high-pressure thinking. She’s very friendly with my solicitor. He was her solicitor first. We had a terrible quarrel just before I came away, and I think it safer to stay away for a bit. My God, I didn’t think she’d got a mind like that!’
    Roger sat without speaking. Mark looked out of the window. Prendergast brooded and peered into the fireplace.
    Claude was at a high pitch of emotional excitement, Roger realized, and was suddenly faced with a picture of violence and murder; he was seeing himself as a fourth victim, with his wife as one of the chief conspirators. In such a frame of mind, he should be easy to handle. A Prendergast who felt as frightened as he did was a godsend to the police and a great danger to his wife and to Potter, if his fears were justified. So, Prendergast might be in two kinds of danger; from the murderer of his relations, and because he had cracked so badly.
    ‘What shall I do?’ he demanded.
    Roger said easily: ‘Mark, can you spare some time in the next few days?’
    ‘What for?’ asked Mark, as if suspiciously.
    ‘I thought as Mr Prendergast has left home temporarily, of course he will want to stay in a hotel. If you could share a room, or a suite, with him, he would feel much safer. I don’t think anything he has told us would justify police action, but I can understand why he is so edgy. Now if you –’
    ‘Lessing I’ cried Prendergast. ‘That’s it. That’s the answer. You must.’
    Both Roger and Prendergast looked at Lessing.
    ‘I don’t feel safe,’ Prendergast continued wildly, ‘I’ don’t feel I dare walk up the street alone. Three relations killed, and now me.’
    ‘No one will kill you,’ said Roger. ‘You’ve done what none of the others had thought of doing made sure of protection. If they were murdered, the deaths were made to seem accidental. They can’t kill you accidentally while you’ve someone looking after you all the time. Will you do this, Mark?’
    ‘You must!’ cried Prendergast again. ‘I tell you I beg you –’
    ‘I’ll make the