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So he didn't want to commit himself definitely to the statement that the key was either outside or inside.

He wanted to leave it vague.

It was safest that way."

"I see," said Bill slowly.

But his mind was elsewhere.

He was wondering suddenly about Cayley.

Cayley was just an ordinary man-like himself.

Bill had had little jokes with him sometimes; not that Cayley was much of a hand at joking.

Bill had helped him to sausages, played tennis with him, borrowed his tobacco, lent him a putter....

and here was Antony saying that he was what? Well, not an ordinary man, anyway.

A man with a secret.

Perhaps a murderer.

No, not a murderer; not Cayley.

That was rot, anyway.

Why, they had played tennis together.

"Now then, Watson," said Antony suddenly. "It's time you said something."

"I say, Tony, do you really mean it?"

"Mean what?"

"About Cayley."

"I mean what I said, Bill. No more."

"Well, what does it amount to?"

"Simply that Robert Ablett died in the office this afternoon, and that Cayley knows exactly how he died. That's all. It doesn't follow that Cayley killed him."

"No. No, of course it doesn't." Bill gave a sigh of relief. "He's just shielding Mark, what?"

"I wonder."

"Well, isn't that the simplest explanation?"

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