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Emily Brent was knitting. She did not look up. In a cold voice she said:

‘The idea that I should be accused of taking a fellow creature’s life—not to speak of the lives of three fellow creatures— is of course, quite absurd to any one who knows anything of my character. But I quite appreciate the fact that we are all strangers to one another and that, in those circumstances, nobody can be exonerated without the fullest proof. There is, as I have said, a devil amongst us.’

The judge said:

‘Then we are agreed. There can be no elimination on the ground of character or position alone.’

Lombard said: ‘What about Rogers?’

The judge looked at him unblinkingly.

‘What about him?’

Lombard said:

‘Well, to my mind, Rogers seems pretty well ruled out.’

Mr Justice Wargrave said:

‘Indeed, and on what grounds?’

Lombard said:

‘He hasn’t got the brains for one thing. And for another his wife was one of the victims.’

The judge’s heavy eyebrows rose once more. He said:

‘In my time, young man, several people have come before me accused of the murders of their wives—and have been found guilty.’

‘Oh! I agree. Wife murder is perfectly possible—almost natural, let’s say! But not this particular kind! I can believe in Rogers killing his wife because he was scared of her breaking down and giving him away, or because he’d taken a dislike to her, or because he wanted to link up with some nice little bit rather less long in the tooth. But I can’t see him as the lunatic Mr Owen dealing out crazy justice and starting on his own wife for a crime they both committed.’

Mr Justice Wargrave said:

‘You are assuming hearsay to be evidence. We do not know that Rogers and his wife conspired to murder their employer. That may have been a false statement, made so that Rogers should appear to be in the same position as ourselves. Mrs Rogers’ terror last night may have been due to the fact that she realised her husband was mentally unhinged.’

Lombard said:

‘Well, have it your own way. U. N. Owen is one of us. No exceptions allowed. We all qualify.’

Mr Justice Wargrave said:

‘My point is that there can be no exceptions allowed on the score of character, position, or probability. What we must now examine is the possibility of eliminating one or more persons on the facts. To put it simply, is there among us one or more persons who could not possibly have administered either cyanide to Anthony Marston, or an overdose of sleeping draught to Mrs Rogers, and who had no opportunity of striking the blow that killed General Macarthur?’

Blore’s rather heavy face lit up. He leant forward.

‘Now you’re talking, sir!’ he said. ‘That’s the stuff! Let’s go into it. As regards young Marston I don’t think there’s anything to be done. It’s already been suggested that someone from outside slipped something into the dregs of his glass before he refilled it for the last time. A person actually in the room could have done that even more easily. I can’t remember if Rogers was in the room, but any of the rest of us could certainly have done it.’