but that was less important than the news that Sir Cedric had visited Haines at the flat in Jarvis Street . Sir Cedric had never spoken of such a call on the murdered man . off-hand said Tarrant in reply to Oxenham , I can n&apos;t think of any of my friends who fits that description . then you suggest that the information that you were seen in the company of this man in Brighton is untrue ? Tarrant was irritated by Oxenham &apos;s tone as well as frightened , and he made his reply as offensive as he could . you asked me whether I knew the man and I told you I did not recall anyone who tallied with that description . only a perverted mind would say that I had suggested your informant was a liar . Oxenham &apos;s face flushed slightly . I find your remark offensive , he said . that leaves me quite indifferent , snapped Tarrant . Commander Rodgers felt the situation was getting out of hand . after all , he reflected , the police had nothing against Tarrant . true , he had sponsored Bianca Poravia , who had lied about her knowledge of Haines , but what had that to do with Tarrant ? also , Tarrant &apos;s car had been seen near Battersea Bridge , but the explanation offered seemed reasonable enough and could not be disproved on present information . Rodgers knew that Oxenham was merely fishing when he suggested that Tarrant might be the limping man who had been at Brighton . plenty of people walked with a limp , and no link had been discovered between Tarrant and the white-haired man who had shown an interest in Haines . Rodgers decided that the questioning must be brought to a close immediately and he rose from his chair . he told himself that the only reason he was stopping Oxenham from probing further was that he knew Tarrant so well and trusted him . not , Rodgers repeated , because Tarrant was a senior director of the ministry who was expected to become the next deputy Director General and who , even in his present rank , exercised influence on the department &apos;s policy towards Scotland Yard . anyhow , he thought , it would be foolish to antagonise a man who could be very awkward . the Commissioner of police would not thank his staff for precipitating a conflict with a highly respected and responsible official of the ministry of security . we seem to have gone off at a tangent , said Rodgers . if you should think of anything that will help us in the Haines case , I know you &apos;ll give me a ring . Tarrant gave a stiff bow and went out without a word . he felt ashamed of his behaviour . he knew he had made use of his position in the ministry and his friendship with Rodgers to bulldoze his way through and that almost any other witness who had behaved so scandalously to the police would have been quickly pulled up . but he had to protect Sir Cedric and himself , and to find an excuse to cut the questioning short . it was no time to be tactful and considerate of others . an insulting superiority had been his best defence . the Yard , he reflected with satisfaction as he waited to cross the road to the ministry , had discovered nothing about the forgery of Bianca Poravia &apos;s papers . that was a weight off his mind . he had been prepared for Rodgers to say that the police knew of the fraudulent application and to have the file placed before his eyes with a demand for an explanation . that danger was not yet past , but at least for the present no one suspected him of forgery . but did the police really believe , he wondered again , that he might be concerned in Haines &apos;s murder ? Tarrant smiled - the idea seemed too ridiculous . yet the questions had seemed to him to indicate that Oxenham suspected him . at one time Tarrant had felt almost sure that the C.I.D must have learned of his meetings with Haines and know about the blackmail . he had been right to deduce that , if they had done so , Rodgers would not have stopped the questioning . it was silly to feel indignant about being a suspect , Tarrant reminded himself , when the truth was that he might have killed Haines . he had intended to do so , and only his own lack of courage had made him surrender the idea . he had found it a disagreeable experience to have to wriggle and be wilfully obtuse and indeed engage almost in a kind of juvenile brand of impertinence , but how would it have helped the investigation if he had told the truth ? he could have saved the Yard trouble perhaps by disclosing that he was the source from which Haines had amassed the six hundred pounds and by identifying his father-in-law as the white-haired man who had enquired in Brighton about the blackmailer . but he had withheld nothing that would have assisted Scotland Yard in tracking down the murderer . he pondered on the significance of Sir Cedric Barker &apos;s visit to Haines on the evening of the murder . the first thing to do , Tarrant decided , was to warn his father-in-law . he could not depend on intercepting him when he left the British Museum , and Tarrant made up his mind to wait in the office until Sir Cedric would have reached home . Miss Paynter came in with a pile of papers when Tarrant had seated himself at his desk , but he pushed them aside carelessly . when he heard that Manning wanted to see him , Tarrant shook his head but changed his mind and told Miss Paynter to ask him to come along . it was an effort to discuss official work but Tarrant thought that he had hidden his perturbation . Manning was not very observant , too wrapped up in his own affairs to pay much attention to others . when Manning had gone , Tarrant sent Miss Paynter home . he strode up and down his room until it was time for Sir Cedric to have reached his flat . he was relieved when he heard his father-in-law &apos;s voice over the telephone . another bout of probing by Lady Barker would have been too much to bear . Tarrant asked Sir Cedric to meet him and his father-in-law grudgingly agreed to have a drink in a hotel close to the Barkers &apos; flat . when he arrived at the rendezvous , Tarrant had to wait for him . he ordered a drink and took it to a table in a secluded corner . though he told himself it was impossible that Sir Cedric could have had any part in the murder , he could not dismiss the thought from his mind . Tarrant remembered how close he himself had come to killing Haines . when he saw Sir Cedric making his leisurely way into the hotel bar , his light-coloured overcoat flapping round his legs , Tarrant jumped up and went to meet him . you must get rid of that coat , he said urgently . Sir Cedric stroked the material of the coat affectionately . it &apos;s got a lot of wear in it yet , he said , and I do n&apos;t really feel the cold . Tarrant helped Sir Cedric to take off the overcoat and bundled it on the chair , with the lining turned outwards . when he had brought another drink , Tarrant repeated at length the exchanges which had taken place in Scotland Yard . Sir Cedric sat apparently unmoved , but at the close of the recital , he gave a loud chuckle . you were a bit rough , he commented . I suppose it might be called bureaucratic licence . it seemed the easiest way to end the inquisition . you did n&apos;t tell me you had visited Haines , Cedric . I felt it better you should n&apos;t know , said Sir Cedric defensively . I hoped the police would n&apos;t question you but I foresaw the possibility . I did n&apos;t want them to get the information out of you , for I knew it would look suspicious . and why did you visit him on the night of the murder ? Sir Cedric looked rather shamefaced . I asked him his terms for keeping quiet about your forgery . but that was senseless ! whatever Haines might have promised before he took your money , there was no way of making him keep his word . I was n&apos;t quite so simple , Bob . I told Haines that before I handed over any cash , he would need to sign a statement confessing to a crime for which he could be prosecuted . then if he ever used his knowledge against you , he &apos;d know I could produce his confession and he &apos;d go to gaol . Tarrant stared at his father-in-law unbelievingly . you really expected him to agree to that ? he asked . I never looked on you as a romantist ! I was willing to try anything to end the threat . you could n&apos;t have gone on as you were doing , Bob . even if Haines had kept quiet , you &apos;d never have known any peace and you &apos;d have broken within a few weeks - I could see it . you remember I asked you how much you would give to buy his silence and you told me almost everything you possessed . well , I thought I &apos;d make him an offer that would tempt him . I told him he could have ten thousand pounds if he agreed to my terms . Tarrant gave a soft whistle . it would have been worth it , he said . but Haines would n&apos;t play ? I think he was tempted . but he was eaten up with bitterness against you and this woman Bianca . he raved at me as if he were unbalanced . he was a bit , you know . Sir Cedric took a sip at his sherry . a pity somebody saw us at Brighton , he said . the police , though , can n&apos;t be sure or they &apos;d have clamped down on you . I felt they could n&apos;t be certain about my being there , but they have your description and it is n&apos;t far out . that coat is dangerous , Cedric . you must get rid of it . Sir Cedric promised to carry the coat over his arm on the way home , and when he went to the British Museum on Monday . then he would leave the coat in the reading room and let his wife believe it had been lost . best place I know to hide anything , he pointed out . I &apos;ll stuff the coat behind a set of old religious sermons which no one ever looks at . he patted the material gently . I should n&apos;t like to part with it altogether . if he had been asked , Tarrant would have said at once that Haines could not be bribed . he had seen , particularly at the last meeting with the blackmailer , that Haines was determined on revenge . the idea that he could be induced to accept money - even though the sum was as high as ten thousand pounds - as the price of keeping quiet was based on a complete failure to understand Jim Haines &apos;s warped and twisted mind . and when Haines had rejected the proposal , what had Sir Cedric done ? had he determined to kill Haines if he could not be silenced otherwise , and , when the offer of money had been rejected , had he steeled himself to murder ? Tarrant looked across at Sir Cedric on the other side of the table and felt a rush of affection for him . he realised how fantastic it was to imagine that his father-in-law could have had anything to do with so brutal a murder . I &apos;d begun to suspect you , Cedric , he apologised . that was pretty obvious , smiled Sir Cedric , and I admit I once had doubts about you . the only thing that worries me is your forgery of the immigration papers . I read that someone had left a letter to be sent to the police two months after his death , and Haines may have done something of the same kind . you read the wrong sort of newspapers , Cedric , laughed Tarrant , but he felt less confident than he sounded . chapter seventeen . Oxenham felt incensed that Tarrant should have been treated so leniently and been permitted to dodge questions . the chief inspector could not argue with Commander Rodgers , but , when Tarrant had left the room , he showed his irritation at the way the interview had been conducted . 