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'She was my father's sister,' snarled Pemberton. 'And my last living aunt. Why?'

'And the recently deceased Colonel Marlowe. Was he the brother of your father or your mother?'

Pemberton suddenly turned and faced the Doctor. 'I don't understand why you are prying into my life with these highly personal questions. I find them both annoying and highly distasteful.' He turned on his heels and strode towards the door where the Butler waited. But before they could leave, the Doctor spoke again. 'Mr Upcott, thought you had agreed to help us in this investigation in whatever way you could.'

Pemberton and the butler paused on the threshold. 'Well, what is it you want to ask me?' said Pemberton impatiently.

The Doctor smiled politely. 'Just one final question: I believe you had the lock repaired on the billiard room door?'

'Yes, I thought it was by far the most sensible thing to do. Stop people traipsing in and out. The lock was made good and the door sealed again, but nothing inside the room was disturbed. What of it?' 'My question is, did you change the lock or merely repair it? In other ords, is there a new key in use?' The Doctor peered keenly at Pemberton. 'Or perhaps more than one?'

'No, just this one, which is unique,' said Pemberton impatiently. 'As I have told you.' He reached into his watch pocket and took out the key, which he brandished defiantly. 'And here it is.'

'Fine. Thank you.' The Doctor watched Upcott and the butler go, then he turned to Carnacki who was looking at him with a puzzled expression. 'What was all that about Doctor?'

'It seems there have been developments in our murder investigation.' 'You've discovered some significant fact?'

'Yes, it seems Pemberton is wrong about there being only the one

key.'

'Really? How can we be sure of that?'

'Did you see me talking to the butler a moment ago?' 'Yes, I could hardly miss it.'

'Well he passed me a message from Zoe. Do you remember when she was summoned from the breakfast room by that contraption? Well her summoner was Pemberton's brother.' 'Thor Upcott.'

'Yes. And it seems Thor summoned her from the supposedly locked and impenetrable billiard room, where she found him sitting drunk as a lord. He ordered some scrambled eggs.'

'These eggs aren't at all bad,' said Thor Upcott, stirring them on the small china plate with his fork, a tufted heap of buttery golden eggs streaked with pink slivers of smoked salmon. 'That's good,' said Zoe nervously.

'For a while we had this lamentable cook who insisted on using the most revolting over-salted Scotch salmon. We got rid of him pretty quick, I can tell you.' Thor bent to the eggs and shovelled them into his mouth with astounding rapidity. Then, setting the plate aside, he turned to Zoe.

Zoe had found Thor Upcott in the billiard room where he'd ordered breakfast from her, insisting that she bring it to him in his bedroom. Once she'd arrived, he'd insisted on her remaining there while he ate. It was a large room at the east end of the house with south facing windows. There was a bed at one end and a low sofa at the other. The walls were lined with bookshelves. A dresser with a marble top occupied most of the length of the north wall with a large mirror mounted behind it, doubling the images of bottles of eau de cologne and other toiletries chaotically mingled with larger bottles of whisky and brandy, and a soda siphon.

Thor had been drunk when she first found him, but he seemed to have sobered up rapidly since leaving the billiard room. Zoe didn't feel any more at ease with him, though. In fact she felt as if she were trapped in a cage with a huge prowling panther.

Thor Upcott was a larger and more athletic version of his brother. He had a powerful build, which put Zoe in mind of his ancestor Roderick. Thor had broad shoulders and a narrow waist, which he showed off to good advantage in the clinging silk dressing gown he wore. Zoe suspected he wasn't wearing anything else, except his faintly