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“I have left everything in place, as found on the morning of the brothers’ disappearance. Observe the table and gas-lamp.”

“As Trevor had mentioned in the letter, there were no suspicious circumstances to be drawn from the toppled table and lamp. A wind stirring the curtains through the open window might easily have occasioned the damage.”

“Were the doors locked upon the night of the disappearance?” I asked.

“It is uncommon in these parts to take the precaution of locking doors. If we trust our staff, then we see no need …”

“We passed through the house from room to room, and I noticed nothing amiss or noteworthy as we did so. At length we stood upon the verandah and gazed out over the verdant hills of the estate. ‘Tell me, Victor – were the brothers in the habit of taking hikes, or taking off on travels without notifying friends and staff?’ ”

‘ “Most certainly not. They had the interests of the estate at heart. They were most conscientious in the running of the business. They would go nowhere without first notifying one of their managers. Twice a year they took a boat up to Madras to call on acquaintances for a week, at Christmas and again six months later at the end of June.’ ”

“So therefore their disappearance in February cannot have been simply a trip to Madras?”

“Of course not! We checked this possibility at the shipping office in Trincomalee.”

“ ‘Which company did the brothers use for their voyages to India?’ ”

“The Modras Line. They have offices in town.”

“I might call upon them myself in the course of my investigation,” said I.

“The house-boy was summoned from the kitchen, and I questioned him upon the verandah. The ‘house-boy’ proved to be no boy at all, but a tiny, wizened Tamil in his fifties at least. He was polite and informative, but could shed no light on the mysterious vanishing of his employers. I ran the gamut of usual questions, from whether he noticed anything amiss on the night in question – he had not – to whether the brothers were liked and respected, which they were. Finally I asked: ‘What, in your opinion, has become of Master Bruce and William?’ ”

“At this his eyes filled with tears, and he murmured, ‘I fear for their lives, Mr Holmes.’ ”

“You do, and why is this?”

“The little Tamil shook his head. ‘Their spirits are abroad at night,’ said he.”

“I exchanged a glance with Trevor. ‘They are? And what makes you so certain?’ ”

“ ‘Myself, I have not heard or seen them – but my kitchen boys report hearing their wails in the night from the hills around. Their spirits haunt the estate and will do so until their enemies are brought to justice.’ ”

“I considered his words for some minutes, my thoughts entertaining dark possibilities in the bright sunlight of that equatorial country, whereupon I dismissed the house-boy and turned to Trevor.”

“And what, my friend do you make of that?”

“Poppycock, Holmes! Superstition of the first water. There are no people on Earth more given to such flights of fancy than the natives of this island. They probably heard the trumpeting of an elephant and drew conclusions.”

“Perhaps I might have a word with the house-keeper?”

“Trevor informed me that the girl employed by the brothers at the time of their disappearance was no longer in service here. ‘She is pregnant, and shortly after the brothers’ disappearance took ill. For the past three months she has been bed-ridden in a bungalow on the edge of the estate – the brothers hired a doctor in the early stages of her pregnancy, when she first showed signs of weakness. The doctor has attended her ever since. Later, if you wish, we might visit her and see what she can add to your investigations. Now, perhaps I could show you around the estate before the sun is at its height? I have my morning rounds to do anyway. If you would care to join me … ’ ”

“We took a trap along the rutted tracks excavated through the red soil of the estate. From time to time Trevor reigned the horse to a holt, climbed down and engaged native workers in