"It's out of our hands.
There is a case to answer.
No question about that."
"But you don't - Taverner doesn't - think that they're guilty?"
"That's for a jury to decide."
"For God's sake," I said, "don't put me off with technical terms.
What do you think - both of you - personally?"
"My personal opinion is no better than yours, Charles."
"Yes, it is. You've more experience."
"Then I'll be honest with you. I just - don't know!"
"They could be guilty?"
"Oh yes."
"But you don't feel sure that they are?"
My father shrugged his shoulders.
"How can one be sure?"
"Don't fence with me, dad.
You've been sure other times, haven't you?
Dead sure? No doubt in your mind at all?"
"Sometimes, yes.
Not always."
"I wish to God you were sure this time."
"So do I."
We were silent.
I was thinking of those two figures drifting in from the garden in the dusk.
Lonely and haunted and afraid.
They had been afraid from the start.
Didn't that show a guilty conscience?
But I answered myself: "Not necessarily."
Both Brenda and Laurence were afraid of life - they had no confidence in themselves, in their ability to avoid danger and defeat, and they could see, only too clearly, the pattern of illicit love leading to murder which might involve them at any moment.
My father spoke, and his voice was grave and kind:
"Come, Charles," he said, "let's face it.
You've still got it in your mind, haven't you, that one of the Leonides family is the real culprit?"
"Not really.
I only wonder -"
"You do think so.
You may be wrong, but you do think so."
"Yes," I said.
"Why?"
"Because -" I thought about it, trying to see clearly - to bring my wits to bear -"because" (yes, that was it) "because they think so themselves."
"They think so themselves?
That's interesting.
That's very interesting.
Do you mean that they all suspect each other, or that they know, actually, who did do it."
"I'm not sure," I said.
"It's all very nebulous and confused.
I think - on the whole - that they try to cover up the knowledge from themselves."
My father nodded.
"Not Roger," I said. "Roger wholeheartedly believes it was Brenda and he wholeheartedly wants her hanged.
It's - it's a relief to be with Roger because he's simple and positive, and hasn't any reservations in the back of his mind.
"But the others are apologetic, they're uneasy - they urge me to be sure that Brenda has the best defence - that every possible advantage is given her - why?"