"A little time ago, near here," answered Drillford. "This gentleman, Mr. Viner, a neighbour of yours, found him--dead. There's no doubt, from what we can see, that he was murdered for the sake of robbery. And I want some information about him, about his habits and--" Miss Wickham got up from her chair and looked meaningly at Mrs. Killenhall. "The fact is," she said, turning to Drillford; "strange as it may seem, neither Mrs. Killenhall nor myself know very much about Mr. Ashton." CHAPTER III WHO WAS MR. ASHTON? For the first time since they had entered the room, Drillford turned and glanced at Viner; his look indicated the idea which Miss Wickham's last words had set up in his mind. Here was a mystery! The police instinct was aroused by it. "You don't know very much about Mr. Ashton?" he said, turning back to the two ladies. "Yet--you're under his roof? This is his house, isn't it?" "Just so," assented Miss Wickham. "But when I say we don't know much, I mean what I say. Mrs. Killenhall has only known Mr. Ashton a few weeks, and until two months ago I had not seen Mr. Ashton for twelve years. Therefore, neither of us can know much about him." "Would you mind telling me what you do know?" asked Drillford. "We've got to know something--who he is, and so on." "All that I know is this," replied Miss Wickham. "My father died in Australia, when I was about six years old. My mother was already dead, and my father left me in charge of Mr. Ashton. He sent me, very soon after my father's death, to school in England, and there I remained for twelve years. About two months ago Mr. Ashton came to England, took this house, fetched me from school and got Mrs. Killenhall to look after me. Here we've all been ever since--and beyond that I know scarcely anything." Drillford looked at the elder lady. "I know, practically, no more than Miss Wickham has told you," said Mrs. Killenhall. "Mr. Ashton and I got in touch with each other through his advertisement in the _Morning Post_. We exchanged references, and I came here." "Ah!" said Drillford. "And--what might his references be, now?" "To his bankers, the London and Orient, in Threadneedle Street," answered Mrs. Killenhall promptly. "And to his solicitors, Crawle, Pawle and Rattenbury, of Bedford Bow." "Very satisfactory they were, no doubt, ma'am?" suggested Drillford. Mrs. Killenhall let her eye run round the appointments of the room. "Eminently so," she said dryly. "Mr. Ashton was a very wealthy man." Drillford pulled out a pocketbook and entered the names which Mrs. Killenhall had just mentioned. "The solicitors will be able to tell something," he murmured as he put the book back. "We'll communicate with them first thing in the morning. But just two questions before I go. Can you tell me anything about Mr. Ashton's usual habits? Had he any business? What did he do with his time?"