Now, inspector, he said, will you and your officer come in? And the caretakerand you, Kitteridge, and you, Mountain. Mr. Selwood, will you come in, too?
He stood at the door while those he had invited inside passed into the room where Peggie still sat. And as he stood there, and Selwood wound up the little procession, Mr. Tertius rose and also made as if to join the others. Barthorpe stopped him by intruding himself between him and the door.
This is a private inquiry of my own, Mr. Tertius, he said, with a meaning look.
Selwood, turning in sheer surprise at this announcement, so pointed and so unmistakable, saw a faint tinge of colour mount to the elder mans usually pale cheeks. Mr. Tertius stopped sharply and looked at Barthorpe in genuine surprise.
You do not wish me to enterto be present? he faltered.
Frankly, I dont, said Barthorpe, with aggressive plainness. There will be a public inquiryI cant stop you from attending that.
Mr. Tertius drew back. He stood for a moment staring hard at Barthorpe; then, with a slight, scarcely perceivable bow, he turned away, crossed the hall, and went out of the front door. And Barthorpe Herapath laugheda low, sneering laughand following the other men into the waiting-room, locked the door upon those assembled there. As if he and they were assembled on some cut-and-dried business matter, he waved them all to chairs, and himself dropped into one at the head of the table, close to that in which Peggie was sitting.
Now, inspector, he began, you and I must get what we may as well call first information about this matter. There will be a vast amount of special and particular investigation later on, but I want us, at the very outset, while facts are fresh in the mind, to get certain happenings clearly before us. And for this reasonI understand that the police-surgeon is of opinion that my uncle committed suicide. With all respect to himIm sorry hes gone before I could talk to himthat theory cannot be held for an instant! My cousin, Miss Wynne, and I knew our uncle far too well to believe that theory for a single moment, and we shall combat it by every means in our power when the inquest is held. Nomy uncle was murdered! Now I want to know all I can get to know of his movements last night. And first I think well hear what the caretaker can tell us. Hancock, he continued, turning to an elderly man who looked like an ex-soldier, I understand you found my uncles body?
The caretaker, obviously much upset by the affairs of the morning, pulled himself up to attention.
I did, sir, he replied.
What time was that?
Just eight oclock, sirthats my usual time for opening the office.
Tell us exactly how you found him, Hancock.
I opened the door of Mr. Herapaths private room, sir, to pull up the blinds and open the window. When I walked in I saw him lying across the hearth-rug. Then I noticed thethe revolver.
And of course that gave you a turn. What did you do? Go into the room?
No, sir! I shut the door again, went straight to the telephone and rang up the police-station. Then I waited at the front door till the inspector there came along.
Was the front door fastened as usual when you went to it at that time?
It was fastened as it always is, sir, by the latch. It was Mr. Herapaths particular orders that it never should be fastened any other way at night, because he sometimes came in at night, with his latch-key.
Just so. Now these offices are quite apart and distinct from the rest of the buildingmark that, inspector! Theres no way out of them into the building, nor any way out of the building into them. In fact, the only entrance into these offices is by the front door. Isnt that so, Hancock?
Thats quite so, sironly that one door.
No area entrance or side-door?
None, sirnothing but that.
And the only tenants in herethese officesat night are you and your wife, Hancock?
Thats all, sir.
Now, where are your rooms?
Weve two rooms in the basement, sirliving-room and kitchenand two rooms on the top floora bedroom and a bathroom.
On the top-floor. How many floors are there?
Well, sir, theres the basementthen theres thisthen theres two floors thats used by the clerksthen theres ours.
Thats to say there are two floors between your bedroom and this ground floor?
Yes, sirtwo.
Very well. Now, about last night. What time did you and your wife go to bed?
Eleven oclock, sirhalf an hour later than usual.
Youd previously looked round, I suppose?
Been all round, sirI always look into every room in the place last thing at nightthoroughly.
Are you and your wife sound sleepers?
Yes, sirboth of us. Good sleepers.
You heard no sound after you got to bed?
Nothing, sirneither of us.
No recollection of hearing a revolver shot?not even as if it were a long way off?
No, sirwe never heard anythingnothing unusual, at any rate.
You heard no sound of doors opening or being shut, nor of any conveyance coming to the door?
No, sir, nothing at all.
Well, one or two more questions, Hancock. You didnt go into the room after first catching sight of the body? Just sobut youd notice things, even in a hurried glance. Did you notice any sign of a struggleoverturned chair or anything?
No, sir. I did notice that Mr. Herapaths elbow chair, that he always sat in at his desk, was pushed back a bit, and was a bit on one side as it were. That was all.
And the lightthe electric light? Was that on?
No, sir.
Then all you can tell us comes to thisthat you never heard anything, and had no notion of what was happening, or had happened, until you came down in the morning?
Just so, sir. If Id known what was going on, or had gone on, I should have been down at once.
Barthorpe nodded and turned to the coachman.
Now, Mountain, he said. We want to hear your story. Be careful about your factswhat you can tell us is probably of the utmost importance.
CHAPTER IV
THE PRESSMAN
The coachman, thus admonished, unconsciously edged his chair a little nearer to the table at which Barthorpe Herapath sat, and looked anxiously at his interrogator. He was a little, shrewd-eyed fellow, and it seemed to Selwood, who had watched him carefully during the informal examination to which Barthorpe had subjected the caretaker, that he had begun to think deeply over some new presentiment of this mystery which was slowly shaping itself in his mind.
I understand, Mountain, that you fetched Mr. Herapath from the House of Commons last night? began Barthorpe. You fetched him in the brougham, I believe?
Yes, sir, answered the coachman. Mr. Herapath always had the brougham at nightand most times, too, sir. Never took kindly to the motor, sir.
Where did you meet him, Mountain?
Usual place, sirin Palace Yardjust outside the Hall.
What time was that?
Quarter past eleven, exactly, sirthe clock was just chiming the quarter as he came out.
Was Mr. Herapath alone when he came out?
No sir. He came out with another gentlemana stranger to me, sir. The two of em stood talking a bit a yard or two away from the brougham.