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Page 22
Something about working in a passage, thought Elsie.
"Yes, but who said it?"
"Mr. Robert."
"How do you know it was Mr. Robert? Had you heard his voice
before?"
"I don't take it upon myself to say that I had had any
acquaintance with Mr. Robert, but seeing that it wasn't Mr. Mark,
nor yet Mr. Cayley, nor any other of the gentlemen, and Miss
Stevens had shown Mr. Robert into the office not five minutes
before--"
"Quite so," said the Inspector hurriedly. "Mr. Robert,
undoubtedly. Working in a passage?"
"That was what it sounded like, sir."
"H'm. Working a passage over--could that have been it?"
"That's right, sir," said Elsie eagerly. "He'd worked his
passage over."
"Well?"
"And then Mr. Mark said loudly--sort of triumphant-like--'It's my
turn now. You wait.'"
"Triumphantly?"
"As much as to say his chance had come."
"And that's all you heard?"
"That's all, sir--not standing there listening, but just passing
through the hall, as it might be any time."
"Yes. Well, that's really very important, Elsie. Thank you."
Elsie gave him a smile, and returned eagerly to the kitchen. She
was ready for Mrs. Stevens or anybody now.
Meanwhile Antony had been exploring a little on his own. There
was a point which was puzzling him. He went through the hall to
the front of the house and stood at the open door, looking out on
to the drive. He and Cayley had run round the house to the left.
Surely it would have been quicker to have run round to the right?
The front door was not in the middle of the house, it was to the
end. Undoubtedly they went the longest way round. But perhaps
there was something in the way, if one went to the right--a wall,
say. He strolled off in that direction, followed a path round
the house and came in sight of the office windows. Quite simple,
and about half the distance of the other way. He went on a
little farther, and came to a door, just beyond the broken-in
windows. It opened easily, and he found himself in a passage.
At the end of the passage was another door. He opened it and
found himself in the hall again.
"And, of course, that's the quickest way of the three," he said
to himself. "Through the hall, and out at the back; turn to the
left and there you are. Instead of which, we ran the longest way
round the house. Why? Was it to give Mark more time in which to
escape? Only, in that case--why run? Also, how did Cayley know
then that it was Mark who was trying to escape? If he had
guessed--well, not guessed, but been afraid--that one had shot
the other, it was much more likely that Robert had shot Mark.
Indeed, he had admitted that this was what he thought. The first
thing he had said when he turned the body over was, 'Thank God!
I was afraid it was Mark.' But why should he want to give Robert
time in which to get away? And again--why run, if he did want to
give him time?"
Antony went out of the house again to the lawns at the back, and
sat down on a bench in view of the office windows.
"Now then," he said, "let's go through Cayley's mind carefully,
and see what we get."
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