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 reason--I understand that the
police-surgeon is of opinion that my uncle committed suicide. With all
respect to him--I'm sorry he's gone before I could talk to him--that
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.
No--my uncle was murdered! Now I want to know all I can get to know of
his movements last night. And first I think we'll 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 uncle's 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 o'clock, sir--that's my usual time for opening the office."

"Tell us exactly how you found him, Hancock."

"I opened the door of Mr. Herapath's 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 the--the 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. Herapath's
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 building--mark that, inspector! There's 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. Isn't that so,
Hancock?"

"That's quite so, sir--only that one door."

"No area entrance or side-door?"

"None, sir--nothing but that."

"And the only tenants in here--these offices--at night are you and your