Page:Bat Wing 1921.djvu/293

 “Exactly,” replied Harley.

The face of Inspector Aylesbury grew very red.

“I had deferred looking for the bullet,” he explained, “as the case was already as clear as daylight. Probably Mr. Harley has discovered it.”

“I have,” said Harley, shortly.

“Is it the regulation bullet?” asked Wessex.

“It is. I found it embedded in one of the yew trees.”

“There you are!” exclaimed Aylesbury. “There isn’t the ghost of a doubt.”

Wessex looked at Harley in undisguised perplexity.

“I must say, Mr. Harley,” he admitted, “that I have never met with a clearer case.”

“Neither have I,” agreed Harley, cheerfully. “I am going to ask Inspector Aylesbury to return here after nightfall. There is a little experiment which I should like to make, and which would definitely establish my case.”

“Your case?” said Aylesbury.

“My case, yes.”

“You are not going to tell me that you still persist in believing Camber to be innocent?”

“Not at all. I am merely going to ask you to return at nightfall to assist me in this minor investigation.”

“If you ask my opinion,” said the Inspector, “no further evidence is needed.”

“I don’t agree with you,” replied Harley, quietly. “Whatever your own ideas upon the subject may be, I, personally, have not yet discovered one single piece of convincing evidence for the prosecution of Camber.”

“What!” exclaimed Aylesbury, and even Detective-Inspector Wessex stared at the speaker incredulously.

“My dear Inspector Aylesbury,” concluded Harley,