Page:Bentley- Trent's Last Case (Nelson, nd).djvu/127

Rh anybody else, got Manderson to get up, dress himself, and go out into the grounds; that he then and there shot the said Manderson with his incriminating pistol; that he carefully cleaned the said pistol, returned to the house and, again without disturbing any one, replaced it in its case in a favourable position to be found by the officers of the law; that he then withdrew and spent the rest of the day in hiding–with a large motor car; and that he turned up, feigning ignorance of the whole affair, at–what time was it?'

'A little after 9 p.m.' The inspector still stared moodily at Trent. 'As you say, Mr. Trent, that is the first theory suggested by this find, and it seems wild enough–at least it would do if it didn't fall to pieces at the very start. When the murder was done Marlowe must have been fifty to a hundred miles away. He did go to Southampton.'

'How do you know?'

'I questioned him last night, and took down his story. He arrived in Southampton about 6.30 on the Monday morning.'

'Come off!' exclaimed Trent bitterly. 'What do I care about his story? What do