Hale
and Clancy were playing some game with Basil Saxon, who was
the son of Mrs. Octagon, and he was associated with Maraquito.
Thus it would seem that all these people were connected in
various ways with the dead woman. But the questions were: Had
one of them struck the fatal blow, and if so, who had been
daring enough to do so?
"Again," murmured Jennings, "who touched that bell? Not the
assassin, who would scarcely have been fool enough to call
anyone to examine his work before he had time to escape.
Certainly it may have been a woman! Yes! I believe a man
killed Miss Loach, for some reason I have yet to learn, and a
woman, out of jealousy, wishing to get him into the grip of
the law, touched the bell so that witnesses might appear
before the assassin could escape. But who struck the blow?"
This was a difficult question. It could not have been Basil
Saxon, for he was at the Marlow Theatre on that night with his
sister. Cuthbert had no motive, and Jennings quite believed
his explanation as to his exploration of the park between the
hours of ten and eleven. Hale, Clancy and Mrs. Herne were
all out of the house before the blow had been struck, and,
moreover, there was no reason why they should murder a
harmless old lady. Maraquito confined to her couch could not
possibly have anything to do with the crime. Mrs. Octagon did
hate her sister, but she certainly would not risk killing her.
In fact, Jennings examining into the motives and movements of
those mentioned, could find no clue to the right person.
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