The floor and walls had no marks
of entrances, and Jennings returned to the sitting-room
completely baffled. Then Juliet spoke again. "I cannot help
wondering what you expect to find," she observed.
"I thought there might be a secret entrance," said Jennings,
looking at her keenly, "but there seems to be none."
Miss Saxon appeared genuinely astonished and looked round. "I
never heard of such a thing," she said, puzzled. "And what
would a quiet old lady like my aunt need with a secret
entrance?"
"Well, you see, the assassin could not have sounded that bell
and have escaped by the front door. Had he done so, he would
have met Susan Grant answering the call. Therefore, he must
have escaped in some other way. The windows of both rooms
are out of the question."
"Yes. But I understood that the assassin escaped at half-past
ten."
"According to the evidence it looks like that. But who then
sounded the bell?"
Juliet shook her head. "I can't say," she said with a sigh.
"The whole case is a mystery to me."
"You don't know who killed Miss Loach? Please do not look so
indignant, Miss Saxon. I am only doing my duty."
The girl forced a smile. "I really do not know, nor can I
think what motive the assassin can have had. He must have had
some reason, you know, Mr. Jennings."
"You say 'he.' Was the assassin then a man?"
"I suppose so. At the inquest the doctor said that no woman
could have struck such a blow.
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