"In that case I should be glad to hear the evidence and to examine thepremises without an instant of unnecessary delay."
Inspector Martin had the good sense to allow my friend to do thingsin his own fashion, and contented himself with carefully noting theresults. The local surgeon, an old, white-haired man, had just come downfrom Mrs. Hilton Cubitt's room, and he reported that her injuries wereserious, but not necessarily fatal. The bullet had passed through thefront of her brain, and it would probably be some time before she couldregain consciousness. On the question of whether she had been shot orhad shot herself he would not venture to express any decided opinion.Certainly the bullet had been discharged at very close quarters. Therewas only the one pistol found in the room, two barrels of which hadbeen emptied. Mr. Hilton Cubitt had been shot through the heart. It wasequally conceivable that he had shot her and then himself, or thatshe had been the criminal, for the revolver lay upon the floor midwaybetween them.
"Has he been moved?" asked Holmes.
"We have moved nothing except the lady. We could not leave her lyingwounded upon the floor."
"How long have you been here, doctor?"
"Since four o'clock."
"Anyone else?"
"Yes, the constable here."
"And you have touched nothing?"
"Nothing."
"You have acted with great discretion. Who sent for you?"
"The housemaid, Saunders."
"Was it she who gave the alarm?"
"She and Mrs. King, the cook."
"Where are they now?"
"In the kitchen, I believe."
"Then I think we had better hear their story at once."
The old hall, oak-panelled and high-windowed, had been turned into acourt of investigation. Holmes sat in a great, old-fashioned chair, hisinexorable eyes gleaming out of his haggard face. I could read in thema set purpose to devote his life to this quest until the client whom hehad failed to save should at last be avenged. The trim Inspector Martin,the old, grey-headed country doctor, myself, and a stolid villagepoliceman made up the rest of that strange company.
The two women told their story clearly enough. They had been arousedfrom their sleep by the sound of an explosion, which had been followeda minute later by a second one. They slept in adjoining rooms, and Mrs.King had rushed in to Saunders. Together they had descended the stairs.The door of the study was open and a candle was burning upon the table.Their master lay upon his face in the centre of the room. He was quitedead. Near the window his wife was crouching, her head leaning againstthe wall. She was horribly wounded, and the side of her face was redwith blood. She breathed heavily, but was incapable of saying anything.The passage, as well as the room, was full of smoke and the smell ofpowder. The window was certainly shut and fastened upon the inside. Bothwomen were positive upon the point. They had at once sent for thedoctor and for the constable. Then, with the aid of the groom and thestable-boy, they had conveyed their injured mistress to her room. Bothshe and her husband had occupied the bed. She was clad in her dress--hein his dressing-gown, over his night clothes. Nothing had been moved inthe study. So far as they knew there had never been any quarrel betweenhusband and wife. They had always looked upon them as a very unitedcouple.
These were the main points of the servants' evidence. In answer toInspector Martin they were clear that every door was fastened upon theinside, and that no one could have escaped from the house. In answerto Holmes they both remembered that they were conscious of the smellof powder from the moment that they ran out of their rooms upon thetop floor. "I commend that fact very carefully to your attention," saidHolmes to his professional colleague. "And now I think that we are in aposition to undertake a thorough examination of the room."
The study proved to be a small chamber, lined on three sides with books,and with a writing-table facing an ordinary window, which looked outupon the garden. Our first attention was given to the body of theunfortunate squire, whose huge frame lay stretched across the room. Hisdisordered dress showed that he had been hastily aroused from sleep.The bullet had been fired at him from the front, and had remained inhis body after penetrating the heart. His death had certainly beeninstantaneous and painless. There was no powder-marking either upon hisdressing-gown or on his hands. According to the country surgeon the ladyhad stains upon her face, but none upon her hand.
"The absence of the latter means nothing, though its presence maymean everything," said Holmes. "Unless the powder from a badly-fittingcartridge happens to spurt backwards, one may fire many shots withoutleaving a sign. I would suggest that Mr. Cubitt's body may now beremoved. I suppose, doctor, you have not recovered the bullet whichwounded the lady?"
"A serious operation will be necessary before that can be done. Butthere are still four cartridges in the revolver. Two have been fired andtwo wounds inflicted, so that each bullet can be accounted for."
"So it would seem," said Holmes. "Perhaps you can account also for thebullet which has so obviously struck the edge of the window?"
He had turned suddenly, and his long, thin finger was pointing to a holewhich had been drilled right through the lower window-sash about an inchabove the bottom.
"By George!" cried the inspector. "How ever did you see that?"
"Because I looked for it."
"Wonderful!" said the country doctor. "You are certainly right, sir.Then a third shot has been fired, and therefore a third person must havebeen present. But who could that have been and how could he have gotaway?"
"That is the problem which we are now about to solve," said SherlockHolmes. "You remember, Inspector Martin, when the servants said that onleaving their room they were at once conscious of a smell of powder Iremarked that the point was an extremely important one?"
"Yes, sir; but I confess I did not quite follow you."