"Mr. Cornworthy here came out of his
room which is next door to Mr. Farley's, and was
surprised to see the two reporters still waiting. He
wanted Mr. Farley's signature to some letters and
thought he had also better remind him that these
two gentlemen were waiting. He accordingly went
into Mr. Farley's room. To his surprise he could
not at first see Mr. Farley and thought the room
was empty. Then he caught sight of a boot sticking
out behind the desk (which is placed in front of the
window). He went quickly across and discovered
Mr. Farley lying there dead, with a revolver beside
him.
"Mr. Cornworthy hurried out of the room and
directed the butler to ring up Dr. Stillingfieet. By
the latter's advice, Mr. Cornworthy also informed
the police."
"Was the shot heard?" asked Poirot.
"No. The traffic is very noisy here, the landing
window was open. What with lorries and motor
horns it would be most unlikely if it had been
noticed."
Poirot nodded thoughtfully. "What time is
it
supposed he died?" he asked.
Stillingfieet said:
"I examined the body as soon as I got here--that
is, at thirty-two minutes past four. Mr. Farley
had been dead at least an hour."
Poirot's face was very grave.