SHORT STORY.

Waikato Times, Volume 100, Issue 16834, 28 June 1926, Page 4

SHORT STORY.

CIRCUPfISTANTIAL EVIDENCE. By TRAILL STEVENSON. Detective Denver Stretton awept the room with a Keen glance which omitted little that might be of value in his investigation. Then' he turner! to Sergeant Mcintosh, who was watching with a satisfied smile on his face, and said: "Murder, you say, sergeant?" Sergeant Mcintosh nodded his head vigorously. " Obviously, Mr Stretton. It's as clear as daylight. 1 never had a case so plain, so easy to read, from start to finish." The detective's eyebrows were raised interrogatively. "So?" he said. " Perhaps you'll be good enough to recapitulate the facts for my benefit."

" Certainly, sir," replied the sergeant, glancing at the open notebook in his hand. " The facts arc these, sir. Two hours age we received a telephone message from the butler here, name of Johnstone, that his master, Mr Reginald Trevelyan, had been found dead in his room, and that his mistress, who feared foul play, had instructed him to communicate with Vine Street at once. Within ten minutes of receiving the message Policesurgeon Waters here, and myself, were on the case. " I found Mr Trevelyan lying on the floor of his study dead. Dr. Waters confirmed my immediate conclusion that the gentleman had been killed by the blow of a sharp, heavy instrument which had penetrated the skull about two inches behind and above the left car, and that such a wound could not have been self-inflicted. The bodywas lying face upwards. " Dr. Waters examined it and stated that in his opinion the gentleman had been dead at least ten hours, which was confirmed from the fact that his wrist-watch was broken. It had evidently stopped when he fell. The hands of the watch indicate eleven o'clock. This is the instrument that was used to Jcill him. It was Iving about a foot from the body." ' He handed to Stretton a long, heavy steel poker which had an ornamental twist midway of its length and a spherical bead about the size of a golf ball. The head was studded with large triangular-shaped spikes at intervals of an inch. One of the spikes was stained with blood, which also coloured the base surrounding it. Studying it closely Stretton perceived a few grey hairs clinging to the surface where the blood had congealed. lie handed the poker back to the officer. " Yes, that appears to be the instrument all right," he remarked. Sergeant Mcintosh nodded. " You will observe when you measure the wound that this sharp protuberance ;nst fits it. Reconstructing the ciimc, concluded that the gentleman had heen standing at the corner of his iesk when he was struck from behind. ,!c fell forward on his face. But as lie was lying on his back I concluded that he had not been killed outright ,y 'he blow, and thai he hail just sufficient strength to turn round on k. his back. In that position he bled to' death. Dr. Wafers agrees with inc."

Stretton looked inquiringly at the police-surgeon, who nodded agreement.

" I ascertained from Mrs Trevelyan," continued the sergeant, "who is now in her room undftr arrest, that her husband arrived home last night about 8.30, and that after dinner he went to his study, a usual practice of his. She never saw him again alive, she said. She also volunteered the information that their relationship was somewhat strained, owing to domestic troubles, and that they occupied separate bedrooms.

"Mr Trevelyan did not appear at breakfast this morning, and she was just finishing her own breakfast when one of the maids appeared and informed her that her master had not been to bed, as his bed had not been slept in when she went in to make it up. Mrs Trevelyan thereupon inquired if he had gone out, but the butler replied in the negative. She sent the butler to the study to see if his master wished his breakfast sent in to him, as it was not an uncommon practice for Mr Trevelyan to remain in his study all night and breakfast there in ihe morning. The study door was locked and the butler could get no reply in spite of repeated knockings. He reported this to his mistress, and concluding that he was ill, or that perhaps something was wrong, she repaired to the study door herself, together with the butler. Getting no response to her inquiry she instructed the butler to to force the door, which after some trouble he did. When she realised what had happened she immediately sent the butler to telephone for the police. " I then questioned all the servants, and with the exception of one of the maids I was satisfied that they were telling the truth so far as they knew it. The exception was Mrs Trevelyan's own maid. She appeared very considerably distraught at my questions, and seemed to be afraid to say either yes or no.

" I then thoroughly examined the room. 1 found the print of a small shoe or slipper, a woman's from the shape and size, in the congealed blood on the carpet. As the butler had stated that Mrs Trevclya: had not touched or gone near the body after the discovery of the murder I thought this strange, and questioned all the servants again as to whether any of them had been in the room that morning or Hie previous night after 11 o'clock. They all said no. Mrs Trevelyan's maid looked terribly scared when I put that question to her, but I could get nothing out of her except a bare denial. " On a further careful examination of the carpet with a magnifying glass I discovered minute traces of blood leading from the spot where Mr Trevelyan's head rested to the ficnch window, and on the ground underneath the window, which was very soft, the imprint of the same shoe leading round to the window of Mrs Trevelyan's bedroom, which was also on flic ground floor. That window was bolted from the inside.

" I sent word to Mrs Trcvclyan to como to the sitting-room, where I pot Dr. Waters to engage her in conversation while I slipped along lo her bedroom, which I searched quickly but thoroughly. In a corner of her wardrobe, under a pile of clothing, I found this pair of slippers. Her maid admitted that they were Mrs Trevelyan's The right foot slipper tits exactly the mark in the blood on the carpet and also the imprint outside.the window. "1 taxed .Mrs Trevelyan's maid with concealing the fact that she knew her mistress had been in the room the previous evening at I t o'clock. After a hit of a scene she admitted that I wa s right and that she had been requested by her 'mistress to say nofhjn"\ She had seen tier mistress coming in through her bedroom window, h U t ihul was about midnight. Site thought it strange, and when she heard

of her master's death in the morning she connected these two events. She thereupon told her mistress,.who swore that she had had nothing to do with the master's death. When she saw that the game was up Mrs Trevelyan admitted that she had been in the study the ■ previous evening after midnight, but she denied that she. had anything to do with her husband's death. She told me that she and her husband had had a violent •quarrel during dinner, when her husband had made a certain accusation against her. He would not listen to her denial, because he stated that he had proof, as he had received an anonymous letter that day at his office enclosing another letter written by her to a man which could bear but one interpretation. She demanded to be shown the letter, but he had refused and rushed out of the room t,o his study, the door of which he locked after him. She followed, but was denied admittance. " As a gentleman friend called that evening about 0.30 she was forced to postpone further action, but after her friend had gone she determined to make another effort to see her husband. She could get no reply to her demand for admittance, so she went to her bedroom, was undressed by her maid, and Ihen sat down at the fire for a few moments to think thin.es out. After she had dismissed her maid she resolved to make yet another attempt to sec her husband and have it out with him as she was terribly afraid of a scandal.

In order to avoid being seen by any of the servants, some of whom might not yet have gone to bed, she went to the study by way of her bedroom window. If was, according to her story, then after midnight. The light in the study was si ill burning, hut she could not see her husband through the window. Thinking that he must have fallen asleep in his chair she forced open the french window after some trouble and stepped into the room. She then found her husband lying on the floor. She tried to raise him, but desisted when she saw that he was dead. Then in self-preservation she said she looked for the incriminating letter he said he had received, which she found clutched in his right hand. She threw it into the fire, realising that if it were found in the morning she would be blamed and that scandal would not be stilled. She reiterated, however, that the interpretation placed on Hie letter by her husband was not justified, it was, she said, just a foolish letter, no more. But she could not find ihe anonymous letter he had spoken about either in his pockets or on his desk. Then she looked in one of the drawers which was open, and found the letter there. It was the left-hand drawer second from the bottom. She thereupon shut the drawer, switched out Ihe light and left the room by the way she had come. " That was her explanation. I didn't believe a word of it, and neither did Or. Waters, who also listened to tier story. 1 thereupon charged her with the crime, and placed her under arrest. That's my case, Mr Stretton." Stretton looked thoughtful. "It certainly looks as though you were right, sergeant. By the way, who was ihe man who called on her last night?" "A Monsieur Henri do Balbois. He was the gentleman to whom she had sent flic incriminating letter. He came to flic house in response to her telephone, message, and they were together from 0.30 until just after 10 o'clock, when he was shown out by one of the maids. He could not have committed the murder because that wasn't accomplished until It o'clock, the hour shown on the dead man's wrist-watch when it stopped." Stretton nodded slowly. "Can I see the maid who showed the gentleman out ?" "Certainly, sir, I'll call her." When the girl appeared Stretton asked her to sit down. "I understand," he said, "thai a gentleman called on your mistress last night about 0.30, and that he left shortly after 10. I am told you showedjiini

out?" "Yes, sir," replied the girl timidly. "Can you remember the exact time he left the house?" "It was exactly 20 minutes past 10, sir." "What makes you remember the time so exactly?" "Well, you see, sir, it was like this. I usually goes to my bed about halfpast 11, and as I shut the door after the gentleman I happened to look at the grandfather clock in the hall and it showed 20 minutes past 11, sir. It struck me then that I didn't feet sleepy, when all at once I remembered that the hall clock was an hour fast, which I heard master tell the butler just that morning when I was handing him his hat and coal." ""Thank you, miss, that's all I want," returned Stretton, on his face a look of alertness that did not escape the sergeant's eye. He looked chagrined as he said: "She didn't tell me about the clock being fast, sir." Stretton gave a little smile. "I'd like, to see 1.1 ic butler now, sergeant; will you call him?" Somewhat mystified the officer did so. When the butler appeared Stretton looked at him, and said abruptly: "Who looks after the clocks in the house, Mr Johnstone?" "That's one of my dooties, sir." "All! Did your master yesterday morning call your attention to the fact that the hall clock was an hour fast?" Johnstone looked ids astonishment, "Yes, sir, when 1 come to think of it, lie did." "Did you alter the clock immediately afterwards?" The butler shook his head slowly. "Well, no, sir, not to say immediately. But I remembered before the master came home, and put it right then." "What time was that?" "About seven o'clock, sir." "So the hall clock showed the correct lime last night after that hour?" "Yes, sir. It lakes about a fortnight to make up an hour." When Stretton dismissed the butler the two officials looked at each other, and then at Or. Waters. "That seems to put a new light on the mailer," said the latter, looking at the sergeant. "Well, I'm blowed!" replied the sergeant. "He may have committed the murder and not Hie woman." "It's possible," returned SLretlon, "but I wouldn't .jump too hastily to conclusions, sergeant. However, you'd belter get your hands on the gentleman." Stretton again scrutinised the carpet carefully through his powerful magnifying glass. Then be examined the dead man's clothing as carefully. He found one thing that had escaped the sergeant's notice. That was a small ragged tear in ttie left leg of the dead man's trousers just, behind the knee, lie sent for Johnstone again and questioned him about this tear. The butler was p.soitive that it bad not been there Hie previous morning when he tiad [aid out the garment for his master. Stretton dismissed him and turned again In the desk. lie examined all the contents minutely. When lie pulled nut the left-hand drawer second from llm bottom lie paused abruptly nml uttered an exclamation. AHer a further scrutiny

he picked up something which he examined closely with his magnifying glass. He placed what he had found in an envelope, which he put into his pocket. There was an expression of quiet satisfaction on his face which puzzled the poliec-surgeon who was watching him, but he said nothing Stretton then rang the bell and requested the butler who appeared to ask Mrs Trevelyan to come to the sitting-room. He turned to Dr. Waters, who was completing some notes about hte examination of the body. "Just a moment, Waters. I don't know what you'll think of my 'reconstruction' of the affair, but I'm sure it's accurate and I'm going to act on' it. Ah, good morning, madam," he added, with a slight inclination of his head towards Mrs Trevelyan, who had just at that moment, entered accompanied by a constable. He saw a slight, rather faded-looking woman of over fifty whose eyes were red from weeping. When the door had closed behind the dismissed constable Stretton motioned to Dr. Waters to be seated again, and himself took a chair opposite Mrs Trevelyan. "I have heard the sergeant's version of your story, madam, and have a question to ask you. When you first, discovered that your husband was dead did you notice this"—pointing to the poker—"lying near the body?" Mrs Trevelyan raised her eyes, looked wonderingly at him for a moment, then shook her head. "It was lying beneath him when I raised him up," she replied in a tired voice. "And you kicked it away with your foot, I suppose?" he said kindly.

She nodded, surprised. "Why, yes, I remember doing that."

Stretton looked over at Dr. Waters and nodded when he saw the light of comprehension dawn in the surgeon's eyes. "You are no longer under arrest, Mrs Trevelyan," he said. "Sergeant Mcintosh's zeal has caused him to make a slight error in judgment, and I am happy to say that I acsc.'utely nelievc your story." Mrs Trevelyan dabbed her eyes with a small lace handkerchief. "Thank you," she replied listlessly, and both Stretton and the surgeon realised that she had evidently scarcely appreciated what her arrest had meant. "This is what actually happened, according to my 'reconstruction.' " continued Stretton, addressing himself to Dr. Waters. "My first thoughts were that a blow from that extremely formidable poker should have crushed the skull in more than it appeared to have done. If that were so, then Mr Trevelyan would not have been able to turn round after he fell. He would have been, literally, dead before he reached the floor and would have been unable to turn on his back. But the sergeant said he found the body in that position. Mrs Trevelyan's story confirmed that she found her husband lying on his back. That was the first thing that made me suspect that the sergeant was perhaps a bit hasty in his conclusions. The next thing was Mrs Trevelyan's statement about the second from the bottom left-hand drawer of the desk being open and in which she found the missing letter. I unconsciously connected these two things and looked for some corroboration of the conclusion I drew from them. I found it in the ragged tear in the left trouscr leg below the knee. That tear was a recent one. The, butler confirmed that it had not been thcr'e when he laid out the garment for his master in the morning. Valeting was part of his duty. I thereupon

opened the drawer, which Mrs Trcvelyan had shut from force of habit, I suppose, and found, adhering' to the edge of the right side of the drawer, in a split in the wood, half a dozen mixed cotton and worsted threads which correspond exactly to the material of the trouser. There could have been no more conclusive evidence. Mr Trcvelyan had evidently opened Uie drawer and dropped the anonymous letter into it, risen to his feet and. forgetting the open drawer behind him, stepped backwards. Look at the height of the drawer." He pulled it open. "It caught him just behind t.he knee and he fell backwards over it, the split in the edge tearing his trouser as he fell. The poker was lying on the Jloor where it had been left by some careless maid, and the unfortunate gentleman's head struck it. lie is a fairly heavy man, and the force of contact with the head of the poker stunned him so that he became unconscious and bled to death." The police-surgeon nodded thoughtfully. "Then it was an accident?" Strctton rose to his feet. "There can be no question about that," he said.