3 Interviewing the Witnesses

Chapter 3 Interviewing the Witnesses Just then, one of the servants came in with news. A bicycle had been discovered in a clump of trees next to the driveway. We went out to take a look. It was a well-used machine, splashed with mud, but there was no clue to its owner. "It's a puzzle," said Holmes, "why the murderer left this behind, and how he got away without it." On our return to the house, Holmes asked if we could start interviewing witnesses. We invited

them, in turn, into the dining room. First to be called was Ames the butler. He said he'd worked for Mr. Douglas for five years and found him a kind and considerate employer. Last night, Ames had been in the pantry polishing the silver when he heard the bell ring, summoning him. He heard no shot, but then the pantry is at the very back of the house. The bell also brought Mrs. Allen the housekeeper from her room and they went together to the front of the house. Mrs. Douglas was coming down the stairs. She wasn't hurrying and didn't look very anxious.

As she reached the bottom, Mr. Barker dashed out of the study and begged her to go back upstairs, saying "Poor John is dead! There's nothing you can do!" Mrs. Allen's account was similar to the butler's. She hadn't heard the gunshot either, though she was somewhat hard of hearing. But she had heard what sounded like a door slamming around half an hour before the bell rang. She escorted Mrs. Douglas back to her bedroom and stayed with her most of the night.

The lady had been greatly agitated and trembling all over. Next, we spoke to the guest, Cecil Barker. He was convinced the murderer had escaped by the window—the bloody footprint was proof of that, he said. He'd met Mr. Douglas around eleven years ago in California. They had become partners in a gold mine there and had done very well. Five years ago, Douglas suddenly sold his share and sailed for England. Barker sensed Douglas was in some kind of danger and needed to escape. Douglas never talked about it, but Barker suspected he'd offended some kind of secret society and they wanted him dead. "A week after John left," said Barker, "some people came looking for him—hard, mean- looking men. They weren't miners. I don't know who they were, but I was mighty glad to see the back of them." "If he was in danger, why didn't he ask for police protection?" asked Mason. "Maybe this was a danger that he thought only he could protect himself against," said Barker. "He bought this house for its moat and

drawbridge because it made him feel more secure." "You followed him to England a year later," said MacDonald. "That would have been around the time of his marriage. Did you know Mrs. Douglas before she got married?" "No, I didn't." "But you've become good friends with her since?" Barker frowned. "I'm friends with both of them." "Did Mr. Douglas mind you being friends with his wife?" "You've no right to ask me that," said Barker angrily. "It has nothing to do with this investigation."

"I'm not so sure about that," said MacDonald. "Douglas's wedding ring was removed, which tells me that his marriage and this tragedy are in some way connected. If you don't answer the question, Mr. Barker, it suggests you have something to hide." Barker sighed. "If Douglas had one fault, it was jealousy. He loved us both, but if he saw us talking together, he could get very angry. Yet I swear no man ever had a more faithful wife, nor a more loyal friend." After Barker, we spoke to Mrs. Douglas. She was a tall, beautiful woman of about thirty. Her face was pale and drawn, but she seemed calm,