downstairs and showed them his body.
The butler was horrified and sprang toward it, but I said I thought we weren't supposed to touch anything.
Clare went on to describe how the butler took charge of everything: sent for Falkland's physician, got word to Bow Street, and appointed Martha to break the news to Mrs. Falkland. Clare returned to the party. The guests were more restless and bewildered than ever, but no one was inclined to leave till the mystery of Falkland's disappearance had been explained.
Suddenly we heard screaming from the floor above. It sounded like "No! No!" There was consternation. Guests poured out of the drawing room into the hall. Some of them started up the stairs, and Luke had to bar their way.
The butler restored a measure of order, Clare said. Soon after, Mrs. Falkland came downstairs and told the guests of her husband's murder.
Julian flipped back to the beginning of the statement. "He says Falkland seemed in good spirits that night, but since he also admits he didn't see much of him, he may not be any judge."
"The other guests say the same, though, sir. If Mr. Falkland thought he was in danger, he gave nary a sign of it."
Julian turned a few pages. "He says Falkland left the party between a quarter to twelve and midnight."
"Yes, sir. Most of the guests put it at just before midnight—ten minutes before at the earliest."
"What do we know about his movements after that?"
"Not a thing, sir. Except that he ended up in the study, where Mr. Clare found him. If anybody saw him in between, they ain't letting on."
"He said he was going upstairs to look in on Mrs. Falkland. Didn't she see him?"
"No, sir. Never saw him again after she left the party with a headache, which was about an hour earlier."
"Is it possible he looked in on her, but she was asleep?"
"She says not, sir. Says she was awake with her headache."
"Then we have Falkland leaving the party to go upstairs and see his wife, but instead going downstairs to the study. Why?"
Vance shook his head. "It's a poser, sir."
"It is indeed. Very well: the earliest Falkland could have died is ten minutes to twelve, when he left the party. What's the latest possible time?"
"Here." Vance fished out another statement. "Mr. Falkland's doctor came to examine his body that night. This is what he had to say."
Julian skimmed the physician's statement. It was full of dense medical language, but the main points were clear. Alexander's death had been caused by a severe blow to the back of the head, which must have killed him almost instantly. There was no possibility that the wound had been self-inflicted or had resulted from an accident. He was probably lying just as he had fallen, along the bottom of the window seat with his head at the left end. Most likely he had been facing toward the left when he was struck; there was a bruise on his forehead that might have been caused by his being knocked against the left-hand shutter-case. The shutter had been found drawn out; perhaps he had just closed it.
The murder weapon was clearly the poker that had been found beside the body; there were blood and skull fragments on the end. Based on his own examination and the information he had received from the butler and Mr. Clare about the condition of the body, the physician believed Alexander had been dead at least half an hour when he was found. In other words, the murder had taken place no later than a quarter past twelve.
"So he was killed some time between ten minutes to twelve and a quarter after," Julian concluded. "At least it's a narrow time frame."
"Not narrow enough, sir," Vance said ominously.
"I take it alibis are in short supply. Never mind, we'll get to them presently." Julian glanced through Clare's statement again. "This encounter he describes between Alexander and Martha may well be important, since it happened just before Alexander left the party. In fact, it gave him his excuse for leaving, since Martha told him Mrs. Falkland was still
The butler was horrified and sprang toward it, but I said I thought we weren't supposed to touch anything.
Clare went on to describe how the butler took charge of everything: sent for Falkland's physician, got word to Bow Street, and appointed Martha to break the news to Mrs. Falkland. Clare returned to the party. The guests were more restless and bewildered than ever, but no one was inclined to leave till the mystery of Falkland's disappearance had been explained.
Suddenly we heard screaming from the floor above. It sounded like "No! No!" There was consternation. Guests poured out of the drawing room into the hall. Some of them started up the stairs, and Luke had to bar their way.
The butler restored a measure of order, Clare said. Soon after, Mrs. Falkland came downstairs and told the guests of her husband's murder.
Julian flipped back to the beginning of the statement. "He says Falkland seemed in good spirits that night, but since he also admits he didn't see much of him, he may not be any judge."
"The other guests say the same, though, sir. If Mr. Falkland thought he was in danger, he gave nary a sign of it."
Julian turned a few pages. "He says Falkland left the party between a quarter to twelve and midnight."
"Yes, sir. Most of the guests put it at just before midnight—ten minutes before at the earliest."
"What do we know about his movements after that?"
"Not a thing, sir. Except that he ended up in the study, where Mr. Clare found him. If anybody saw him in between, they ain't letting on."
"He said he was going upstairs to look in on Mrs. Falkland. Didn't she see him?"
"No, sir. Never saw him again after she left the party with a headache, which was about an hour earlier."
"Is it possible he looked in on her, but she was asleep?"
"She says not, sir. Says she was awake with her headache."
"Then we have Falkland leaving the party to go upstairs and see his wife, but instead going downstairs to the study. Why?"
Vance shook his head. "It's a poser, sir."
"It is indeed. Very well: the earliest Falkland could have died is ten minutes to twelve, when he left the party. What's the latest possible time?"
"Here." Vance fished out another statement. "Mr. Falkland's doctor came to examine his body that night. This is what he had to say."
Julian skimmed the physician's statement. It was full of dense medical language, but the main points were clear. Alexander's death had been caused by a severe blow to the back of the head, which must have killed him almost instantly. There was no possibility that the wound had been self-inflicted or had resulted from an accident. He was probably lying just as he had fallen, along the bottom of the window seat with his head at the left end. Most likely he had been facing toward the left when he was struck; there was a bruise on his forehead that might have been caused by his being knocked against the left-hand shutter-case. The shutter had been found drawn out; perhaps he had just closed it.
The murder weapon was clearly the poker that had been found beside the body; there were blood and skull fragments on the end. Based on his own examination and the information he had received from the butler and Mr. Clare about the condition of the body, the physician believed Alexander had been dead at least half an hour when he was found. In other words, the murder had taken place no later than a quarter past twelve.
"So he was killed some time between ten minutes to twelve and a quarter after," Julian concluded. "At least it's a narrow time frame."
"Not narrow enough, sir," Vance said ominously.
"I take it alibis are in short supply. Never mind, we'll get to them presently." Julian glanced through Clare's statement again. "This encounter he describes between Alexander and Martha may well be important, since it happened just before Alexander left the party. In fact, it gave him his excuse for leaving, since Martha told him Mrs. Falkland was still
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