France, April 5, 1419.â
Was I not reasonable in supposing that the name of a fourteenth-century Spanish Dominican, who had afterwards been canonized, had only been dragged into this because of its similarity to that of the two brothers? Or could the Saint have some actual influence in the matter? At all events there was a flimsy aspect of the policeâs explanation. If Stewart meant to stab the doctor, it was very hard to see how he was going to make anyonethink that Benson had committed suicide. A doctor of all people would be the last to kill himself by that difficult and chancy means.
6. Pre-selection gears.
Was Stute right in attaching quite the importance he did to these simple inquiries from Stewart to Ed Wilson? It is true that the doctorâs car had them, and that anybody who intended to drive such a car for the first time might well make a few inquiries about their working. But then so had hundreds of other cars pre-selection gears, and for all we knew Stewart might have thought of buying one. It was only as the words of a guilty man that his inquiries had any significance at all.
7.
The quarrel.
The truth about this we should never know since Duncan had committed suicide, but it remained a significant, and a very important matter. Duncan had gathered that their quarrel was to do with Sheila, and yet Sheila herself had blandly stated that this was impossible as Benson was indifferent to her infidelities except as a possible means of freeing himself from the ties of married life. In any case, if she was to be believed, there had been no grounds for such a ruarrel since her love-affair had been with Peter and not with Stewart. Over what then had they quarrelled that evening? Was it true that Benson was blackmailing Stewart? If so, on what grounds? What could he know about this quiet, church-going man, who seemed to be respected, if not particularly liked, in the district? Perhaps we should know something of that when we came to interview Stewart, but at present that quarrel seemed a misfit. As for the other sentence Duncan had heard, âItâs in my surgery now,â this might mean anything or nothing. It might be a casual reference to something Benson had borrowedfrom Stewart, it might be one of a hundred trivial details. On the other hand it might possibly refer to some evidence of something through which he was obtaining money from the elder brother.
8.
Money.
I always looked for money considerations in such crimes as these, and there were several here. First of all there were the four sums of £500 each which had been drawn by Stewart in £1 notes from his bank since he had inherited his fortune. Large sums in small notes always suggested blackmail. And one of these had been found in a brown-paper parcel in Stewartâs dressing-table upstairs. It was, of course, possible to admit the police theory that these had been drawn for, and possibly paid to, Benson, and recovered from his body after the murder. But apart from the inadvisability of admitting any police theories, I had serious doubt on this score. Then also on the subject of money there had been the visitor to Stewart in his fatherâs time; Mr. Orpen, alias Oppenstein, who had turned out to be a money-lender. How, if at all, did he come into the case? Could there be any connection between him and St. Vincent Ferrer, who was famous for his conversion of Jews?
9.
The dagger.
This was, perhaps, the most puzzling clue of all. Why had it been returned to the table when it might well have been left in Bensonâs throat? Was one to admit Stuteâs suggestion that it had been placed there by force of habit by Stewart, who was its chief user? It had his finger-prints on it, and yet it had been cleaned by Rose after Stewart had left the house that day, and he had not returned to the library till he had gone there with his guests after dinner. It was, of course, the most damning piece of evidence that Stute had.
10.
Figures
Was I not reasonable in supposing that the name of a fourteenth-century Spanish Dominican, who had afterwards been canonized, had only been dragged into this because of its similarity to that of the two brothers? Or could the Saint have some actual influence in the matter? At all events there was a flimsy aspect of the policeâs explanation. If Stewart meant to stab the doctor, it was very hard to see how he was going to make anyonethink that Benson had committed suicide. A doctor of all people would be the last to kill himself by that difficult and chancy means.
6. Pre-selection gears.
Was Stute right in attaching quite the importance he did to these simple inquiries from Stewart to Ed Wilson? It is true that the doctorâs car had them, and that anybody who intended to drive such a car for the first time might well make a few inquiries about their working. But then so had hundreds of other cars pre-selection gears, and for all we knew Stewart might have thought of buying one. It was only as the words of a guilty man that his inquiries had any significance at all.
7.
The quarrel.
The truth about this we should never know since Duncan had committed suicide, but it remained a significant, and a very important matter. Duncan had gathered that their quarrel was to do with Sheila, and yet Sheila herself had blandly stated that this was impossible as Benson was indifferent to her infidelities except as a possible means of freeing himself from the ties of married life. In any case, if she was to be believed, there had been no grounds for such a ruarrel since her love-affair had been with Peter and not with Stewart. Over what then had they quarrelled that evening? Was it true that Benson was blackmailing Stewart? If so, on what grounds? What could he know about this quiet, church-going man, who seemed to be respected, if not particularly liked, in the district? Perhaps we should know something of that when we came to interview Stewart, but at present that quarrel seemed a misfit. As for the other sentence Duncan had heard, âItâs in my surgery now,â this might mean anything or nothing. It might be a casual reference to something Benson had borrowedfrom Stewart, it might be one of a hundred trivial details. On the other hand it might possibly refer to some evidence of something through which he was obtaining money from the elder brother.
8.
Money.
I always looked for money considerations in such crimes as these, and there were several here. First of all there were the four sums of £500 each which had been drawn by Stewart in £1 notes from his bank since he had inherited his fortune. Large sums in small notes always suggested blackmail. And one of these had been found in a brown-paper parcel in Stewartâs dressing-table upstairs. It was, of course, possible to admit the police theory that these had been drawn for, and possibly paid to, Benson, and recovered from his body after the murder. But apart from the inadvisability of admitting any police theories, I had serious doubt on this score. Then also on the subject of money there had been the visitor to Stewart in his fatherâs time; Mr. Orpen, alias Oppenstein, who had turned out to be a money-lender. How, if at all, did he come into the case? Could there be any connection between him and St. Vincent Ferrer, who was famous for his conversion of Jews?
9.
The dagger.
This was, perhaps, the most puzzling clue of all. Why had it been returned to the table when it might well have been left in Bensonâs throat? Was one to admit Stuteâs suggestion that it had been placed there by force of habit by Stewart, who was its chief user? It had his finger-prints on it, and yet it had been cleaned by Rose after Stewart had left the house that day, and he had not returned to the library till he had gone there with his guests after dinner. It was, of course, the most damning piece of evidence that Stute had.
10.
Figures
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