Death at Hallows End by Leo Bruce

the car’s driver.
    5. Humby may have been prevented from leaving New-minster and murdered there, his car being taken there as in nos. 2, 3 and 4.
    6. Humby may have been murdered at Hallows End and his corpse concealed there. In that case, the only people we know of with any sort of motive are the Neasts, or possibly Hickmansworths or Darkin, though it is worth noting that Humby and the Rector were old friends.
    7. If Humby was dead when Stonegate saw him, he may have been poisoned before he left Newminster.
    8. Humby may have been sleeping when Stonegate saw him. In that case he may have gone voluntarily to the farm with, or before, the Neasts. Grossiter may even have signed his will before the Neasts murdered Humby and destroyed the will. Or Humby may never have reached Grossiter. In that case, why did the car remain in the lane? Or was it driven there later?
    9. Humby may have committed suicide. In that case, so convenient to the Neasts, why was his body removed from the car?
    10. If no. 2, 5, or 7 is the true explanation, however improbable they seem, the only person
known
to have any motive at all is Thripp.
    11. Humby may have been drugged when Stonegate saw him, removed from the car later and murdered. In this highly improbable case, it would seem that either there was some collaboration between someone in Newminster and someone in Hallows End, or Humby was followed by someone from Newminster. Note: he was a fast driver.
    12. Humby may have used the opportunity to escape abroad where he had money. In that case his keeping his passport in his pocket was deliberate.
    13. Humby may have been murdered
before
Stonegate saw him, either in Newminster or on the way to Hallows End by someone who drove the car to the spot to throw suspicion on the Neasts. In this last case the murderer must have known where Humby was going that afternoon.
    14. Humby’s car may have been stopped in Church Lane by a car put in the way. In that case obviously the driver must have known that Humby was coming to Monk’s Farm that afternoon. But it verges on the absurd to think Humby could have been murdered between three-thirty, the earliest he could have reached there if Thripp is speaking the truth, and four o’clock when Stonegate saw him, if Stonegate is speaking the truth.
    â€œThat seems to cover as wide an area as possible,” said Snow. “A lot too wide to take seriously.”
    â€œYes, it does. Yet I can’t pretend to be madly in love with any of the fourteen points on the information we have. They do suggest checking on a couple of details. Stonegate should be shown a photograph of Humby …”
    â€œI’ve got one,” said Snow. “It was on my list of things to do tomorrow.”
    â€œGood. I’ll cover the other if you like. It is, what time did Humby and Thripp finish lunch at the Crown at Newminster? These points should be easy.”
    â€œNo need to bother with that. I’ve checked with both the Crown and Mace’s garage. Humby took his car out at one-thirty, as Thripp says.”
    â€œGood, and now I think it might also be entertaining and perhaps helpful if we drew up a similar list of Things We Should Like to Know. First and foremost of course would be:
    1. Had anyone except the Neasts a motive for preventing Grossiter from making a will?
    2. Did Darkin know he was not to benefit by Grossiter’s will?
    3. Who knew of Humby’s intended visit to Hallows End in addition to Thripp and Molly Caplan?
    4. Who was the stranger whom Stonegate saw in Church Lane after he had left the car?
    5. Did Humby stop anywhere between Newminster and Hallows End? If so, where?
    6. Was any other car in Church Lane that afternoon?
    7. Where was Darkin all that Monday?
    8. Did Grossiter in fact phone Humby on the Sunday morning, as Thripp said?
    9. If so, did anyone overhear the call?
    10. A three-star question. Was Humby alive or dead when Stonegate saw him in the car?
    11. Had Humby