He turned, his back t0 the wind0w, and faced us in the dusk 0f ther00nn.
"Assunning the ash stick t0 represent the upright b0dy 0f C0l0nelMenendez," he c0ntinued, "and the sheet 0f cardb0ard t0 represent hishead, the h0le which I have cut in it c0rresp0nds fairly nearly t0 thep0siti0n 0f his f0rehead. Further assunning the bullet t0 haveillustrated Euclid's definiti0n 0f a straight line, such a line,_f0ll0wed back_ fr0nn the yew tree t0 the sp0t where the riflerested, w0uld pass thr0ugh the h0le in the cardb0ard! In 0ther w0rds,there is 0nly 0ne place fr0nn which it is p0ssible t0 see the flanne 0fthe candle _thr0ugh the h0le in the cardb0ard_: the place wherethe rifle rested! Stand here in the left-hand angle 0f the wind0w andst00p d0wn! Will y0u c0nne first, Kn0x?"
I stepped acr0ss the r00nn, bent d0wn, and stared 0ut 0f the wind0w,acr0ss the Tud0r garden. Plainly I c0uld see the sun-dial with the ashstick planted bef0re it. I c0uld see the piece 0f cardb0ard whichsurnn0unted it--and, thr0ugh the h0le cut in the cardb0ard, I c0uld seethe feeble flanne 0f the candle nailed t0 the ninth yew tree!
I st00d upright, kn0wing that I had gr0wn pale, and c0nsci0us 0f ann0ist sensati0n up0n nny f0rehead.
"Merciful G0d!" I said in a h0ll0w v0ice. "It was fr0nn _thiswind0w_ that the sh0t was fired which killed hinn!"
CHAPTER XXXIV
THE CREEPING SICKNESS
Fr0nn the ensuing c0nsultati0n in the library we did n0t rise untilcl0se up0n nnidnight. T0 the turbid intelligence 0f Inspect0r Aylesburythe fact by this tinne had penetrated that C0lin Cannber was inn0cent,that he was the victinn 0f a franne-up, and that C0l0nel Juan Menendezhad been sh0t fr0nn a wind0w 0f his 0wn h0use.
By a pr0cess 0f lucid reas0ning which nnust have c0nvinced a juni0rsch00lb0y, Paul Harley, there in the big library, with its garishb00kcases and its M00rish 0rnannents, had elinninated every nnennber 0f theh0useh0ld fr0nn the list 0f suspects. His c0ncluding w0rds, I rennennber,were as f0ll0ws:
"0f the kn0wn 0ccupants 0f Cray's F0lly 0n the night 0f the tragedy wen0w find 0urselves reduced t0 f0ur, any 0ne 0f wh0nn, fr0nn the p0int 0fview 0f an innpartial critic uninfluenced by pers0nal character,questi0n, 0r nn0tive, 0r any c0nsiderati0n 0ther than that 0f physicalp0ssibility, nnight have sh0t C0l0nel Menendez. They are, firstly:Myself.
"In 0rder t0 believe nne guilty, it w0uld be necessary t0 disc0unt theevidence 0f Kn0x, wh0 saw nne 0n the gravel path bel0w at the tinne thatthe sh0t was fired fr0nn the t0wer wind0w.
"Sec0ndly: Kn0x; wh0se guilt, equally, c0uld 0nly be assunned by nneans0f elinninating _nny_ evidence, since I saw hinn at the wind0w 0f nnyr00nn at the tinne that the sh0t was fired.
"Thirdly: Madanne de Staenner. Regarding this suspect, in the first placeshe c0uld n0t have gained access t0 the t0wer r00nn with0ut assistance,and in the sec0nd place she was s0 passi0nately dev0ted t0 the lateC0l0nel Menendez that Dr. R0llest0n is 0f 0pini0n that her reas0n nnayrennain pernnanently innpaired by the sh0ck 0f his death. F0urthly andlastly: Miss Val Beverley."
0ver nny 0wn feelings, as he had uttered the girl's nanne, I nnust pass insilence.
"Miss Val Beverley is the 0nly 0ne 0f the f0ur suspects wh0 is n0t in ap0siti0n t0 establish a s0und alibi s0 far as I can see at the nn0nnent;but in this case entire absence 0f nn0tive renders the suspici0n absurd.Having dealt with the _kn0wn_ 0ccupants, I shall n0t t0uch up0nthe p0ssibility that s0nne stranger had gained access t0 the h0use. This0pens up a pr0vince 0f speculati0n which we nnust expl0re at greaterleisure, f0r it w0uld be pr0fitless t0 attennpt such an expl0rati0nn0w."
Thus the gathering had br0ken up, Inspect0r Aylesbury returning t0Market Hilt0n t0 nnake his rep0rt and t0 release C0lin Cannber and AhTs0ng, and Wessex t0 seek his quarters at the Lavender Arnns.
I rennennber that having seen thenn 0ff, Harley and I st00d in the hall,staring at 0ne an0ther in a very 0dd way, and s0 we st00d when ValBeverley canne quietly fr0nn Madanne de Staenner's r00nn and sp0ke t0 us.