"But where is the tape?" muttered Baddeley.
"Rather, Inspector," cut in Anthony, "ask your question in a slightly different form."
"By Moses--but you're on the spot, Mr. Bathurst." He turned with the utmost excitement. "That's why the lace is missing! I must see everybody, Sir Charles, I really must."
Anthony leaned over and looked up the dead man's sleeves, with a curious, quizzical expression.
"I've no doubt somebody in the house has got something up his sleeve, Mr. Bathurst, but I don't think it can be this poor fellow." Anthony smiled back. "He has a handkerchief--Inspector!"
The Inspector then delivered a question that was surprising.
"Can any of you tell me reasonably accurately, what time it started raining here last evening?"
"I can," I answered. "The rain started about ten minutes to seven."
"It was not raining," I said, "at a quarter to twelve."
"No, Inspector," I replied. "I happened to look out into the garden about that time and the stars were shining--that's all."
"Now, gentlemen," Baddeley turned to us all with a gesture that contained a certain amount of defiance and, at the same time, the fleeting hint of an apology--and he seemed to gain from it an added sense of dignity--"I need your help. And because I need it--I'm going to ask for it."
"Well, I feel like this, Sir Charles and gentlemen, this isn't an ordinary case. Can _any_ of you; you, Sir Charles, Mr. Bathurst, Mr. Cunningham--or you, gentlemen"--he turned towards Arkwright and Jack--"tell me of anything you know that puts any motive into this affair? Any incident that throws any light on it whatsoever?"
"Frankly, Inspector,"--Anthony spoke for us--"we are as much in the dark regarding the whole affair as you yourself are."
"Very well, gentlemen. Then we know where we are. But I may as well tell you that Mr. Prescott was in the garden last night--after 12 o'clock--and he was not alone! But I'll find out who was with him! And what's more, I'll find the scoundrel that murdered him!" He squared his shoulders.
"You're certain of what you just told us?" queried Anthony.
"That's my business, Mr. Bathurst. Try your hand at finding things out yourself."
"Right-o!" Anthony accepted the challenge laughingly. "Shall we go fifty-fifty with our discoveries?"