ractitioners of the older generation have. That Dr. Stock
will make an ass of himself at the inquest, is almost as certain as that
tomorrow's sun will rise. I've seen him. He will say the body must have
been dead about so long, because of the degree of coldness and rigor
mortis. I can see him nosing it all out in some textbook that was out
of date when he was a student. Listen, Murch, and I will tell you
some facts which will be a great hindrance to you in your professional
career. There are many things that may hasten or retard the cooling of
the body. This one was lying in the long dewy grass on the shady side of
the shed. As for rigidity, if Manderson died in a struggle, or
labouring under sudden emotion, his corpse might stiffen practically
instantaneously; there are dozens of cases noted, particularly in cases
of injury to the skull, like this one. On the other hand, the stiffening
might not have begun until eight or ten hours after death. You can't
hang anybody on rigor mortis nowadays, inspector, much as you may resent
the limitation. No, what we can say is this. If he had been shot after
the hour at which the world begins to get up and go about its business,
it would have been heard, and very likely seen too. In fact, we must
reason, to begin with, at any rate, on the assumption that he wasn't
shot at a time when people might be awake; it isn't done in these parts.
Put that time at 6.30 a.m. Manderson went up to bed at 11 p.m., and
Martin sat up till 12.30. Assuming that he went to sleep at once on
turning in, that leaves us something like six hours for the crime to
be committed in; and that is a long time. But whenever it took place,
I wish you would suggest a reason why Manderson, who was a fairly late
riser, was up and dressed at or before 6.30; and why neither Martin,
who sleeps lightly, nor Bunner, nor his wife heard him moving about,
or letting himself out of the house. He must have been careful. He must
have crept about like a cat. Do you feel as I do, Murch, about all this;
that it is very, very strange and baffling?' 'That's how it looks,'
agreed the inspector.

'And now,' said Trent, rising to his feet, 'I'll leave you to your
meditations, and take a look at the bedrooms. Perhaps the explanation of
all this will suddenly burst upon you while I am poking about up there.
But,' concluded Trent in a voice of sudden exasperation, turning round
in the doorway, 'if you can tell me at any time, how under the su