“Where is your room?”
“On the upper floor—the room to the left of the corridor in the front of the house.”
“And whereabouts did you keep the gun?”
“In my trunk—where it is now.”
“Was the trunk locked?”
“Yes. I keep it locked.”
“And the keys for it?”
“In a purse. The purse was in a dresser drawer.”
“Then that gives us a pretty good idea of the length of time you must have been gone, doesn’t it?”
“I suppose it does. Three or four minutes, probably.”
“Nearer, I imagine, to five or six. But we don’t require the actual number of minutes. The point we need is, rather, a comparison of two different operations within the same time limit. While you were going through the various movements you have described, would Mrs. Endicott have had the time to get out of bed, supply herself with a revolver, open a window, and, from the balcony, shoot Mr. Endicott, return to her room, and be in bed again by the time you came down? I think so, don’t you?”
“There would have been plenty of time for that.”
“You’ve been with Mrs. Endicott for quite a while. Have you ever noticed whether or not she owns a pistol?”
“I don’t think I have. No, I’m sure I’ve never seen one. That doesn’t prove anything, though. There are any number of private places where