Out with it, then! ’ Roger paused impressively. This was once the main dramatic second he had but encountered, and he was once unlikely to ruin it by way of any undue precipitation. He smote the desk softly along with his fist in terms of instruction. Then: ‘Old Stanworth was once a certified blackmailer! ’ he acknowledged in shiny tones. bankruptcy twenty – two Mr Sheringham Solves the secret It was once prior ten o’clock at the following morning, and Roger and Alec have been engaged in taking a constitutional within the rose backyard after breakfast sooner than the inquest court cases opened. Roger had refused to claim something extra at the earlier evening – or, particularly, within the small hours of a similar morning. All he had performed used to be to comment that it was once really time they have been in mattress, and that he sought after a transparent head sooner than discussing the affair within the gentle of this new revelation of Stanworth’s personality. He remarked this no longer as soon as, yet time and again; and Alec had perforce to be contented with it. Now, with pipes in complete blast, they have been getting ready to head additional into the problem. Roger himself used to be complacently victorious. ‘Mystery? ’ he repeated, in solution to a question of Alec’s. ‘There isn’t any secret now. I’ve solved it. ’ ‘Oh, i do know the secret approximately Stanworth is cleared up,’ acknowledged Alec impatiently; to inform the reality, Roger during this temper aggravated him now not a bit. ‘That is, in the event that your clarification is the correct one, which I’m no longer disputing for the time being. ’ ‘Thank you a great deal. ’ ‘But what concerning the secret of his demise? You can’t have solved that. ’ ‘On the opposite, Alexander,’ Roger rejoined, with a happy smile; ‘that is strictly what i've got performed. ’ ‘Oh? Then who killed him? ’ ‘If you will want it in one word,’ Roger acknowledged, now not with no convinced reluctance, ‘Jefferson. ’ ‘Jefferson? ’ Alec exclaimed. ‘Oh, rot! ’ Roger glanced at him apparently. ‘Now that’s interesting,’ he commented. ‘Why do you assert “rot” like that? ’ ‘Because – ’ Alec hesitated. ‘Oh, I don’t be aware of. it sort of feels such rot to consider Jefferson committing a homicide, i assume. Why? ’ ‘You suggest, you don’t imagine it’s this type of factor he could do? ’ ‘I definitely don’t! ’ Alec back with emphasis. ‘Do you recognize, Alec, I’m starting to imagine you’re a greater pass judgement on of personality than i'm. It’s a humiliating confession, yet there you're. inform me, have you ever constantly notion that approximately Jefferson, or in simple terms only recently? ’ Alec thought of. ‘Ever on account that this company cropped up, i believe. it usually appeared brilliant to me that Jefferson can be combined up with it. And the 2 ladies besides, for that topic. No, Roger, if you’re attempting to repair it on Jefferson, I’m really definite you’re creating a undesirable mistake. ’ Roger’s complacency used to be unshaken. ‘If the case have been a standard one, no doubt,’ he answered. ‘But you’ve bought to recollect that this isn’t. Stanworth used to be a blackmailer, and that alters every little thing. you'll homicide a typical guy, yet you execute a blackmailer. that's, should you don’t kill him at the spur of the instant, over excited via insanity or exasperation. You’d do this kind of factor by yourself account, wouldn’t you?