`Could you tell whether this person was a man or a woman?'
'Er — no, sir. I turned away then. I was not endowed with the opportunity to see no further occurrences.'
`Quite. Do you know at what time this was?' `It were shortly past one-thirty.'
Hadley, brooded, his head in his hands. After a time he looked across at General Mason.
`And the doctor here said, General, that when you discovered the body at two-thirty. Driscoll had been dead at least half an hour — probably three-quarters? Yes. Well, that's that. He was murdered within ten minutes or fifteen minutes after this other person touched his arm at the rail.
The police surgeon will be able to tell us exactly.'
He paused, and looked at Mason's orderly.
`Very well, Parker. That's all, and thank you. You've been most helpful.'
Parker clicked his heels and went out glowing.
The chief inspector drew a long breath. `Well, gentlemen, there you are. The murderer had considerably over half an hour's time to clear out. And, as the general says, what between rain and fog the sentries at the gates wouldn't have been able to see anything of a person who 'slipped' out. Now, we get down to work. Our first hope… '