"Easily enough! She told her that Dean had taken the knife and had killed Kirkstone. But it seems to me," said Gebb, meditatively, "that if Laura had only given her evidence clearly, the truth about the knife would have been found out."
"I dare say!" rejoined Parge, tartly. "But if you had been in charge of the case, as I was, you would have found out when too late that Laura, being weak-witted and under the thumb of Ellen Gilmar, was afraid to tell the absolute truth."
"Nevertheless, the case was muddled," insisted Gebb.
"Absalom!" cried Parge, fiercely. "You can take the best part of the reward if you choose, but you shan't throw discredit on my past work. I conducted the Kirkstone murder case to the best of my ability."
"And punished the wrong man."
"That was the force of circumstances."
"It was the want of getting the necessary evidence," retorted Gebb, with some heat. "However, we have improved since then in detective matters, as in others."
"Oh, have you?" growled Parge. "Then why did you arrest the wrong man in the person of Ferris?"
"You have me there, Simon, you have me there," laughed Gebb; which admission put Parge into great good-humour.
"And criminals nowadays are just as stupid as they were in my youth," he said, waving his pipe. "For instance, why did Alder kill Miss Gilmar?"