"Yes. I waited for a moment as he stared at me, and then shot him. I aimed for the heart," said Petronella hugging her knees. "The silver bullet went through the heart. Oh, my husband showed me how to shoot Signor."
"What did you do then?"
"I made sure the devil-man was dead. He fell on his face. Then I went down the stairs. I saw someone, I did not know who it was. But the young Signor told me he was there. I ran through the pine wood, and he followed, I hid behind a tree, and then after a time I got home. No one knew that I had been out, and when the Signora and the young Signor Stefano came back I said nothing. The Signora looked white. She said nothing to me but I knew that she had seen the devil-man. What did I care. She could not kill him again. That is all Signor."
"You lost the pistol?"
"I lost my husband's pistol," said Petronella precisely, "it dropped from my pocket when I ran, I did not care. No one would know that it belonged to me. Then I heard Frisco had gone. I was glad. They would not think I had killed the devil man."
"Didn't Mrs. Marsh suspect?"
"My signora? No. She said nothing. I was certain she had fired the other three shots for I know my signora. Also I looked at the revolver in the case when she put it back."
"If Frisco had been arrested at once would you have spoken out?"
"No. Frisco was a bad man too. I would be glad if they put him in prison."
"Why do you tell now then?"