“No, Randall, I do not, nor do I pretend to know what you are talking about.”
“What has this John Hyde of yours to do with Miss Matthews' death?” asked Rumbold. “Who is he? I mean —”
“That is what the police want to know,” said Randall. “They have been hunting for him high and low. Not that he had anything to do with my poor Aunt Harriet's untimely end. He's dead, you know.”
“He's dead?” repeated Rumbold.
“Or, rather,” pursued Randall, “a notice of his death appeared in the paper several days ago.”
Rumbold stared at him. “A notice of his death appeared in the paper?” he said. “But—My dear Matthews, what are you talking about? First you say the police are hunting for this person called Hyde, and then you say that a notice of his death has been published. Which do you mean?”
“Oh, both!” said Randall, turning away from the mirror and facing him. “The police are so disbelieving. They don't think Hyde is dead. In fact, unless I am much mistaken they suspect him of having murdered Uncle Gregory and gone into hiding. So you see, Aunt Harriet's death must be very upsetting to them. It abolishes Hyde.”
Stella, who had been following this dialogue in some bewilderment, said: “But what has someone we've never even heard of got to do with it? I mean, what had he to do with uncle, and why should he have murdered him?”
“Why, indeed?” said Randall.
“Yes, but what makes the police suspect him?”