“It seems to rule Reg out too,” said Hemingway. “Pity you didn't ice his targets! I'm always trying to find something that'll give you a laugh.”
“Are you ruling out the possibility of an accident as well?”
“For the lord's sake, Horace—! If a chap was standing here, do you see him firing into a man's garden, with the owner in full view?”
“No,” admitted the Inspector. “It does seem unlikely.” He glanced curiously at his chief. “What's in your mind, sir?”
“I'm wondering why the murderer fired from here, instead of trying for a closer shot. Unless he was a very good shot, I think it was chancy.”
“There's the question of cover,” the Inspector pointed out.
“If he came from the stile, he couldn't have got a shot from the lane, without coming into Warrenby's sight. I took particular note of that. Those trees at that side of the lawn make it impossible for you to get a view of the seat until you're almost abreast of it. I should say that the murderer didn't cross the stile, but climbed up on to the common beyond it, and worked his way round under cover of the bushes.”
“Why?” demanded Hemingway. “How did he know Warrenby would be sitting in the garden? On what we've heard about his habits, it wasn't likely.”
The Inspector thought for a moment. “That's so. But there must be an answer, because one of the few things we know about this murder is that the shot was fired from where we're standing. We've got proof of that, so an answer there's got to be. I think I've got it, too. It's safe to assume that the murderer was proceeding pretty cautiously, isn't it? He didn't know where Warrenby would be, but he did know that all the sitting-room windows in the house look out this way. I don't see him walking along outside that low hedge to get to the gate, and running the risk of being seen by Warrenby. Once he saw there was no one in the lane, I should think he pretty well stalked the house, if you get my meaning. Probably kept down under cover of the hedge. He could have seen Warrenby like that, but he'd have had to stand up to get a shot at him. He'd want to take careful aim too, and it's not to be supposed Warrenby would have sat still to let him do it. My idea is that he did see him, and doubled back to the stile. In fact, the long range was forced on him just because Warrenby was in the garden.”
“You may be right,” Hemingway said.