"Yes, I see," said Wake slowly. "That's assuming the first affair was an accident. Gave the murderer the idea, so to speak, or at least made him feel it would be a good moment to bump off Carter, because we'd be bound to connect the two shootings."
"Yes, you speak for yourself!" said the Inspector tartly.
The Sergeant pondered a while, a frown creasing his brow. "You know, sir, I don't like it," he pronounced at last. "When I get to thinking about the people who are mixed up in the case, I can't but come to the conclusion there isn't one of them has what you could call a real motive. That Prince said he could have got Mrs. Carter to divorce Carter. I don't say he could, and I'm not forgetting what Miss Cliffe told us, that Mrs. Carter didn't hold with divorce; but the way he talked you could see he thought himself such a one with the ladies he could get them to do anything he wanted. Well, then there's Mr. Steel. Of course I'm not saying he mightn't have got all worked up to murder Carter, but what I ask myself is, why didn't he do it any time these last two years?"
"There's an answer to that one," interposed the Inspector. "If Steel did it, it was the Baker-business set him off. We know the widow pitched in a tale to him that made him see red."
"That's so," Wake admitted. "But would you say, from all we've been able to pick up, that it was the first time she'd complained to him about Carter?"
"I wouldn't, of course, but have you ever heard of the straw that broke the camel's back?"
"All right, sir: have it that it's Steel we're after. He's more likely than either of those two girls, to my mind."
"Yes, you've got a lot of old-fashioned ideas," said the Inspector. "They're a handicap to you."
"Well, what's in your mind, sir?" demanded Wake. "What are we going to do next?"
"You're going to do a bit of nosing around," replied Hemingway. "You can put young Jupp on to it, too. I've noticed he's got quite a gift for getting people to open their hearts to him. Reminds me of what I was at his age, except that he isn't as bright. Find out all you can about Carter. It strikes me he was the sort of chap that might have made a whole lot more enemies than we've yet seen. Meanwhile, I'm going to go into the question of this rifle, and who could have pinched it. I'll see you later."