“He was strangled, sir. He must have been dead for two or three days when we discovered him.
“We couldn’t tell how he came in — all the doors were locked, and the shutters were closed and barred. The detectives think he must have had a key that opened the little side door.
“They are sure he came here with another man — both of them probably thieves—”
“Ah, I understand,” interrupted Bob. “One killed the other and escaped. What could they have been after, Hodgson?”
“I can’t imagine, sir,” the servant said. “There was nothing here of value. We could find nothing missing, sir.
“The detectives think that one man had a grudge against the other. That he brought him here to kill him—”
Bob’s face gleamed with understanding.
“I see their idea!” he exclaimed. “The murderer told his pal this was a place worth cracking. Then, when they got in here, he strangled him. No noise — plenty of time to get away—”
“That’s just it, sir,” replied Hodgson, admiringly. “That’s just what the inspector said. There was quite a piece in the paper about it, sir; but it was while you were still on the boat, coming home—”
THE dull ring of the doorbell came as an interruption. With slow, faltering steps, Hodgson left the room to answer.