When Cardona arrived at Throckmorton’s, he found the group of three men still standing by the body of the asphyxiated victim.
There was no doubt that Throckmorton was dead; nor was there doubt as to the manner of his death. Faint traces of the gaseous odor were still apparent.
Cardona listened to the statements of the men gathered there. He went to the gas lamp and attempted to light it. He found that it was turned off at the floor.
Carefully twisting the handle, Cardona started the flow of gas, then lighted the lamp. Stooping, he sniffed the trickle that oozed from the base of the lamp.
This indicated the manner of Throckmorton’s death — unless it had been faked by the man who had been discovered in the room.
What part had that unknown person played? Had he entered by the skylight? How long had he been with Throckmorton?
These questions were unanswerable. They threw a cloud of perplexity over the whole affair.
Cardona was studying every angle; the more he considered the case, the less he could understand the stranger’s presence.
A companion of Throckmorton’s would not have attempted an escape. An enemy — if he had come here to kill — would surely have adopted a quicker and more effective course than this one.
Facts again — but disconnected facts. A case that would have appeared as accidental death, but for the appearance of an unknown intruder and the definite link of the fourth death announcement.