“Years ago, my brothers and myself used to keep our bicycles and sleds in there. The closet has never served any purpose since except for the books, which are no longer there.”
“Was the door always this way?” quizzed Cardona.
“Yes,” said Richard. “There used to be a hook on the outside — on the baseboard. The screw eye is still on the closet door.
“The hook was broken off a long while ago, and we never replaced it. The painters removed it entirely.”
“Why do you think your father went in there?” asked Cardona.
“I don’t know,” said Richard. “That’s the only thing that puzzles me. I cannot understand why he should have entered the closet.”
THE whole case was perplexing. On the face of it, Thomas Sutton had simply decided to look into the closet under the stairs.
He had neglected to put something against the door to hold it open. That brought up an important point. Again, Cardona questioned Richard.
“Did your father know that the door would close in this manner?” asked the detective.
“I don’t think so,” responded Richard. “He might have noticed it once or twice, but I scarcely think that it would have registered with him. He was very absent-minded at times.