“Not much chance of getting any fingerprints on that, even if we wanted them. You'd better hand the bag over to the inspector. We may as well get them analysed. Poison's always a possibility—— Ah, inspector, you haven't been long over that.”
Inspector Armadale emerged from the bedroom and stolidly made his report.
“Nothing that I can see on the body, sir, except the marks we noted already. No wounds of any sort, no bruises—nothing suspicious whatever. It almost looks like a mare's nest, except for these four marks.”
Sir Clinton nodded as though he had received confirmation of some very doubtful hypothesis. He moved across the room and seemed to become engrossed in a study of the squirrel's antics. In a few moments he turned to the constable.
“You knew Peter Hay well, constable. I want some notions about his habits and so forth. What did he do with himself all day?”
The constable scratched his ear, as though to stimulate his memory by the action.
“To tell you the truth, sir, he didn't do much. He was only caretaker here, you understand? When the weather was fine, he'd go up to Foxhills and open some of the windows in the morning, to air the rooms. Then he'd take a look round the grounds, likely, just to see that all was as it should be. He might have to go down to the village for tea, or butter, or something like that. Then he'd come home and take his dinner. In the afternoon he'd have a bit of a sleep for a while—he was getting on in years—and then perhaps he'd dig a while in his garden here; look after his flowers; then he'd have his tea. Some time or other, he'd go up and look round Foxhills again and shut any windows he'd opened. And then he'd come back here; water his garden, most likely, if it needed it. And perhaps some of us would drop in for a chat with him. Or else he might take a walk down to see me or somebody else in the village. Or sometimes he'd read.”
Sir Clinton threw a glance round the barely furnished room.
“He had books, then? I don't see any.”
“He read his Bible, sir. I never saw him read anything else.”