"I heard the shot and when I entered the room Mr. Davies was looking at the body," he said with a malicious glance in my direction.
I could have laughed aloud as the Sergeant regarded me from beneath frowning brows. I was a prominent man and he dared not risk a false arrest.
"Are you the only two people awake in this house?" he inquired, to gain time.
"Mrs. Darwin heard the shot but she was prostrated by the news and the doctor does not wish her disturbed until morning," I said, purposely giving the wrong impression by my statement.
Again the Sergeant's troubled glance rested upon me. "What are you doing here at this time of night, Mr. Davies?" he asked abruptly.
"I came here on important business," I answered.
At this juncture the older detective whispered something to the Sergeant and handed him a paper he had taken from the table drawer.
"Mr. Davies, I am under the painful necessity of keeping you under surveillance until the arrival of the coroner. You will remain in this house until that time."
I bowed. "Then you have no objections to my retiring?" I asked.
"None at all, Mr. Davies. Gregory," he called, and when the burly policeman appeared in the doorway, "You will accompany Mr. Davies to his room and see that he does not attempt to leave the house."