The wind had dropped and, for the first time for three days, a fine rain was falling. As they left the barn they heard the sound of a car making its way up the lane.
“That’ll be the doctor, I expect,” said Brace, obviously relieved. “After that we shall be able to get away to our beds.”
The doctor met them at the door. After a few words of explanation on both sides he hurried into the sitting-room and knelt down beside the body, drawing off his thick driving-gloves as he did so. His hands were cold and he seemed to have some difficulty in freeing them from the stiff leather. As he pulled at the gloves his quick eyes scanned the body, taking in all the details of its appearance. Leslie, who was standing immediately opposite to him, was struck with the keen alertness of his glance and revised his opinion of him then and there. Gregg had always struck him as rather a stupid person and he made a mental note of the fact that, until you have seen a man at his job, it is wiser not to pass judgment on him.
Gregg parted the hair over the side of the head as Brace had done.
“Good Lord! Shot!” he ejaculated.
Leslie noticed that the hands with which he unfastened the woman’s dress to make a further examination were not quite steady, and again decided that he had never done the man justice. He was evidently genuinely moved at the sight of the pitiful figure before him.
“Can you arrive at any conclusion as to how long she’s been dead?” asked Brace when he had finished his examination.
“Difficult to say with such a cursory examination, but, roughly, four or five hours would cover it.”
“Not longer?”
“I don’t think so. I shouldn’t like to say within an hour or so. Not more than six hours, certainly.”