“I don’t know about that; perhaps it was thrown away in a wastepaper basket, and Hamilton may have picked it out of the ash pile,” suggested Brett.
“What did the file look like?”
“It is of medium size, the slender steel being very sharp, the round solid base being silver. I’ve shown it to several jewelers, and they all say it’s like hundreds of others, rather expensive, but popular with their well-to-do customers, and that they have no means of tracing it back to any particular owner. It was something like that one,” pointing to an upright file on Senator Carew’s desk.
Douglas leaned over and took it up. “An ideal weapon,” he said softly, balancing it in his hand as his fingers closed over the round heavy base. He removed the cork which was used to guard the sharp point and felt it with his thumb. “It must have taken a shrewd blow to drive the file through overcoat and clothing so that it would cause instant death.”
“The Senator wore no overcoat.” Douglas looked his surprise. After a moment’s silence Brett edged his chair closer to his companion and lowered his voice. “You recollect how it rained last night?”
“In torrents. I have seldom seen such a cloudburst,” admitted Douglas.
“It commenced to rain about ten-thirty,” continued Brett, “and it did not stop until after three o’clock. Hamilton drove twice in that drenching rain to Mrs. Owen’s and back again, first taking Miss Carew to the dance and returning with her. Senator Carew’s body was discovered on the last trip home. Miss Carew told her aunt that no one was in the carriage with her when she made the first trip to the dance. Senator Carew’s body was not removed until after my arrival here this morning, and I then made a thorough examination of the carriage and, with the coroner’s assistance, of the body as well”—he paused and cleared his throat—“I found Senator Carew’s clothes were absolutely dry—as I said before, he wore no overcoat—now, how did Carew get into that carriage in that soaking downpour without getting wet?” asked Brett, settling back in his chair.
“Perhaps he was first murdered and then carried out and put into the carriage.”
“Perhaps so, but I doubt it.”