“Yes. I was sent for immediately. I saw all that remained of the unfortunate man. He was almost entirely cremated.”
“You made a careful examination, I suppose.”
“Certainly.”
“Of the skull?”
“I examined his remains thoroughly, Nick.”
“Did you find any fractured bone, or splintered, as if caused by a bullet?” Nick inquired.
“No, I did not.”
“Did you find the bullet that killed him?”
“No. The body was terribly burned, parts of it being entirely consumed. It was impossible to perform a satisfactory autopsy. There is no question of his identity, however, if that is what you have in mind. Darling’s ring was found on his finger. He wore a double set of false teeth, which alone are enough to establish his identity. We found some of the horn buttons on his clothing, moreover, which his wife readily recognized. Really, Nick, there is nothing to it.”
“Why do you think, then, that he set fire to the building before shooting himself?”