"I think so, otherwise his parting words to me would have been different. He went off alone. Several persons saw him leave the wharf to go down toward the river shore. The person with whom he had the appointment, therefore, must have had powerful reasons of his own for not accompanying him. The matter is very suspicious, very mysterious, as you must perceive."
Nick nodded his head. Then he said: "Was Playfair a man of slight, or powerful physique? In other words, would he have been able to have held his own with a man of ordinary strength?"
"Yes. He was of abstemious habits, remarkably well preserved, and hardy of constitution, and, in his prime, one of the best all-around athletes in the city."
"Then the man who murdered him must have been of more than ordinary muscular power. That is, if Playfair were strangled."
"How could he have met his death otherwise?" replied Feversham, regarding the detective in surprise. "The finger-marks on the throat determine the manner of death. The inquest is set for this evening. If there is other evidence you will learn it then."
"Have you anything more to tell, Mr. Feversham? I have been informed that Playfair had no enemies and that he led a very quiet life."
"That is true, Mr. Carter."
"Do you think he had anything on his mind lately?"
"No. He was as cheerful as usual when I last saw him alive. If he had been oppressed by any worry I should have known it."