“At any rate,” submitted Markham hopefully, “his preposterous confession will damp the newspapers’ curiosity and give us a free field to push our investigation. This case is going to make an ungodly noise; but as long as the reporters think the guilty person is jailed, they won’t be bothering us for news of ‘developments.’ ”
“I’m not saying he ain’t guilty,” asserted Heath pugnaciously, obviously arguing against his own convictions. “We certainly had the goods on him, and he mighta realized it and spilled the works, thinking it would go easier with him at the trial. Maybe he’s not so dumb, after all.”
“It won’t do, Sergeant,” said Vance. “The lad’s mental workin’s were deucedly simple. He knew Robin was waiting to see Miss Dillard, and he also knew she’d non-suited him, so to speak, last night. Sperling evidently didn’t have a high opinion of Robin; and when he heard of the gentleman’s death at the hands of some one who wielded a short, light bow, he jumped to the conclusion that Robin had overstepped the bounds of propriety in his wooing, and received a righteous shaft through the heart. There was then nothing for our noble, mid-Victorian sparrow to do but slap his own manly bosom and proclaim: ‘Ecce homo!’ . . . It’s most distressin’.”
“Well, anyhow,” grumbled Heath, “I’m not going to turn him loose. If Mr. Markham don’t want to prosecute, that’s up to him.”
Markham looked at the Sergeant tolerantly. He realized the strain the man was under, and it was in keeping with his bigness of nature that he took no offence at the other’s words.
“Perhaps, however, Sergeant,” he said kindly, “you’ll not object to continuing the investigation with me, even if I don’t decide to prosecute Sperling.”
Heath was at once contrite. He got up briskly and, going to Markham, held out his hand.
“You know it, sir!”
Markham took the offered hand, and rose with a gracious smile.
“I’ll leave things with you, then, for the time being. I’ve some work to do at the office, and I told Swacker to wait for me.”[13] He moved dispiritedly toward the hall. “I’ll explain the situation to Miss Dillard and the professor before I go.—Anything special in mind, Sergeant?”