Staring from one detective to the other, Graham slowly shook his head.
“It doesn’t seem possible! She seems too entirely trustworthy. Your evidence is amazing. But why should she leave those clues? I’ve wondered, since last night, whether she could be Ethel’s mother. It’s possible. But in that case would she commit a murder—especially when it’s all over and Ethel is happy? That would be a worse crime against Ethel than—the other.”
“There are more bits to consider,” Landis persisted. “Her method leaves her a perfect alibi—to be facing her victim when he is shot in the back. We know that she went to her room immediately after the murder, ostensibly to get a restorative for Isabelle, probably to replace the cross-bow in Joel’s room and wind up her thread. Why shouldn’t she leave the rope and thread in her room? She has a perfect alibi! Why should she ever be suspected? That’s how she’d reason. Now, however, after our questioning and Bernard’s suspicious attitude, she gets nervous this morning and while we are searching her room she sends Susan upstairs to see what we are doing! Luckily, we finished before Susan arrived!”
“Still it doesn’t make sense,” Graham objected. “Why in the world should she try to kill me?”
Landis explained his theory that maternal jealousy was the motive for that. When he had finished Graham looked at Bernard.
“Do you believe that such a motive would influence Miss Mount when she knows that Ethel and I are happy together?” he asked. “It seems highly improbable to me!”
“Leave me out of it!” rumbled Bernard. “This isn’t my show, you know.”
“There’s another interesting little fact,” countered Landis smoothly. “Mrs. Graham found Miss Mount’s door locked last night, right after the attempt on you. Naturally she would lock it until she had a chance to get back to her room and clear away that cross-bow and her thread! Every scrap of evidence fits!”
“Except that scrap of feather in Stimson’s pocket!” chuckled Bernard.
Graham looked at him inquiringly. Landis explained their find and its source.