"Dead!" came the sharp rejoinder. "How did he die?"
"He has been murdered."
He heard a sudden exclamation at the other end of the wire.
"Murdered! Good God, doctor! Are you certain of what you're saying?"
"Perfectly certain. He has been murdered by some man who broke into the house after I had gone to bed. The whole front of his skull has been smashed to pieces."
There was a brief silence, followed by a few indistinct words, as though Marsden had turned round and was addressing someone else. Then his voice came again, clear and peremptory.
"When did this happen?"
"About six or seven minutes ago."
"How did the man escape?"
"I think he ran out into the garden and climbed over the wall."