"So mr. Blob was found in his study this morning with a knife through his back. Is that so?"
"Yes, monsieur Poirutte."
"As maid in this house you must have seen everyone who entered the house, right?"
"Yes sir."
"There are no other entrances but the main entrance?"
"There is a back door, but it is not only locked, but it is also jammed. No one has been able to open it for the last few years. Now, there is even a raspberry bush that blocks access to it."
"Good. We will verify that door later on. Now, I want a complete list of everyone who entered the house yesterday evening."
"Well, there was young master Ernest Blob. He came home to pick up his golf gear."
"Did he spend the night here?"
"No. He left as soon as he got his things."
"At what time was that?"
"It must have been... around half past eight I would say."
"In the evening? Why would he need his golf gear at night?"
"He often plays at a golf course in the Midlands. He usually spends the night there and goes out to take an early round."
"We will have to verify if anyone can give him an alibi there."
"He may also have spent the night with..."
"Yes...?"
"I hesitate to say so..."
"Speak out! You must not hide anything. It is vital for this investigation."
"Well, there is a young lady in Rutherford. He sometimes spends the night there."
"So he has a mistress!"
"Oh, she is not his mistress, sir! He weeds her garden to get some extra money."
"Ah, so no mistress."
"Yes, yes. There is a mistress as well, Agatha Sringosh. But she is currently with her father, the mining director, John Sringosh, at his estate in Virginia. They see each other only a few times a year."
"So Ernest is in love with the daughter of a mining director. Presumably mr. Sringosh would not like his daughter to marry a poor man. In other words Ernest has a motive to kill his own father - to inherit his wealth, so he can marry the woman he loves."
"I guess that would be possible, sir, but he did not kill mr Blob. I can assure you that."
"We cannot exclude any theory, no matter how ghastly I am afraid."
"But he could not possibly have killed mr Blob."
"Why do you say that? Are there facts you have not divulged? Speak out, girl!"
"You have not really given me the opportunity yet, sir. I'm sorry sir."
"Well, out with it! What other facts are there that may help us elucidate this hideous crime?"
"The reason Ernest could not have killed mr. Blob, sir, is that I did."
"You?"
"Yes. I got fed up with his contempt and his shouting, sir. I could not help it but I killed him in a fit of rage. Here is a second knife I used for stabbing him in the stomach before I pushed the big knife through his back. Here is the gun I used to shoot him in the mouth, to make double sure he was dead. And here is the empty bottle that held the poison I poured in his dinner last night, to make him drowsy enough for me to kill him."
"Well, I suppose those facts may help us in the investigation. I will add you to my list of suspects."
"Will that be all, sir?"
"Yes, miss. I will call you again, if I need more information. You have been most helpful."
"Thank you sir. Good bye, sir."
...
Next chapter: The butler is innocent.
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