“Perfectly.”
“And had been all day? At dinner, for instance?”
“Certainly. He was in a very good temper at dinner, as a matter of fact.”
“What do you mean by that?” asked the inspector quickly. “Wasn’t he usually in a good temper?”
“Oh, yes. Usually. But like most strong-minded, self-willed men he could be thoroughly unpleasant if he chose.”
“Now in the course of your duties as his secretary, has it come to your notice whether he has had any bad news lately? Either financial or otherwise?”
“No.”
“Would you have known if he had?”
“I doubt it. If it had been financial, he might have told me, as I frequently had to write letters for him regarding his investments and so forth. But otherwise I am quite sure he would not. Mr. Stanworth was very reticent indeed about his personal affairs.”
“I see. He was comfortably off, wasn’t he?”
“Very. You might call it more than that.”
“Rich, in fact. And how were his investments laid out? Did he, for instance, put most of his money into one concern?”
“You mean, was he in a position to be ruined by the failure of any single business? No, I’m sure he wasn’t. His money was spread over a large number of investments; and to my certain knowledge he still has a very large sum indeed in Government stock.”
“Then we can take it as fairly sure that, whatever caused him to take his life, it was nothing to do with money matters?”
“Yes, I’m quite convinced of that.”
“Then we must look elsewhere. Now, had Mr. Stanworth any relations besides his sister-in-law?”
“Not to my knowledge, and I’ve been with him six years. He had a younger brother, of course, Lady Stanworth’s husband; but I’ve never heard of any others.”
“I see. Well, Major Jefferson, am I to take it that you can’t throw any light at all on the reasons for Mr. Stanworth’s suicide? Think carefully, if you please. Suicide is a pretty serious step, and the reasons must be correspondingly serious. The coroner is bound to do his best to bring them to light.”
“I haven’t the least idea,” said Jefferson quietly. “It is the last thing in the world I should have expected from Mr. Stanworth.”
The inspector turned to Roger. “Now, sir, you were in the garden with him last evening at ten. What happened after that?”
“Oh, we didn’t stay out very long after that. Not more than twenty minutes, I should say. I had some work to do, and we went in together.”
“What were you talking about in the garden?”
“Roses chiefly. He was very keen on roses and took a lot of interest in the rose garden here.”
“Did he seem cheerful?”
“Very. He always struck me as an exceptionally cheerful person. Genial, in fact.”
“Did anything he said lead you to think that he might be contemplating taking his life? Not at the time, of course; but looking back on it. No casual remark, or anything like that?”
“Good heavens, no! On the contrary, he talked quite a lot about the future. What part of the country he was going to stay in next year, and that sort of thing.”
“I see. Well, what happened when you went in?”
“We met Mrs. Plant in the hall, and he stopped to speak to her. I went on to the drawing room to get a book I’d left there. When I came back they were still in the hall talking. I said good night to both of them and went on up to my room. That was the last I saw of him.”
“Thank you. Then you can’t help, either?”
“Not in the least, I’m afraid. The whole thing beats me completely.”
The inspector looked at Alec. “And you, sir? When did you see him last?”
Alec considered. “I hardly saw him after dinner at all, Inspector. That is, I didn’t speak to him; but I caught a glimpse of him once or twice in the garden with Mr. Sheringham.”
“You were in the garden, too?”
“Yes.”
“What were you doing?”
Alec blushed. “Well, I was—That is—”
Roger came to his rescue. “Mr. Grierson and Miss Shannon, whom you have not yet had the pleasure of meeting, became engaged yesterday, Inspector,” he said gravely, but with a sidelong wink.
The inspector smiled genially. “Then I don’t think we need enquire what Mr. Grierson was doing in the garden last night,” he remarked jovially. “Or Miss Shannon, for that matter, when I come to question her later. And you can’t help us either in any other direction?”
“I’m afraid not, Inspector. I really knew very little of Mr. Stanworth in any case. I only met him for the first time when I arrived here three days ago.”
Inspector Mansfield rose to his feet. “Well, I think that is all I have to ask you, gentlemen. After all, even if we can’t find out what his reasons were, the case is clear enough. The door and all the windows locked on the inside; the revolver in his hand, which the doctor says must have been there during life; to say nothing of his own statement. I don’t think the coroner will take very long to arrive at his verdict.”
“What about the inquest?” Roger asked. “Shall we be wanted?”
“You and Mr. Grierson will be, and the other person who was present when the door was broken in—the butler, wasn’t it? And of course yourself, Major, and Lady Stanworth; and the last person to see him alive. Who else is there in the party? Mrs. and Miss Shannon and Mrs. Plant? Well, I don’t think they will be required, unless they have any further information of importance. Still, the coroner will notify whom he wants to attend.”
“And the inquest will be tomorrow?” Major Jefferson asked.
“Probably. In a case as simple as this there is no point in delay. And now, Major, I wonder if I might have a word with Lady Stanworth down here. And I wish you’d look round and see if you can hit on the code for that safe. I could get it from the makers, of course, if necessary; but
