"Maxwell Grant - The Shadow - 078 - The Third Skull" - читать интересную книгу автора (Grant Maxwell)

The old man's white hair had been singed by the flames; otherwise, the body was untouched. The reason
was apparent in the presence of a fire extinguisher that lay on the floor by the foot of the bed.

Cardona turned about to face a pitiful, gray-haired servant who was seated, sad-faced, in a chair.

"You say the bed was all ablaze when you came in?" inquired Cardona. "That Parchell's body was on the
floor?"

"Yes, sir," replied Tristram, soberly. "And the table -"
"What about the table?" quizzed Cardona, sharply.

"It was overturned, sir," replied Tristram, promptly. "My master must have struck against it when he fell."

"Where did you get the fire extinguisher?"

"From the hall closet, sir, where Mr. Parchell always kept it."

Cardona eyed the servant. Then he asked another question.

"How long were you out of the house?" asked the detective. "Just why did you leave the front door
unlocked?"

Before Tristram could reply, there was an interruption. A tall, white-haired man spoke from the doorway.
Long-faced and irritable, this individual peered at Cardona through a pair of horn-rimmed spectacles.

"Let me speak, inspector," insisted the tall man, in abrupt fashion. "I have told you already that I am
Weldon Wingate, Mr. Parchell's attorney."

"You told me that," agreed Cardona. "But it has nothing to do with my quizzing of this man."

"It has," objected Wingate. "As Mr. Parchell's attorney, I feel that it is my province to represent this man
whom you are questioning. Tristram was Hildrew Parchell's faithful servant. Every shred of evidence in
this room points to the fact that he endeavored to save his master's life. I object to your conducting a
cross-examination at this time."

"There's one question that has to be answered," asserted Cardona. "I want to know why Tristram left
that front door open. He says he went to call up Selwood Royce. We can check on that later. But the
front door -"

"Was left open so that I could come in," inserted Wingate.

Cardona looked puzzled.

"I had an appointment with Mr. Parchell," explained Wingate. "There is no telephone in the house.
Naturally, when Mr. Parchell sent Tristram out to call up Royce he would have told the servant to leave
the door unlocked for my convenience."

CARDONA appeared mollified. This was a point that he had not gained during his preliminary survey of
Hildrew Parchell's death. While the detective stood deliberating, another man spoke.