He made his escape,
and for some reason thought that he could do so more safely on
foot than on the bicycle. He therefore left his machine where it
would not be discovered until he had got safely away. So far we
are within the bounds of possibility, are we not?"
"Well, it is possible, no doubt," said I, with some reserve.
"We have to remember, Watson, that whatever occurred is certainly
something very extraordinary. Well, now, to continue our
supposititious case, the couple--not necessarily a guilty
couple--realize after the murderer is gone that they have placed
themselves in a position in which it may be difficult for them to
prove that they did not themselves either do the deed or connive
at it. They rapidly and rather clumsily met the situation. The
mark was put by Barker's bloodstained slipper upon the windowsill
to suggest how the fugitive got away. They obviously were the
two who must have heard the sound of the gun; so they gave the
alarm exactly as they would have done, but a good half hour after
the event."
"And how do you propose to prove all this?"
"Well, if there were an outsider, he may be traced and taken.
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