time the crime was discovered, he was the one person certain to be on the spot.

Also it was he who told me of the pulled-out chair. Parker, then, was cleared

(of the murder, that is. I still thought it possible that he had been

blackmailing Mrs. Ferrars).

 

Raymond and Blunt, however, remained under suspicion since, if the crime had

been discovered in the early hours of the morning, it was quite possible that

they might have arrived on the scene too late to prevent the object on the round

table being discovered.

 

“Now what was that object? You heard my arguments to-night in reference to the

scrap of conversation overheard? As soon as I learned that a representative of a

dictaphone company had called, the idea of a dictaphone took root in my mind.

You heard what I said in this room not half an hour ago? They all agreed with my

theory—but one vital fact seems to have escaped them. Granted that a dictaphone

was being used by Mr. Ackroyd that night—why was no dictaphone found?”

 

“I never thought of that,” I said.

 

“We know that a dictaphone was supplied to Mr. Ackroyd. But no dictaphone has

been found amongst his effects. So, if something was taken from that table—why

should not that something be the dictaphone?

 

But there were certain difficulties in the way. The attention of every one was,

of course, focused on the murdered man. I think any one could have gone to the