He went in, committed the murder, came out, and drove away again.
He was bare-headed, and his clothing was slightly bloodstained."
"But - but the whole village would have seen him!"
"Not under certain circumstances."
"Not if it was dark, perhaps; but the crime was committed in broad daylight."
Poirot merely smiled.
"And the horse and trap, sir - how could you tell that?
Any amount of wheeled vehicles have passed along outside.
There's no mark of one in particular to be seen."
"Not with the eyes of the body, perhaps; but with the eyes of the mind, yes."
The Inspector touched his forehead significantly with a grin at me.
I was utterly bewildered, but I had faith in Poirot.
Further discussion ended in our all driving back to Moreton with the Inspector.
Poirot and I were taken to Grant, but a constable was to be present during the interview.
Poirot went straight to the point.
"Grant, I know you to be innocent of this crime.
Relate to me in your own words exactly what happened."
The prisoner was a man of medium height, with a somewhat unpleasing cast of features.
He looked a jailbird if ever a man did.
"Honest to God, I never did it," he whined. "Some one put those little glass figures amongst my traps.
It was a frame-up, that's what it was.
I went straight to my rooms when I came in, like I said.
I never knew a thing till Betsy screeched out.
S'help me, God, I didn't."
Poirot rose.
"If you can't tell me the truth, that is the end of it."
"But, guv'nor -"
"You did go into the room - you did know your master was dead; and you were just preparing to make a bolt of it when the good Betsy made her terrible discovery."
The man stared at Poirot with a dropped jaw.
"Come now, is it not so?
I tell you solemnly - on my word of honour - that to be frank now is your only chance."
"I'll risk it," said the man suddenly. "It was just as you say.
I came in, and went straight to the master - and there he was, dead on the floor and blood all round. Then I got the wind up proper.
They'd ferret out my record, and for a certainty they'd say it was me as had done him in.
My only thought was to get away - at once - before he was found -"
"And the jade figures?"
The man hesitated.
"You see -"
"You took them by a kind of reversion to instinct, as it were?
You had heard your master say that they were valuable, and you felt you might as well go the whole hog.
That, I understand.
Now, answer me this.
Was it the second time that you went into the room that you took the figures?"
"I didn't go in a second time.
Once was enough for me."
"You are sure of that?"
"Absolutely certain."
"Good.
Now, when did you come out of prison?"
"Two months ago."