The Middle Temple Murder. Nigel Moss

or murderers in there? Criminals don’t hang about Middle Temple Lane.’

      The detective shook his head. He picked up his pencil and began making more hieroglyphics.

      ‘What’s your theory, Mr Spargo?’ he asked suddenly. ‘I suppose you’ve got one.’

      ‘Have you?’ asked Spargo, bluntly.

      ‘Well,’ returned Rathbury, hesitatingly, ‘I hadn’t, up to now. But now—now, after what you’ve told me, I think I can make one. It seems to me that after Marbury left Aylmore he probably mooned about by himself, that he was decoyed into the Temple, and was there murdered and robbed. There are a lot of queer ins and outs, nooks and corners in that old spot, Mr Spargo, and the murderer, if he knew his ground well, could easily hide himself until he could get away in the morning. He might be a man who had access to chambers or offices—think how easy it would be for such a man, having once killed and robbed his victim, to lie hid for hours afterwards? For aught we know, the man who murdered Marbury may have been within twenty feet of you when you first saw his dead body that morning. Eh?’

      Before Spargo could reply to this suggestion an official entered the room and whispered a few words in the detective’s ear.

      ‘Show him in at once,’ said Rathbury. He turned to Spargo as the man quitted the room and smiled significantly. ‘Here’s somebody wants to tell something about the Marbury case,’ he remarked. ‘Let’s hope it’ll be news worth hearing.’

      Spargo smiled in his queer fashion.

      ‘It strikes me that you’ve only got to interest an inquisitive public in order to get news,’ he said. ‘The principal thing is to investigate it when you’ve got it. Who’s this, now?’

      The official had returned with a dapper-looking gentleman in a frock-coat and silk hat, bearing upon him the unmistakable stamp of the city man, who inspected Rathbury with deliberation and Spargo with a glance, and being seated turned to the detective as undoubtedly the person he desired to converse with.