THE PROFESSOR ACCUSED

On the second day of his vacation at the Blue Cow Inn, in Yorkshire, England, Professor Fordney learned from the proprietor that an old acquaintance lived nearby. Receiving directions, he set off for an early morning call.

Knocks at both the front and back doors brought no response. He was about to leave when Mrs. Halstead, the housekeeper, approached the cottage. Introducing himself with difficulty, since Mrs. Halstead seemed to have trouble hearing, he stated that possibly something was wrong. After unlocking the front door with a key produced from a voluminous pocket, she went upstairs to her employer’s bedroom while he pushed open a door on the ground floor and found George Docker dead. He gently closed it; silently moved about searching for possible clues.

* * * *

“Did you disturb anything on finding Mr. Docker dead?” apologetically asked Coroner Hittingdon. He knew the criminologist’s reputation.

“I merely locked the library door—the key was in it—to make sure…” answered Professor Fordney.

“That ain’t true, Your Honor,” interrupted Mrs. Halstead. “As I came downstairs this man was movin’ about in the room, then he came out, locked the door and wouldn’t let me in. Said he must summon the police! Bah! He did the marster in all right!”

The coroner shouted several questions at her, and her repeated inquiries, “What?”, irritated him.

“I may be deaf but I ain’t dumb!” the redoubtable housekeeper said. “He killed the marster…and him callin’ himself a detective!”

Fordney smiled. “Mr. Coroner, you’d better insist she tell the truth!”

What did he mean? Turn page for solution.