Murder in the Maze
Contents
| I. | The Hackleton Case |
| II. | The Affair in the Maze |
| III. | The Immediate Results |
| IV. | The Chief Constable |
| V. | The Evidence in the Case |
| VI. | The Toxicologist |
| VII. | The Pot of Curare |
| VIII. | Opportunity, Method, and Motive |
| IX. | The Burglary at Whistlefield |
| X. | The Third Attack in the Maze |
| XI. | The Squire’s Theories |
| XII. | The Fourth Attack |
| XIII. | The Dart |
| XIV. | The Forged Cheque |
| XV. | The Secretary’s Affairs |
| XVI. | The Last Attack in the Maze |
| XVII. | The Siege of the Maze |
| XVIII. | The Truth of the Matter |
Chapter I.
The Hackleton Case
Neville Shandon stood at the window of his brother’s studygazing contentedly out over the Whistlefield grounds. This wasa good place to recuperate in, he reflected, especially when onecould only snatch a couple of days at a time from the grindingpressure of a barrister’s practice. His eye travelled slowly overthe prospect of greenery which lay before him, lawn beyondlawn, down to where a glint of silver showed where the rivercut across the estate. Beyond that came the stretches of theLow Meadows, intersected here and there by the darker greenof the hedges; then the long curve of the main road; and atlast, closing the horizon, the gentle slope of Longshoot Hillsurmounted by its church spire. A bee hummed lazily at theopen window; then, startled by a movement, it shot away,the note of its wings growing higher and fainter as it recededin the sunlight. The King’s Counsel let his attention wanderfor a moment to the rooks sailing, in their effortless flightaround the tree-crests by the river; then, with something morethan apparent reluctance, he turned away from the landscape.
“You did pretty well when you bought Whistlefield, Roger,”he commented as he moved back into the room. “It’s asrestful a place as I know.