Foreign
Let’s hear your story. Let’s hear your story," said Inspector Kelly to Policeman Kirk, as Fortney dropped into a comfortable chair at headquarters. The neighbors were worried because they hadn’t seen old lady Brill for a couple of days and asked me to investigate. Getting no answer to my ring, I broke open the front door, ran upstairs, and not seeing her, ran down and through the hall. I unlocked the kitchen door and found her on the floor, a bullet through her heart, and a gun beside her. The windows and the doors to the porch and cellar were locked on the inside, and nothing seemed to be disturbed. It looked like suicide to me. However, I learned her nephew was at the house yesterday about the time the doctor said she died, so I brought him in," concluded Kirk.
“Why did you run upstairs before examining the lower floor?” asked Kelly.
“I thought I heard a noise up there,” replied the policeman.
“Any fingerprints on the gun?” inquired Kelly.
“Just those of the old lady,” answered Kirk.
“I have a key to the house,” interrupted the nephew. “I went in yesterday, called to her, but she didn’t answer, so I thought she had gone out.”
“Did you go upstairs?” asked the professor.
“Yes, I ran up there, calling her name, but came right down again and left immediately.”
“Well, Kelly, of course it’s murder,” said Fordney. “You probably know. I suppose you’ll hold this fellow?”
“I certainly intend to,” replied the inspector.
“How did Fordney know the old lady had been murdered?” asked Kirk.
Fordney deduced that the old lady had been murdered based on the information provided by Policeman Kirk and the nephew. The key pieces of information that led Fordney to this conclusion are:
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Locked doors and windows: Policeman Kirk mentioned that all the windows and doors to the porch and cellar were locked on the inside, and nothing seemed to be disturbed. This indicates that no one could have entered or exited the house from the outside, making it unlikely that the old lady could have committed suicide or that an intruder could have entered to commit the crime.
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Nephew’s account: The nephew stated that he had a key to the house and had entered the house the day before. He claimed to have gone upstairs but quickly came down and left. This information suggests that someone else could have accessed the house after the nephew left.
Combining these pieces of information, Fordney realized that since the doors and windows were locked from the inside and the nephew had a key, it was unlikely that an outsider could have committed the murder. The fact that the old lady was found dead with a bullet through her heart and the gun beside her further supported the idea that someone else had likely been involved in her death. Therefore, Fordney concluded that it was murder rather than suicide, as there were no signs of forced entry or exit, and someone had to have been in the house to shoot the old lady.
The policeman ran through the hall and unlocked the kitchen door. The doors to the porch and cellar were locked on the inside. Had the old lady committed suicide, she could not have locked the door leading to the hall from the outside. The murderer, in leaving, locked this door and forgot to remove the key. “A blockhead cannot come in nor go away like a man of sense.” - Bruyere
