Mystery fiction; Trials (Murder) -- Fiction; United States -- Fiction
"Only one. The sole, and the other foot, must have rested on the hemlock
needles and other loose stuff. The ground was only partly bare."
"Could you tell whether the person was standing or squatting?"
"Not for certain. I'd say standing, but I could be wrong."
"Where else were the footprints of that second set?"
"On the left bank of the pond--that is, left as you approached by the
spur path. Two fairly clear imprints, left and right, pointed toward the
water. The ground was somewhat moist there. We found a few other,
partial prints of the size six shoes in that area, all partly
obliterated by other footsteps. That left bank is the place where
access to the water is easiest. That's where Miss Welsh had stepped in
and out, and Dr. Chalmers had stumbled out on the left bank, slipping
once by the way, although he had approached the pond from the other
side."
"You say the marks on the slope of the spur path were indefinite. But
would you describe them a little more, Sergeant?"
"They just weren't readable, Mr. Hunter. Mere disturbances of the earth.
Let me put it this way, sir: simply on the basis of the trailmarks, Mrs.
Doherty might have fallen and rolled into the water--it's just about
steep enough for that; or she might have been pushed after she had
fallen; or she might even have crawled or dragged herself into the pond.
At the bottom of that slope, by the water's edge, the top of a wide flat
boulder is exposed. Most of it's under water, but the top is bare, a
shelf of rock that would show no marks if a person slipped over the edge
into the water. And the water there is almost as deep as in the middle
of the pond."
"Did you extend your search beyond the pond area?"
"Yes, sir, with Sergeant Peterson. We went to the Doherty house,
examining the footpath. In the brush by the path, we found two marks of
falling; at one of these places, evidence of vomiting. At the ditch
where the pond's outlet intersects the path, I found a blue shoe, a
right, matching the left one on the body. The footpath ends at a gravel
turning circle in front of the Doherty house. There we found a blue and
white four-door Pontiac sedan, later identified as belonging to Mr.
James Doherty. The front bumper was almost in contact with a pillar of
the porch. Tire gouges on the gravel indicated the brakes had been
slammed on at the last minute. The front door on the driver's side was
open. The ignition had been turned off and the key removed; because of
the open door, the inside light was still burning."
"Does the gravel drive extend to Summer Avenue?"
"Yes, sir. We examined it for signs of another car, but found none. That
drive would take no mark when dry except the kind the Pontiac made."
"Did you find anything else by the house?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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