The Madman's Room

Bessie responded with a cynical shrug of her shoulders and a slight nod of agreement.

‘So much for the first prediction,’ continued Twist, bucked up by the reaction. ‘The second one, announcing a misfortune to befall Harris Thorne, is likewise perfectly understandable in view of the circumstances. Brian is convinced that his great-uncle’s room is cursed and that its reopening will bring on a terrible cataclysm. So when his brother announces he’s going to turn it into a study, it’s hardly surprising that Brian warns him. Not to have done so would have been more of a surprise, quite frankly. At that point in time we know that relations between Harris and his wife were already stormy and they frequently had violent quarrels. At the centre of the debate was Dr. Meadows, whom the master of the house suspected of trying to seduce Sarah. All of which created considerable tension, and what was inevitably due to happen, happened.

‘The other day, my friend Hurst observed that: “To see or not to see, that is the question.” Judicious words because, while we were all lost in conjecture about what must have frightened Sarah Thorne to such a point, she hadn’t in fact, seen anything at all. She’d stared at the carpet and she’d seen nothing. It’s been proven that there was nobody in the room at that moment. Nobody, absolutely nobody. I won’t burden you with all the theories that went through my mind as I tried to prove the contrary, explaining how an intruder could have got out of there. I thought of a dozen ways, but none of them satisfactory. So I started to examine the only hypothesis left: Sarah hadn’t in fact seen anything. So, then, why had she fainted? I could only think of one explanation: she was expecting to see something in that spot, but it wasn’t there any more. Needless to say, it would have to be something of crucial importance: a question of life or death.’

Twist stopped to pick up a folder from the coffee table and pull out a sheet of paper.

‘This summarises everyone’s movements during that tragic evening. And there’s something on here which has never been cleared up. At 9.05, Sarah Thorne and you, Miss Blount, are walking near the front gate of the property when you see an unidentified person who flees. Is there anyone here who can shed light on this?’ asked Twist, staring hard at Patrick.

‘It was I,’ confessed Blue Reed, turning scarlet. ‘But I swear it’s of no importance, at least as far as it concerns any of this business. I…we…no importance.’

Dr. Twist gave a half-mischievous, half-tender smile which briefly cheered Paula up. Then he continued:

‘These notes were taken last year and already, at that time, something struck me. Something jumped out at me. Listen. “8.00… Noises of quarrel upstairs start to be heard.” That would be Harris and Sarah, who were upstairs in the study. Everyone heard them. Then: “8.30… The loud noises have stopped.” Shortly after that: “8.45 The Thornes go out. They’ve hardly left when the quarrel starts again. Mrs. Thorne returns overwrought and goes to salon. Husband rushes in and goes upstairs.”

‘No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t think of any explanation for such behaviour. They quarrel for half an hour, make up for the next quarter of an hour, go out without saying a word, and hardly has the door closed behind them when they start again. They haven’t had time to exchange one word and the dispute starts again, even worse. But nobody explodes from one second to the next, except in the theatre, and even then… To be frank, I found such behaviour to be very suspicious and… theatrical is the word. By the way, let me remind you that a wig and a false beard, both red, had disappeared from Sarah’s theatrical accessories.

‘But I’m not going to leave you in suspense as to what really happened. The quarrel between the Thornes stops suddenly at half past eight. Tragically, as it happens. Harris is a violent man, but Sarah doesn’t allow herself to be bullied. He shakes her, she pushes him away. He falls down. His head hits the base of the fireplace. Dead. The doctors who examine the body later put the time of death as just before nine. They’re mistaken, of course, their diagnosis having been affected by the fact that Harris Thorne had been seen alive at ten minutes to nine.