Doctor: "I called at the Sterns' house at nine-fifteen. I was rather later than I had planned to be because I visited another patient. When Mrs Stern let me into the house she seemed rather embarrassed and showed me into the sitting-room. I could hear Trevor Stern was shouting at someone in his study. Mrs Stern said something about teenage girls and that they had problems with Lucy. Well, the shouting stopped almost immediately, so I went to his study. Lucy had already left the room before I got there. I tried to explain to Trevor why he needed to have these hospital tests, but he did not let me. He said I was an ignorant country doctor who did not know what he was talking about. I realised it was no use arguing with him so I left after only a few minutes. I was quite angry actually. I let myself out of the house without seeing Lucy or Mrs Stern."
Gerald: "Yes, Trevor was my business partner. We were not really friends. Yes, my house is just around the corner from the Sterns'. I have been living here for two years now. I have a little cottage in the village. But I bought this house when I started to earn a lot of money. I can't really tell you very much about the night Trevor died. I took my dog for a long walk that evening. I went up on the hills, away from the village. Then the stupid dog went after a rabbit or something and I lost im in the dark. I was looking for him when I met Lucy, as a matter of fact. She was walking up the road towards their house. She seemed rather upset. I asked her if she had seen the dog, but she said she did not have. She went into her house and I found him a few minutes afterwards. I was back home by just after quarter to ten."
Detective Inspector Blackledge showed the statements to her colleague, Sergeant Ross.
Blackledge: "Well, Ross. What do you think? Who killed Stern?"
Ross: "I don't know. It was not his wife. She did not even go into the study."
Blackledge: "But she admits she didn't love him. Do you think she's in love with the doctor?"
Ross: "It's possible. And perhaps Trevor Stern found out. But we know the doctor was at the hospital by ten o'clock that night. And that's at least half an hour from the Sterns' house."
Blackledge: "But that means he left the Sterns' house before half past nine."
Ross: "Exactly."
Blackledge: "Anyway, Dorothy Stern told her sister she would leave her husband. She didn't need to murder him."
Ross: "But what about Lucy?"
Blackledge: "Yes, there's something about Lucy's story which . Let's see, what did Gerald Brook say?"
Ross: "That's it! Lucy went to the village and back if he saw her at twenty to ten. She was at be her father at nine-fifteen."
Blackledge: "But look at all the statements. The times do not quite fit."
Ross: "Neither do the facts. Someone told lies."
Blackledge: "I think it's time we make an arrest."
Trevor Stern was not a popular man, in spite of his wealth. He lived in a large house about a mile outside the village of Prenton. When he was found dead in his studio, no one cried , not even his only daughter. It was soon clear that he had been murdered.
Detective Inspector Blackledge took statements from his widow, Dorothy, his seventeen-year-old daughter, Lucy, his business partner, Gerald Brook, and his doctor.
Dorothy: "I did not love my husband, he was a cold and selfish man. But I did not murder him, either. After dinner last night he said he wanted to check some business papers in his study. He was going to have a meeting with Gerald, his business partner, the next morning. He asked for some tea. That was about 9 o'clock. I was watching a rather exciting film on television, So I told Lucy to take it to him. At quarter past nine Doctor Emerson called. I noticed the time because we expected him to come earlier. I answered the front door bell. Trevor was still shouting in his study. He and Lucy were obviously having a serious row. So I took the doctor into the sitting-room for a moment. Then Trevor stopped shouting. I guessed Lucy went out by the back door. Doctor Emerson went to the study. I think he wanted to persuade Trevor to go to the hospital for some tests, but Trevor did not want to go. I heard him shouting again several times over the next twenty minutes. He called him an ignorant country doctor, and later he said something like 'There's nothing you can do!' I think Lucy came into the house while the doctor was still talking to Trevor. I heard the front door bang during a quiet few seconds when Trevor was not shouting. I was tired and fed up and went to my bedroom soon after that. My sister phoned and we were talking for ages. I told her I had decided to leave Trevor."
Lucy: "Mum was watching some stupid film after dinner, so she made me take Dad's tea into his study. It was about nine o'clock. He was in a really mean mood. He shouted at me because I spilt a few drops of tea on his desk while I was pouring it. I did not want to watch the film so I crept out by the back door. I decided to go down to the village and use the public phone to call Alan. He's my boyfriend. I never like Mum or Dad to be around when I am talking to him. Especially yesterday, because Dad and I had a stupid argument about Alan the day before. It normally takes quarter of an hour to walk to the village. Perhaps it took me less time last night. I can't prove I have gone to the village. No one saw me when I was walking into the village. I saw Gerald, that's Dad's business partner. He was standing near the window in his sitting-room. He did not see me, though, because it was dark outside. he was talking on the phone, I think. Alan did not answer the phone. Then I remembered he had told me he was playing in a concert that evening. So I walked home again. I met Gerald just before I reached our house. He was looking for his dog. That was about twenty to ten. I came in by the back door as quietly as possible and went to bed. I didn't want to see my parents again that evening."
Doctor: "I called at the Sterns' house at nine-fifteen. I was rather later than I had planned to be because I visited another patient. When Mrs Stern let me into the house she seemed rather embarrassed and showed me into the sitting-room. I could hear Trevor Stern was shouting at someone in his study. Mrs Stern said something about teenage girls and that they had problems with Lucy. Well, the shouting stopped almost immediately, so I went to his study. Lucy had already left the room before I got there. I tried to explain to Trevor why he needed to have these hospital tests, but he did not let me. He said I was an ignorant country doctor who did not know what he was talking about. I realised it was no use arguing with him so I left after only a few minutes. I was quite angry actually. I let myself out of the house without seeing Lucy or Mrs Stern."
Gerald: "Yes, Trevor was my business partner. We were not really friends. Yes, my house is just around the corner from the Sterns'. I have been living here for two years now. I have a little cottage in the village. But I bought this house when I started to earn a lot of money.
I can't really tell you very much about the night Trevor died. I took my dog for a long walk that evening. I went up on the hills, away from the village. Then the stupid dog went after a rabbit or something and I lost im in the dark. I was looking for him when I met Lucy, as a matter of fact. She was walking up the road towards their house. She seemed rather upset. I asked her if she had seen the dog, but she said she did not have. She went into her house and I found him a few minutes afterwards. I was back home by just after quarter to ten."
Detective Inspector Blackledge showed the statements to her colleague, Sergeant Ross.
Blackledge: "Well, Ross. What do you think? Who killed Stern?"
Ross: "I don't know. It was not his wife. She did not even go into the study."
Blackledge: "But she admits she didn't love him. Do you think she's in love with the doctor?"
Ross: "It's possible. And perhaps Trevor Stern found out. But we know the doctor was at the hospital by ten o'clock that night. And that's at least half an hour from the Sterns' house."
Blackledge: "But that means he left the Sterns' house before half past nine."
Ross: "Exactly."
Blackledge: "Anyway, Dorothy Stern told her sister she would leave her husband. She didn't need to murder him."
Ross: "But what about Lucy?"
Blackledge: "Yes, there's something about Lucy's story which . Let's see, what did Gerald Brook say?"
Ross: "That's it! Lucy went to the village and back if he saw her at twenty to ten. She was at be her father at nine-fifteen."
Blackledge: "But look at all the statements. The times do not quite fit."
Ross: "Neither do the facts. Someone told lies."
Blackledge: "I think it's time we make an arrest."
Trevor Stern was not a popular man, in spite of his wealth. He lived in a large house about a mile outside the village of Prenton. When he was found dead in his studio, no one cried , not even his only daughter. It was soon clear that he had been murdered.
Detective Inspector Blackledge took statements from his widow, Dorothy, his seventeen-year-old daughter, Lucy, his business partner, Gerald Brook, and his doctor.
Dorothy: "I did not love my husband, he was a cold and selfish man. But I did not murder him, either. After dinner last night he said he wanted to check some business papers in his study. He was going to have a meeting with Gerald, his business partner, the next morning. He asked for some tea. That was about 9 o'clock. I was watching a rather exciting film on television, So I told Lucy to take it to him. At quarter past nine Doctor Emerson called. I noticed the time because we expected him to come earlier. I answered the front door bell. Trevor was still shouting in his study. He and Lucy were obviously having a serious row. So I took the doctor into the sitting-room for a moment. Then Trevor stopped shouting. I guessed Lucy went out by the back door. Doctor Emerson went to the study. I think he wanted to persuade Trevor to go to the hospital for some tests, but Trevor did not want to go. I heard him shouting again several times over the next twenty minutes. He called him an ignorant country doctor, and later he said something like 'There's nothing you can do!' I think Lucy came into the house while the doctor was still talking to Trevor. I heard the front door bang during a quiet few seconds when Trevor was not shouting. I was tired and fed up and went to my bedroom soon after that. My sister phoned and we were talking for ages. I told her I had decided to leave Trevor."
Lucy: "Mum was watching some stupid film after dinner, so she made me take Dad's tea into his study. It was about nine o'clock. He was in a really mean mood. He shouted at me because I spilt a few drops of tea on his desk while I was pouring it. I did not want to watch the film so I crept out by the back door. I decided to go down to the village and use the public phone to call Alan. He's my boyfriend. I never like Mum or Dad to be around when I am talking to him. Especially yesterday, because Dad and I had a stupid argument about Alan the day before. It normally takes quarter of an hour to walk to the village. Perhaps it took me less time last night. I can't prove I have gone to the village. No one saw me when I was walking into the village. I saw Gerald, that's Dad's business partner. He was standing near the window in his sitting-room. He did not see me, though, because it was dark outside. he was talking on the phone, I think.
Alan did not answer the phone. Then I remembered he had told me he was playing in a concert that evening. So I walked home again. I met Gerald just before I reached our house. He was looking for his dog. That was about twenty to ten. I came in by the back door as quietly as possible and went to bed. I didn't want to see my parents again that evening."