human
But the shot was fired at the closest possible range, insisted the judge;
gpt
Yes, replied Joubert,
human
Then it's suicide, declared the judge.
gpt
How else account for the facts? Martinez was a strong, active man. He would never have allowed a murderer to get so close to him without a struggle. But there is not the slightest sign of a struggle, no disorder in the room, no disarrangement of the man's clothing. It's evidently suicide.
human
If it's suicide, objected Pougeot,
gpt
Undoubtedly,
human
Then the pistol must have fallen beside him or remained in his hand. Well, where is it?
gpt
Ask the woman who was here. How do you know she didn't take it?
human
Nonsense! put in the chief.
gpt
Why should she take it? To throw suspicion on herself? Besides, I'll show you another reason why it's not suicide. The man was shot through the right eye, the ball went in straight and clean, tearing its way to the brain. Well, in the whole history of suicides, there is not one case where a man has shot himself in the eye. Did you ever hear of such a case, doctor?
human
Never,
gpt
A man will shoot himself in the mouth, in the temple, in the heart, anywhere, but not in the eye. There would be an unconquerable shrinking from that. So I say it's murder.
human
And the murderer?
gpt
Ah, that's another question. We must find the woman. And we must understand the rôle of this American.
human
No woman ever fired that shot or planned this crime,
gpt
There's better reason to argue that the American never did it,
human
What reason?
gpt
The woman ran away, didn't she? And the American didn't. If he had killed this man, do you think _anything_ would have brought him back here for that cloak and bag?
human
A good point, nodded the chief.
gpt
We can't be sure of the murderer--yet, but we can be reasonably sure it's murder.
human
If it's murder, how do you account for the singed eyebrows? How did the murderer get so near?
gpt
I answer as you did: 'Ask the woman.' She knows.
human
Ah, yes, she knows, reflected the commissary.
gpt
And, gentlemen, all our talk brings us back to this, _we must find that woman_.