"Did any one actually see her off?"

"No, not that I am aware of, Inspector."

"To put the whole thing quite bluntly, Mr. Debnam," said Dunbar, fixing
his tawny eyes upon the solicitor, "Mr. Vernon was thoroughly glad to
get rid of her for a week?"

Mr. Debnam shifted uneasily in his chair; the truculent directness of
the detective was unpleasing to his tortuous mind. However:--

"I fear you have hit upon the truth," he confessed, "and I must admit
that we have no legal evidence of her leaving for Scotland on this, or
on any other occasion. Letters were received from Perth, and letters
sent to Auchterander from London were answered. But the truth, the
painful truth came to light, unexpectedly, dramatically, on Monday
last"...

"Four days ago?"

"Exactly; three days before the death of my client." Mr. Debnam wagged
his finger at the inspector again. "I maintain," he said, "that this
painful discovery, which I am about to mention, precipitated my client's
end; although it is a fact that there was--hereditary heart trouble.
But I admit that his neglect of his wife (to give it no harsher name)
contributed to the catastrophe."

He paused to give dramatic point to the revelation.