Another Woman's House by Mignon G. Eberhart

to have seen.”
    The cigarette crumbled up in Richard’s hands, He said, “Webb decided instantly to accuse Alice.”
    â€œYes. Tim says that Webb released the curtain and came, running, to bend over Jack. Tim entered the room. The rest of the story is exactly the same, except in that one detail. But that detail proved Webb had lied.” He released the cord of the crimson curtain and came back toward them. “Now, then. First I had to examine young Lane’s motives in coming to me with this extraordinary story. And his good faith—or lack of it. I did not know whether or not to believe him. I questioned him; he said he had forgotten the incident of the curtain. I found it difficult to believe that he would have forgotten it. Yet he stuck to the new version of his testimony with such earnestness that I could not fail to test its truth—as I did. I sent for Webb Manders.”
    He put his glass on the table and sat down and with his hands on his knees looked up at Richard. “I sent for Webb. I kept young Lane waiting. I saw Webb alone. In the interval I had time to think the thing over; it seemed to me that if there was a word of truth in young Lane’s present story, there was only one way to extract it from Webb. When Webb arrived I told him flatly that I had evidence to the effect that the curtains had been closed when he claimed to have seen into this room. I made it strong. I told him that this being the fact, the case was automatically re-opened for investigation and that”—the Governor’s voice was hard and sharp—“since he had perjured himself, it might go easier with him later if he’d admit the truth then and there. He saw at once that he himself would be suspect, in the event of a new investigation. He saw, in fact, the whole picture. And, to my surprise, I must say, admitted it to be a fact. Tim was telling the truth.”
    Richard started to speak and stopped. The Governor’s eyes were very shrewd and very keen. He watched Richard and said rather slowly, “There is no doubt that it is the truth. I took Webb by surprise. He could not, or, at least, did not, think of a way out of it; and it is a fact that truth is a powerful weapon. In my experience in criminal trials there is often a psychological moment when the sheer weight of truth operates. It did in this case. To make it short, he signed a confession of perjury before he left my office.”
    â€œThat means,” said Richard, “that he did it purposely. He decided to accuse her; he arranged the curtains to fit the story he decided to tell.”
    â€œThat’s right.”
    â€œWhy? How could he have deliberately planned to send her to … ?” Richard stopped and the Governor finished, “… to the chair. It was a frame. Nothing more or less. Webb says he did it because he believed in her guilt. Because he saw that his brother was dead. Because he wished to make it absolutely impossible for her to escape conviction. He said—then and yesterday—that he waited for a few hours before he accused her because she might confess. When she didn’t he accused her, because he believed she was guilty. I think,” said the Governor heavily, “that he might be honest enough about that. Provided, that is, he did not shoot his brother himself. As I said, his own position as a possible suspect was an inducement to his confession of perjury. He knew his danger, had known it all along, and hoped to induce a more lenient view on our part.”
    â€œIt could have cost …”
    Again Richard stopped. Again the Governor finished for him. “It could have cost her life. But if he is honest in saying that he sincerely believed in her guilt, that is a comprehensible motive for his accusation of Mrs. Thorne, both because Jack was his brother and he may have wished to avenge him, and because of his own sense of justice. If actually he killed his brother,