"Do you know, I was half expecting something like that," he said.
"It was quite irrational, but it was hanging about in the
atmosphere, like thunder in the air."
"On the contrary, it's finding Hugo guilty that's irrational,"
replied Fisher. "Don't you see that they're condemning him for the
very reason for which they acquit everybody else? Harker and
Westmoreland were silent because they found him murdered, and knew
there were papers that made them look like the murderers. Well, so
did Hugo find him murdered, and so did Hugo know there was a paper
that would make him look like the murderer. He had written it
himself the day before."
"But in that case," said March, frowning, "at what sort of unearthly
hour in the morning was the murder really committed? It was barely
daylight when I met him at the bridge, and that's some way above the
island."
"The answer is very simple," replied Fisher. "The crime was not
committed in the morning. The crime was not committed on the
island."
March stared at the shining water without replying, but Fisher
resumed like one who had been asked a question:
"Every intelligent murder involves taking advantage of some one
uncommon feature in a common situation. The feature here was the
fancy of old Hook for being the first man up every morning, his
fixed routine as an angler, and his annoyance at being disturbed.
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