Free The Key by Patricia Wentworth Page A

to the side door of the church, the other two doors being bolted on the inside and their keys no longer in use. Of the four keys to the side door, the rector and the sexton had one each, Miss Fell had one which was used by Miss Brown, and Mr Harsch had one. When Miss Meade and the sexton arrived at the church the door was locked. Behind that locked door Mr Harsch lay dead. When his body was examined by the police the key he had used was found in his left-hand jacket pocket. I am going very fully into this question of the keys, because you will have to decide whether you are satisfied that Mr Harsch locked himself into the church and afterwards shot himself there, or whether it is possible that some other person entered the building and shot him. The sexton’s evidence is to the effect that it was not Mr Harsch’s habit to lock himself in but that he had known him do so. If a man were either in some distress of mind or contemplating suicide, it would, I think, be natural for him to guard against intrusion by locking himself in. As to the possibility that some other person entered the church and shot Mr Harsch, you have to consider how this entry might have been effected. Either Mr Harsch must have admitted his assailant, or one of the other three keys must have been used. If Mr Harsch was engaged in playing the organ, the chance of anyone’s attracting his attention and thus gaining admittance is a slender one. Even if it is a possibility, it leaves unanswered the question as to how this suppositious person managed to quit the church, leaving the door locked and the key in Mr Harsch’s pocket. There remains the question as to whether one of the other three keys could have been used. On this point you have the evidence of the sexton, Frederick Bush, of Miss Brown, and of the rector. Bush says his key was hanging upon the kitchen dresser when he locked up for the night at a quarter past ten. The rector says his key was on his chain, and that he did not go down to the church at all. Miss Brown says she used Miss Fell’s key in the morning, put it back in the drawer where it was kept, and did not return to the church. The police inspector has told us that Mr Harsch’s key shows only one blurred fingerprint, this print being similar to the blurred print left by the forefinger of a set of fingerprints found upon the pistol. These latter prints are unquestionably Mr Harsch’s own, and in the case of the other three fingers and the thumb they are perfectly clear. The blurring of the print upon the key and the printless condition of the other side of it is, I think, accounted for by the fact that the pocket in which it was found contained also a handkerchief, a matchbox, and several other small objects. In these circumstances there would probably be some friction on the surface of the key, especially when it is considered that Mr Harsch was playing the organ, an occupation involving a considerable amount of movement. As regards the pistol, there is no evidence as to ownership. It is of a common German make. Anyone who had been in Germany might have acquired it and brought it to this country. Mr Harsch had no licence to cover this or any other firearm. It is, however, a regrettable fact that there are a great quantity of unlicensed firearms in this country, a large number of which are either service revolvers retained by ex-servicemen after the last war or foreign weapons brought in as souvenirs.’
    The coroner paused.
    ‘Well, ladies and gentlemen, that is the evidence. You will now retire and give it your consideration. I may say that the medical evidence will not admit an accident as a basis for your verdict. You have to decide whether Mr Harsch shot himself, or whether someone else shot him.’
    The jury got up and trooped out. They were away for less than five minutes. They returned with the verdict that Michael Harsch had shot himself while the balance of his mind was disturbed.
    CHAPTER TEN
    EVERYBODY CAME OUT of the hall