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Mr. Lay sighed softly, his expression growing somber. “It’s been troubling me ever since then,” he admitted. “I’d like to forget everything that happened, but all the things that happened that day… they just seem to be encrypted in my brain, no matter how hard I try.”

Anna's expression softened, and she looked at Mr. Lay with sympathy. “I’m really sorry to hear that,” she said quietly. Then, her curiosity piqued again, she asked, “But what about the shadow Emily mentioned? What was that about?”

Mr. Lay shook his head slightly. “I honestly don’t know,” he said, his voice tinged with frustration. “The police were sure the shadow was Mark. He was over six feet tall, and given the time, they believed it was him moving quickly through the hall. They were too focused on him after they arrested him—especially since he basically admitted he did it. The rest didn’t seem to matter much after that. In addition, Mark had been working here for five years by then. The dog knew him well—it wouldn’t have barked at him. Which… also explained why the only barks we heard that day were when McCowan arrived and left. For Mark, the dog wouldn’t have made a sound.”

Anna nodded thoughtfully, then paused for a moment before asking, “So you are saying that McCowan never left his room after he went in at 11:35?”

Mr. Lay nodded in return. “Yes, that’s correct. There’s no evidence indicating he left his room during the time when the murder occurred. He was in his room for the entire period, and nothing suggests he stepped out at any point.”

He paused before adding, “And he was the one who called the maid to open the door when he left his room at 1:20 and saw a few drops of blood in the hallway that led to Thomas’ room.”

Anna’s brow furrowed slightly. “So… Thomas’ door was locked when he was found dead?” she asked.

Mr. Lay nodded. “Yes, it was,” he said grimly. “And that was another reason why the police arrested Mark—because only the house staff had keys to the rooms. The fact that the door was locked made them even more convinced it had to be an inside job.”