Miss Woods

I believe I have that now.

You'd do all of us a great favor, Mr. Ward, if you'd cooperate with Sergeant Heath and me.

I'd be glad to, Mr. Vance.

How can I help?

I'll get around to that in a moment.

First of all, as I understand it, Mr. Durant, the murdered guard, wasn't too gentle with his patients.

Well, in this sort of institution, sometimes it's necessary to use force.

Of course, Mr. Durant knew what kind of institution this was.

What...

I don't understand.

I think you do, and I think he did.

I think he knew you were operating this place as a wide-open racket, keeping certain people in it because of the convenience that might provide to others.

Thank you, Heath.

Mr. Ward, this Durant came to you the night of his death.

Probably came to your room and demanded money in return for keeping his mouth shut.

What?

You quarreled, and you killed him.

then dumped his body outside Mrs. Westcott's door.

That's right.

Joan Westcott thought that perhaps her aunt had done it, so she wouldn't talk, and in fact, tried to keep me off the case.