The newspaper., 1909-11-12
CHAPTER VIII.
The Other Half of the Link.


Miss Innes,' the detective began,
what is your opinion OF the figure
you saw on the east verauda the night
you and your maid were in the house
alone?"
1t was a woman" | said positively
And yet your maid adirms with
equal positiveness that it was a man. :"
Nonsense" l broke in. "Liddy
had her eyes shut-she always shuts
them when she's frightened"
And you never thought then that
the intruder who came later that
night might be a woman-the woman
in fact, whom you saw on the veran-
da?"
a man." said. Remembering the pearl
cuff-link
Now we are getting down to bust
ness. What were your reasons for
thinking thst?''
hesitated.
IF you have any reason for believ-
ing that your midnight guest was Mr.
Armstrong. other than his visit here
the next night. you ought to tell me,
Miss Innes. We can take nothing for
granted. II. for instance. the intru-
der who dropped the bar and
scratched the staircase-you see, I
know about that-if this visitor was
n woman. why should not the same
woman have come back the following
night. met Mr.. Armstrong on the cir
cular staircase. and in alarm shot
him.
1T was a man" reiterated And
then. because I could think of no 9TH
er reason for my statement. told
him about the pearl cuf-link He Was
intensely interested.
VIII you give me the link" he said
when finished. "or. at least. let me
see It. consider it a most impor-
tant clew"
Won't the description do?"
Not as well as the original"
Well. I'm very sorry" / said. as
calmly as | could. 1.-The thing is
lost. lit must have fallen out OF
box on my dressing table
Whatever he thought OF my expla-
nation. and I knew he doubted 1t. he
made no sign. He asked me to de-
scribe the link accurately. and did
so. while he glanced at list he took
from his pocket.
One set monogram cun-iinks." he
read. -one set plain pearl links. one
set cuff-links. woman's head set with
diamonds and emeralds. There is no
mention OF such a link as you de-
scribe, and yet. If your theory is right.
Mr.. Armstrong must have taken back
in his cuffs one complete cuff-link. and
half. perhaps. OF the other
The idea was new to me II il had
not been the murdered man who had
entered the house that night. who
had it been?
There are a number OF strange
things connected with this case" the
detective went on. Miss Gertrude
Innes testified that she heard some
one fumbling with the lock. that the
door opened. and that almost immedi-
ately the shot was fired. now. Miss
Innes. here is the strange part of that.
Mr.. Armstrong had no key with him.
There was no key in the lock. or on
the floor. In other words. the evi-
dence points absolutely to this: Mr..
Armstrong was admitted to the house
from within"
1t is impossible" broke in. Mir.
Jamieson, do you. know what your
words imply? DO you know that
you are practically accusing Gertrude
Innes of admitting that man."
Not quite that" he said with his
friendly smile. In fact, Miss Innes.
am quite certain she did not. But
as long as learn only parts of the
truth. from both YOU and her. what
can do? know you picked up some
thing in the flower bed; you refuse
to tell me what it was. know Miss
Gertrude went back to the billiard
room to get something. she refuses to
say what You suspect what happened
to the cuff-link, but you won't tell me.
So far. all | am sure of is this: | do
not believe Arnold Armstrong was the
midnight visitor who so alarmed you
by dropping-shall we say. golf.
stick? And | believe that when he
did come he was admitted by some
one in the house Who knows-it may
have been-Liddyl"