The Omaha morning bee., 1923-11-23

taken to her sitting room. She went
straight in, and the two met on the
stairs. Lady Pelham's suite being on
the first floor, at the back of the
house. They bowed, seeming to
know each other, but did not shake
hands. They entered the sitting
room, and the door was closed.
Some fifteen minutes later Monsieur
Carre came out. and had the front
door open before the butler could
reach it. Meanwhile Mrs. Linforth
and Miss Daunt had gone into the
drawing-roo Fully an hour after
wards-not ten minutes since, in fact
Lady Pelham's personal maid ran
downstairs shrieking that her mis-
tress was dead. AS well as the alarm
ed household can determine, the old
lady was killed by thin steel in
strument being thrust into her body
above the heart. There are no per-
ceptible signs of robbery. That's
all"
"It seems to have sufficed," said
Somers coolly. "Would you care to
come with me, Captain Pelham? ]
am going to my office. We are in
no great hurry We shall be there
long before Prideaux reaches
Barnes"
Now, Pelham had begun to hope
that he might be called to Cedar
Lodge. but like the good soldier that
he was, he fell in with the wishes of
the man who knew exactly what TO
do and how to do it.
Bring your pipe If you prefer it
to my cigars said Somers. I'VE
may have q late session. And a
light overcoat, too. Goodness only
knows where we may bring up be-
fore the night is through
The Superintendent quiet accept
lance of the tragedy reminded his host
of the calm way in which an ex-
perienced chief of the staff would
deal with some dramatic turn of
events during fluctuating battle
as revealed over the phone. Pri-
deaux, of course, had vanished at
once. The others followed leisurely,
and were soon seated in a taxi.
You may have to meet the butler.
the maid, and any others who saw
Monsieur Raymond Carre," said
Somers, speaking in the same placid,
lthoughtful tone as before. Ser
wants are never good at descriptions
of strange callers. but they may re-
|cognize certain points supplied by
you If, let us say. 'Matador' or va
quero' is the murderer. ] fear not,
however. Those scoundrels have
nerve, I admit, but it demands some
thing like the sheer heedlessness of
insanity that one of them should
commit this crime when they know
they have been seen this very day.
| n 4 fttt ~, aaf
clusions--a bad habit l seldom in
| dulge fn-but this business is SO
curiously complicated that one can
only follow up a line of reasoning
until 1t is proved mistaken, or sug
| gests another
! "One thing strikes me at once
email" said Pelham.
"And that is?"
Scotland Yard was actually busy
on an investigation affecting these
people, or some of them, before my
unfortunate aunt lost her life
| THE murder was committed under
our very noses, so TO speak"
mo. l don't mean that. But these
fellows. whatever their motive was
must have realized that the law was
another and quite unforgivable step
i've heard of a fox swapping up 9
fowl while hounds were after him,
said Somers, but the average
crook, as a rule, finds pursuit by the
c. /. d. sufficiently interesting to alb
sorb his attention for the time Oi
course, he will slay in the effort tt
escape. but in this instance, 1t woud
appear that the man went to tn,