Evening star., 1932-07-09
r}sMURDER HAElMWR 81
%SaN hAeATHs CHRISTIE -
By AGATHA CHRISTIE

1 herself "I'll go straight there as soon
as l get back TO Sittaford'
Then she had thanked Mrs. Evans,
gone on to Mr.. Kirkwood's and obtained
the key and was now standing in the
hall OF Hazelmoor and wondering how
and what she had expected to feel
there.
She mounted the stairs slowly and
went into the first room at the top OF
the stairs. This was quite clearly Capt.
Treyelyan's bed room. 1t had. as Mr.
Kirkwood had said, been emptied of
personal effects. Blankets were folded
IN a neat pile, the drawers were empty,
there was not so much as hanger left
in the cupboard The boot cupboard
showed row of bare shelves.
Emily sighed and then turned and
vent downstairs Here was the sitting
room where the dead man had lain, the
snow blowing in from the open window.
She tried to visualize the scene.
Whose hand had struck Capt. Trevelyan
Gown. and why? Had he been killed
at five and twenty past five, as every
one believed-or had Jim re3lly lost his
nerve and lied? Had he failed to make
any one hear at the front door and
gone round to the window looked in
and seen his dead Uncle's body and
dashed away in an agony of fear? If
only she knew. According to Mr.. Dacres
Jim stuck to his story. Yes-but Jim
might have lost his nerve. She couldn't
be sure.
Had there BEEN as Mr.. Rycroft had
suggested some one else in the house
some one who had overheard the quar-
rel and seized the chance?
If 60 did that throw any light on
the boot problem? Had some one been
upstairs-perhapS in Capt. Trevelyan's
bed room? Emily passed through the
hall again. She took a quick look into
the dining ROOM there we're a couple
of trunks there neatly strapped and
labeled The sideboard was bare. The
silver cups were at Maj, Burnabys
bungalow.
She noticed however, that the prize
of three new novels. an account of
which Charles had had from Evans and
had reported with amusing embellish-
ments to her. had been forgotten and
lay dejectedly on a chair
She looked round the room and shook
her head There was nothing there.
She went up the stairs again and
once more entered the bed room.
She must know why these boots were
missing! Until she could concoct some
theory reasonably satisfactory to her
herself which would account for their
disappearance she felt powerleSs to put
them out of her mind. They were soar
ing to ridiculous proportions, dwarflng
everything else to do with the case.
Was there nothing to help her?
She took each drawer out and felt
behind it. In detective stories there
was always an obliging scrap OF paper.
But evidently in real life one could not
expect such fortunate accidents, or else
Inspector Narracott and his men had
been wonderfully thorough. She felt
To- loose boards. she felt round the
edge of the carpet with her fingers.
She investigated the spring mattress.
What she expected to find in all these
places she hardly knew. but she went
on looking with dogged perseverance.
And then, as she Strengthened her
back and stood upright, her eye was
caught by the one incongruous touch
in this room of apple pie order, little
pile of SCOT in the CRATE.
Emily looked at it with the fascinated
gaze of bird for snake. She drew
nearer. eyeing it. 1t was no logical de-
duction, no reasoning Of cauSe and ef-
feet; 1t was simply that the sight OF
SCOT as such suggested a GER in posi-
bility. Emily rolled up her sleeves and
thrust both arms up the chimney.
A moment later she was staring with
incredulouS delight at marcel wrapped
loosely in newspaper One shake de-
tached the newspaper and there, before
her. were the missing pair of boots.
But why?" said Emily Here thev
are But why? Why? Why? Why?"
ITO be contlnued)