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Title:  The Winter Murder Case (1939)
        A Philo Vance Story
Author: S.S. Van Dine
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Title:  The Winter Murder Case (1939)
        A Philo Vance Story
Author: S.S. Van Dine





Stern Winter loves a dirge-like sound.--Wordsworth




CONTENTS

PREFACE BY AN EDITOR

CHAPTER

I. AN APPEAL FOR HELP

II. GLAMOR IN THE MOONLIGHT

III. THE BOURBON GLASS

IV. THE FIRST MURDER

V. THE CURSE OF THE EMERALDS

VI. A WOMAN'S BARB

VII. THE INQUEST

VIII. SECRET PLANS

IX. AN ABRUPT SUMMONS

X. THE MISSING KEY

XI. FAREWELL SOIRÉE

XII. QUEEN ISTAR'S NECKLACE

XIII. THE SECOND MURDER

XIV. SKATING FOR Time

XV. QUERIES AND ANSWERS

XVI. FINAL CURTAIN


TWENTY RULES FOR WRITING DETECTIVE STORIES, BY S. S. VAN DINE



PREFACE

It was characteristic of Willard Huntington Wright, known to the
great public as S. S. Van Dine, that when he died suddenly on April
11, 1939, he left _The Winter Murder Case_ in the form in which it
is published, complete to the last comma. Everything he ever did was
done that way, accurately, thoroughly, and with consideration for
other people. It was so with the entire series of the Philo Vance
mysteries.

He has himself told the story of becoming a writer of mysteries in
an article called, "I Used to be a Highbrow, and Look at Me Now." He
had worked as a critic of literature and art, and as an editor,
since he left Harvard in 1907. And this he had done with great
distinction, but with no material reward to speak of--certainly no
accumulation of money. When the war came it seemed to him that all
he had believed in and was working for was rushing into ruin--and
now, twenty-five years later, can anyone say he was wrong? There
were other influences at work on him perhaps, but no one who knew
Willard and the purity of his perceptions in art, and his devotion
to what he thought was the meaning of our civilization as expressed
in the arts, can doubt that the shattering disillusionment and ruin
of the war was what brought him at last to a nervous breakdown which
incapacitated him for several years. He would never have explained
it so, or any other way. He made no explanations, or excuses, ever,
and his many apologies were out of the kindness of a heart so
concealed by reticence that only a handful ever knew how gentle it
really was. So at last all that he had done and aimed to do seemed
to have come to ruin, and he himself too.

Only a gallant spirit could have risen up from that downfall, and
gallantry alone would not have been enough. But Willard had also an
intellect--even despair could not suppress it--which worked on
anything at hand. One might believe that if his fate had been
solitary confinement he would hare emerged with some biological
discovery based on the rats that infested his cell. Anyhow, his
doctor finally met his demands for mental occupation with the
concession that he read mysteries, which he had never read before.
The result was, that as he had studied painting, literature and
philosophy, he now involuntarily studied and then consciously
analyzed, the mystery story. And when he recovered he had mastered
it.

He was then heavily in debt, but he thought he saw the possibility
of freeing himself from obligations a nature of his integrity could
not ignore, or in fact endure, by what he had learned in his
illness. He wrote out, at some ten thousand words each, the plots of
his first three murder cases, thought through to the last detail,
footnotes and all, and brought them to the Century Club to a lunch
with an editor of the publishing house that has put all of them
before the public.

This editor knew little about mystery stories, which had not been
much in vogue since Sherlock Holmes, but he knew Willard Wright. He
knew from far back in Harvard that whatever this man did would be
done well, and the reasonable terms--granting the writer's talent--
that Willard proposed were quickly accepted.

It is now thirteen years since Philo Vance stepped out into the
world to solve _The Benson Murder Case_ and, with that and the
eleven others that followed, to delight hundreds of thousand of
readers soon hard pressed by the anxieties and afflictions of a
tragic decade. Each of these famous cases was set forth, as were the
first three, in a long synopsis--about ten thousand words--letter
perfect and complete to that point in its development. After the
first three of these synopses, the publisher never saw another, nor
wanted to, for he knew beyond peradventure that the finished book
would be another masterpiece in its kind. Nor did he ever see the
second stage of development, but only the third, the final
manuscript--and that he read with the interest and pleasure of any
reader, and with no professional anxieties. But this second stage in
the infinitely painstaking development of the story was some 30,000
words long, and it lacked only the final elaboration of character,
dialogue, and atmosphere. _The Winter Murder Case_ represents this
stage in S. S. Van Dine's progress to its completion, and if the
plot moves faster to its culmination than in the earlier books, it
is for that reason.

They say now that Philo Vance was made in the image of S. S. Van
Dine, and although Willard smoked not _Régies_ but denicotined
cigarettes, there were resemblances. Both were infinitely neat in
dress, equally decorous and considerate in manner, and Vance had
Willard's amazingly vast and accurate knowledge of a thousand arts
and subjects, and his humorously sceptical attitude toward life and
society. But in fact the resemblance would stand for only those with
a superficial knowledge of Willard Huntington Wright. Vance in so
far as he was Wright, was perhaps the form under which a gallant,
gentle man concealed a spirit almost too delicate and sensitive for
an age so turbulent and crude as this. Willard was not one to wear
his heart upon his sleeve--but there were daws enough to peck, as
there always are, and they found it where his friends always knew it
to be, near the surface, and quick to respond.

As for the principles upon which he based his writing, and which
brought new life into the craft of detective literature, they were
succinctly set down by him in his famous twenty rules which are to
be found at the back of this volume.



CHARACTERS OF THE BOOK

PHILO VANCE

JOHN F.-X. MARKHAM District Attorney of New York County.

ELLA GUNTHAR Companion to Joan Rexon.

CARRINGTON REXON Owner of the Rexon estate.

RICHARD REXON His son.

JOAN REXON His invalid daughter.

CARLOTTA NAESMITH Prominent society girl.

DOCTOR LOOMIS QUAYNE The Rexon family physician.

JACQUES BASSETT A friend of Richard Rexon.

ERIC GUNTHAR Father of Ella Gunthar. Overseer on the Rexon estate.

MARCIA BRUCE The Rexon housekeeper.

OLD JED The Green Hermit. Former overseer on the Rexon estate.

LIEUTENANT O'LEARY Lieutenant of the Winewood police.

LIEF WALLEN A guard on the Rexon estate.

GUY DARRUP Chief carpenter on the Rexon estate.

JOHN BRANDER Coroner.

HIGGINS The Rexon butler.


_Guests at the Rexon estate._

DAHLIA DUNHAM Political aspirant.

SALLY ALEXANDER Singer and impersonator.

BEATRICK MADDOX Famous aviatrix.

STANLEY SYDES Treasure hunter.

PAT McORSAY Racing driver.

CHUCK THROME Gentleman jockey.


THE WINTER MURDER CASE



CHAPTER I

AN APPEAL FOR HELP

(_Tuesday, January 14; 11 a.m._)

"How would you like a brief vacation in ideal surroundings--winter
sports, pleasing company, and a veritable mansion in which to relax?
I have just such an invitation for you, Vance."

Philo Vance drew on his cigarette and smiled. We had just arrived at
District Attorney Markham's office in answer to a facetious yet
urgent call. Vance looked at him and sighed.

"I suspect you. Speak freely, my dear Rhadamanthus."

"Old Carrington Rexon's worried."

"Ah!" Vance drawled. "No spontaneous goodness of heart in life. Sad.
So, I'm asked to enjoy myself in the Berkshires only because
Carrington Rexon's worried. A detective on the premises would soothe
his harassed spirits. I'm invited. Not flatterin'. No."

"Don't be cynical, Vance."

"But why should Carrington Rexon's worries concern me? _I'm_ not in
the least worried."

"You will be," said Markham with feigned viciousness. "Don't deny
you dote on the sufferings of others, you sadist. You live for crime
and suffering. And you adore worrying. You'd die of ennui if all
were peaceful."

"Tut, tut," returned Vance. "Not sadistic. No. Always strivin' for
peace and calm. My charitable, unselfish nature."

"As I thought! Old Rexon's worry _does_ appeal to you. I detect the
glint in your eye."

"Charming place, the Rexon estate," Vance observed thoughtfully.
"But why, Markham, with his millions, his leisure, his two adored
and adoring offspring, his gorgeous estate, his fame, and his vigor--
why should he be worrying? Quite unreasonable."

"Still, he wants you up there instanter."

"As you said." Vance settled deeper into his chair. "His emeralds, I
opine, are to blame for his qualms."

Markham looked across at the other shrewdly. "Don't be clairvoyant.
I detest soothsayers. Especially when their guesses are so obvious.
Of course, it's his damned emeralds."

"Tell me all. Leave no precious stone unturned. Could you bear it?"

Markham lighted a cigar. When he had it going he said:

"No need to tell you of Rexon's famous emerald collection. You
probably know how it's safeguarded."

"Yes," said Vance. "I inspected it some years ago. Inadequately
protected, I thought."

"The same today. Thank Heaven the place isn't in my jurisdiction:
I'd be worrying about it constantly. I once tried to persuade Rexon
to transfer the collection to some museum."

"Not nice of you, Markham. Rexon loves his gewgaws fanatically. He'd
wither away if bereft of his emeralds...Oh, why are collectors?"

"I'm sure I don't know. I didn't make the world."

"Regrettable," sighed Vance. "What is toward?"

"An unpredictable situation at the Rexon estate. The old boy's
apprehensive. Hence his desire for your presence."

"More light, please."

"Rexon Manor," continued Markham, "is at present filled with guests
as a result of young Richard Rexon's furlough: the chap has just
returned from Europe where he has been studying medicine intensively
in the last-word European colleges and hospitals. The old man's
giving a kind of celebration in the boy's honor--"

"I know. And hoping for an announcement of Richard's betrothal to
the blue-blooded Carlotta Naesmith. Still, why his anxiety?"

"Rexon being a widower, with an invalid daughter, asked Miss
Naesmith to arrange a house party and celebration. She did--with a
vengeance. Mostly café society: weird birds, quite objectionable to
old Rexon's staid tastes. He doesn't understand this new set; is
inclined to distrust them. He doesn't suspect them, exactly, but
their proximity to his precious emeralds gives him the jitters."

"Old-fashioned chap. The new generation is full of incredible
possibilities. Not a lovable and comfortable lot. Does Rexon point
specifically?"

"Only at a fellow named Bassett. And, strangely enough, he's not of
Miss Naesmith's doing. Acquaintance of Richard's, in fact.
Friendship started abroad--in Switzerland, I believe. Came over on
the boat with him this last trip. But the old gentleman admits he
has no grounds for his uneasiness. He's just nervous, in a vague
way, about the whole situation. Wants perspicacious companionship.
So he phoned me and asked for help, indicating you."

"Yes. Collectors are like that. Where can he turn in his hour of
uncertainty? Ah, his old friend Markham! Equipped with all the
proper gadgets for just such delicate observation. Gadget Number
One: Mr. Philo Vance. Looks presentable in a dinner coat. Won't
drink from his finger-bowl. Could mingle and observe, without
rousing suspicion. Discretion guaranteed. Excellent way of detecting
a lurking shadow--if any." Vance smiled resignedly. "Is that the
gist of the worried Rexon's runes by long-distance phone?"

"Substantially, yes," admitted Markham. "But expressed more
charitably. You know damned well that old Rexon likes you, and that
if he thought you'd care for the house party, you'd have been more
than welcome."

"You shame me, Markham," Vance returned with contrition. "I'm fond
of Rexon, just as you are. A lovable man...So, he craves my
comfortin' presence. Very well, I shall strive to smooth his
furrowed brow."



CHAPTER II

GLAMOR IN THE MOONLIGHT

(_Wednesday, January 15; 9 p.m._)

Markham notified Carrington Rexon, and we left New York the
following afternoon in Vance's Hispano-Suiza.

It was a cold, clear day, and fresh snow had fallen during the
night. The drive to Winewood in the Berkshires would ordinarily have
taken about five hours, but the roads north of the city were deep in
snow, and we were late in arriving at the Rexon estate. Darkness had
settled early, but the night was white with stars, and the moon was
luminous.

It was nearly nine o'clock when we turned in through a wide stone
gateway that marked the outer limits of the vast estate. There was
no one to direct us, and when we had reached the crest of a high
rocky hill, Vance was confused as to which turning to take. There
were half-hidden tracks in one of the forks of the narrow road, and
we turned to the right to follow them.

A mile or so farther on, the road sloped gently downward into a
narrow snowclad valley at the far end of which precipitous cliffs
rose to a tree-crested plateau. Vance let the car coast noiselessly
into the still white fairyland.

As we reached the base of the long incline the sound of faint music
came to us through the trees on our left. There was no habitation
visible, and the music intensified the fantasy of the setting which
spread before us.

Applying the brakes, Vance stopped the car and, stepping out, moved
towards the source of the lilting notes.

We had gone scarcely a hundred yards when, through the trees which
hid us from view, we spied a small frozen pond on which a girl was
skating. The music came from a small portable phonograph placed on a
rustic bench at the edge of the pond.

The girl, in a simple white skating costume, seemed unreal in the
light of the moon and stars. She was going through one difficult
skating figure after another with serious repetition, as if trying
to perfect their intricacies. Vance suddenly became attentive.

"My word!" he whispered. "Magnificent skating!"

He stood fascinated by the girl's proficiency as she executed
various school figures and complicated free routines.

The phonograph ran down and, as the girl completed an involved jump
and spiral spin, Vance approached her with a cheerful greeting. At
first she was startled; then she smiled shyly.

"You must be new guests at the Manor," she remarked in a timid
voice. "I'm so sorry you caught me skating. It's sort of a secret,
you see...Maybe you won't tell anyone," she added with a note of
appeal in her voice.

"Of course, we shan't." Vance studied the girl critically. "I
believe I remember you--I was at the Manor some years ago. Weren't
you the friend and companion of Miss Joan?"

She nodded. "I was. And I still am. I'm Ella Gunthar. But I don't
remember you. It must have been when I was a little girl."

"My name is Philo Vance," Vance told her. "I was just driving to the
Manor, and lost my way. When I heard your music I came over in the
hope of finding my bearings."

"You're not seriously lost," she said. "This is the Green Glen and
if you go back up the hill and take the narrow road to the right for
about a mile, you'll see the Manor just ahead."

Vance thanked her, but lingered a moment. "Tell me, Miss Gunthar: if
you are Joan's companion at the Manor, why do you skate on this
little pond so far away from the main house?"

The girl's lovely face seemed to cloud for a moment.

"I--I don't want to hurt Joan's feelings," she answered cryptically.
"I always come to the Green Glen at night when my duties are over at
the Manor, to do my skating."

"But the phonograph," said Vance; "isn't it frightfully heavy to
carry all this way?"

"Oh, I don't keep it at the Manor." She laughed. "I keep it in Jed's
hut, just around the curve in the road, by that big cypress tree.
And I keep my skates and skating clothes there, too. It's all a
secret between Jed and me."

Vance smiled at her reassuringly.

"Well, I promise the secret will go no farther. But it's really a
magnificent secret. Yon know, don't you, that you skate beautifully?
You're one of the most talented performers I have ever seen."

The girl blushed with pleasure.

"I love skating," she replied simply.

A few minutes later we had turned into the driveway to the
brilliantly lighted Rexon Manor.

As a bald elderly butler led us through the lower hall we could hear
the boisterous hilarity of many guests in the drawing room--snatches
of popular music, laughter, raised voices: a gay and youthful
clamor.

Carrington Rexon, alone in his den, greeted us with old-world
dignity. It was the first time I had met him, but I was not
unfamiliar with his features, as pictures of him had frequently
appeared in the Metropolitan press. He was a tall, slender,
impressive man in his sixties; aloof and stern, and with an
imperious air of feudalism. He vaguely suggested Sargent's famous
portrait of Lord Ribblesdale.

"Ah, Vance! It was generous of you to come. Perhaps you think I am
unduly apprehensive..."

The door opened and a dark, serious young man of athletic build
stood on the threshold.

Rexon turned without surprise.

"My son Richard," he informed us with undisguised pride. Then: "But
why are you deserting our guests?"

"I'm a bit fed up." Then the young man shrugged his shoulders
apologetically and smiled. "I guess I'm not used to it. It's such a
change--"

A girl of about twenty-five appeared in the doorway and looked
about.

The elder Rexon somewhat relaxed his stern manner and presented us.
Her likeness, too, I had seen many times in the New York papers.
Carlotta Naesmith had been a vivid and gifted debutante a few years
before. She was a colorful auburn-haired young woman, animated and
vital, with sagacious eyes and an air of self-assurance. She nodded
to us casually, and turned to young Rexon.

"Completely overcome, Dick? Has the gaiety got you down? Come, don't
desert the ship just when the sea's getting stormy."

"I think Carlotta is quite right, Richard," Carrington Rexon
commented. "You came home for relaxation. Forget your scalpels and
microbes for a while. Go on back with Carlotta, and take Mr. Vance
with you. He'll want to meet your friends."



CHAPTER III

THE BOURBON GLASS

(_Wednesday, January 15; 10:30 p.m._)

An unusually gay and colorful sight confronted us in the great
drawing room. Groups of young people stood about joking and
laughing; others danced. A spirit of carefree revelry animated the
scene.

Carlotta Naesmith was a capable hostess. She led us through the
boisterous throng, introducing us haphazardly.

"This is Dahlia Dunham," she said, snaring a wiry and tense young
woman of perhaps thirty. "Dahlia's a political spellbinder, full of
incredible phrases, and death to hecklers. She'll stump for any
cause from Socialism to Fletcherism--"

"But not for prohibition, dear," the other retorted in a raucous
unsteady voice, as she withdrew her arm from Miss Naesmith's and
hurried toward the miniature bar.

Another girl came up, complaining.

"A hell of a place! No landing field! When you snare the Rexon
millions, Carlotta, see to it that Dick builds one."

She was blonde and frail, with liquid eyes that dominated her
pointed face. I recognized the much publicized Beatrice Maddox
before Carlotta Naesmith presented us. She had recently won fame as
an airplane pilot, and only a governmental veto had stayed her
proposed solo flight across the Atlantic.

"What's up, Bee?" came a rumbling voice behind me, and a young Irish
giant threw his arms about Miss Maddox. "You look glum. Out of gas?
So am I." He whisked her away to the bar.

"That was Pat McOrsay," Miss Naesmith told us. "He drives 'em fast.
Won last year's auto grind at Cincinnati. He's sweet on Bee, but she
holds mere auto racers in contempt. Maybe they'll compromise. I did
want you to meet Pat--he's such a. beast...But wait. There's
another speed demon of a kind over there...Hi there, Chuck," she
called across the room. "Stop trying to tout Sally and come over
here a moment--if you can make it."

Chuck Throme, the internationally famous gentleman jockey who had
won the last Steeplechase at Aintree, staggered stiffly up. His eyes
wouldn't focus, but his manner was impeccable.

"Sit down, darling, and meet Mr. Vance," Miss Naesmith exhorted.
"Don't try it standing up. Your stirrups'll bend."

Throme drew himself up indignantly to his five-feet-five and bowed
with a Chestertonian flourish. But the supreme gesture was not
completed. He continued his obeisance to the rug and lay there.

"That's one race Chuck didn't win," laughed our _cicerone_. "Let's move
on. Some assistant starter will put him back in the saddle ...Isn't it
positively disgusting, Mr. Vance? Liquor is a frightful curse. Saps the
brain, undermines the morals, and all that...Which reminds me: let's
take an intermission in our round of social duties and have a drink."

She led us to the bar.

"I'm very demure--for Richard's sake. I drink only Dubonnet in
public. But don't let my girlish restraint affect your batting
average. Everything's available, including trinitrotoluene."

Vance drank brandy. As we stood chatting a tall, rugged, sunburnt
man came up and put his arms possessively about Miss Naesmith.

"I'm still yearning to know your answer, Carlotta," he blustered
good-naturedly. "For the next-to-the-last time: Are you, or are you
not, coming with me to Cocos Island when Dick returns to his
bone-sawing?"

"Ha!" Carlotta Naesmith swung about and pushed him away playfully.
"Still crooning your Once-Aboard-the-Lugger ditty. You're inelegant,
Stan. And right under Dick's nose."

Richard Rexon showed no annoyance. He came forward and, putting one
hand on the other man's arm, introduced him to us. It was Stanley
Sydes, a young society man with too much money, who spent his time
on expeditions in quest of buried treasure.

Vance knew of his exploits, and a brief discussion took place.

"A playboy bulging with good money who spends it hunting dirty
doubloons!" Carlotta Naesmith laughed. "There's a paradox--or is the
whole world crazy except me?"

"Not a paradox, Miss Naesmith," Vance put in pleasantly. "I
understand Mr. Sydes' urge perfectly. It's really not the treasure,
y' know. It's the quest."

"Right!" boomed Sydes. "The joy of outwitting others, of solving
riddles; and the acquisition of the unique...Hell, I'm talking
like a collector.--Forgive me, Richard. No offense to your eminent
sire." A noisy group opposite attracted his attention, and he joined
them.

His place at the bar was taken almost immediately by the girl who
had been bantering with Throme.

"My God, Sally!" Miss Naesmith greeted her. "Really alone? Hasn't
your gentleman jockey regained his mount? ...Gentlemen,"--she turned
to us--"we have here none other than Sally Alexander, the
inimitable--pride of the Purple Room, off-color raconteuse and
pianist extraordinary. A one-woman slum. She carried the Blue Book
to the masses--and made 'em like it. A feat, egad!"

"I'm being maligned, gents," Sally Alexander protested. "I'm
elegant, no end."

"I quite agree," Vance defended her. "I've heard Miss Alexander
sing, and never once have I blushed."

"That must have been when she sang in the village choir, in her
sub-deb days."

"Just for that," retorted Miss Alexander, "I'm going to take Dick
away from you." And, slipping her arm through Richard Rexon's, she
led him to the dance floor.

Miss Naesmith shrugged. She looked at Vance.

"Had enough of this, Sir Galahad? There are other exhibits in the
zoo. Nothing really special, however. Am I not an honest guide?"

"Honest and charming." Vance set down his glass. "But isn't there a
Mr. Bassett?"

"Oh, Jacques ..." She looked round the room. "He's Richard's friend,
you know. A more or less imported specimen, I believe. Anyway, he
came over on the boat with Dick and is always comparing our ski runs
with those of Switzerland--to the detriment of ours, of course.
Maybe he does yodel and live on goat's milk. I wouldn't know. Though
I do know he speaks American with a prairie accent--if my ears don't
lie."

She caught sight of Bassett.

"There's your man, in the far corner, drinking lustily by himself.
Come along. You can have him gladly. Then go and rescue Dick.
Sally'll be at the risqué-story stage by now."

Jacques Bassett sat at a small table, drinking Bourbon. He was tall,
dark, aggressively athletic. His heavy eyebrows met over a broad
flat nose.

He talked about Europe. Vance showed interest. Swiss winter resorts
came up. Vance asked questions. Bassett expatiated. He was eloquent
about the toboggan runs and the ski trails at Oberlachen in the
Tyrol. Vance mentioned Amsterdam. But the subject had no interest
for Bassett. He wandered away.

Vance turned his back. Then he threw his handkerchief over the glass
from which Bassett had been drinking. Slipping it into his pocket,
he left the room abruptly.

A little later I found Vance with Carrington Rexon in the den.
Another man was seated with them before the log fire. He was in his
late forties, with steel-grey hair, and a soft voice which seemed to
cover a tension: obviously a man of the world, with a highly
professional manner which was rigid, but not without ingratiation. I
was not surprised to find that he was Doctor Loomis Quayne, the
Rexon physician.

"Doctor Quayne," Rexon explained, "dropped by to see my daughter
Joan. But the excitement of so many guests has wearied her and she
retired long ago." His voice was wistful.

(Vance had told me during our drive to Winewood something of Joan
Rexon's tragedy: how she had fallen and injured her spine while
skating, when she was only ten years old.)

"Joan's fatigue need not worry you, my dear Rexon," the doctor
assured him. "It's natural in the circumstances. This little
excitement may do her good, in fact--stimulate her interest, lead
her mind along new lines. Psychological therapy is our chief
recourse just now...I'll drop in again tomorrow. I hope I'll see
Richard then, too. I've hardly talked with him since he came. But
I'm glad to find him looking as well as when I saw him on my trip
abroad two years ago."

"Dick's in the drawing room now," Rexon suggested with a twinkle.

The doctor smiled. "No, not this evening. I must be going soon. I
left the motor of my car running so I won't have to bother priming
it. These cold days the starter doesn't work so well...And I think
I prefer the quiet of your den, if I may sit and finish my
highball."

"Can't say that I blame you, doctor...This new generation ..."
Rexon shook his head disapprovingly.

As we talked on, largely in generalities, but with an occasional
allusion to Richard Rexon's future in medicine, it became evident
that there was something deeper than the mere professional
relationship between Rexon and Quayne; a touch of intimacy, perhaps,
due to long and tragic association.

At length the doctor rose and bade us good night. Vance and I left
Carrington Rexon shortly after.

"A strange and dizzy household." Vance sprawled in an easy chair in
his room. "No wonder old Rexon's jittery. Probably feels lost in the
midst of the unknown. Obviously determined on Carlotta as a
daughter-in-law, though; he's just the type to crave a dynastic
marriage for his son. And the girl's not deficient in gifts. Nice;
but too vivid for my aging tastes. And Richard. An admirable chap.
Too serious for this outfit. Strange, too, his attitude toward
Carlotta. Not all it should be. Seemed quite indifferent to the
treasure hunter's poaching. That rather irked the lady. I
wonder...Interesting creature, Sydes. Has a mental quirk. He put his
finger on it, too. A collector! Just that...But Bassett. Not a
nice person. Worries old Rexon. Carlotta feels it, too. Something
familiar about those cold eyes. Queer. And why should he pretend
about Oberlachen? No ski runs or toboggan slides there. Only a lake
and a castle and a few peasants. Probably never been there. He met
Richard at Saint Moritz. He would. And when I mentioned Amsterdam,
Jacques wasn't having any. Well, well...No, Van. As I said. A
dizzy lot. Social life at its gaudiest. Too much mental makeup."

He brought out his _Régie_ cigarettes, lighted one, and stretched
his legs.

"And all through the evening I kept thinking of little Ella Gunther.
Natural and fresh. Lovely. However..."



CHAPTER IV

THE FIRST MURDER

(_Thursday, January 16; 8 a.m._)

The next morning at eight there was excited knocking at our door.

"Mr. Vance! Mr. Vance!" I recognized the old butler's voice. "Mr.
Rexon says will you please come to the den at once, sir."

Vance jumped up. "What's wrong, Higgins?"

"I--I don't know."

"Right!"

He dressed speedily, and we went into the hall. A woman, in the
black livery of a housekeeper, was bent over the railing of the
stairs. She heard us and backed against the wall, eyes staring, body
rigid. Vance halted, looked at her sharply. She was tall, well
built, about forty. She had green eyes, black hair, a cryptic face.
A superior woman, but over-taut.

"Could you hear?" Vance's tone was cold.

"There's tragedy!" she said, in a tense, contralto voice.

"Common commodity of life. Relax."

We hurried downstairs.

"The Manor's strangest creature so far," Vance remarked to me.
"Inhibited. Menacing. Knows too much. Volcanic. But only
smouldering. _She's_ tragedy. God help her..."

Carrington Rexon was in a house gown. With him in the den was a huge
middle-aged man in a lumberjacket, corduroy trousers, and laced
leather boots. He was pale and nervous. There was sweat on his hands
as he steadied himself against the mantel.

"Eric Gunthar here, my overseer," Rexon told us, "just found the
body of Lief Wallen in Tor Gulch near here. He's evidently fallen
from the ledge on top. Gunthar came in to report to me and get
aid. Would you go with him, Vance? I've already phoned for the
doctor...Wallen was the guard of the Manor's west wing, where the
Gem Room is."

"An indication perhaps. Quite. I understand. Gladly."

"Lief must have slipped," Gunthar put in thickly,

"Be sure you have someone replace him tonight," ordered Rexon.
"Better take a couple of men to bring him up," he added.

"Darrup's down at the lower rink. I'll find another." Gunthar's hand
brushed his forehead, "Wallen was a bad sight, Squire...Can I have
another drink--?"

"You've had too much already," snapped Vance. "Move!"

Gunthar led the way sullenly. As we crossed the main road just
before the house, a strange shabby figure appeared. A straggly white
beard accentuated his stooped shoulders. He shuffled as he walked,
but there was wiry energy in his movements. He turned quickly toward
a clump of trees, as if to avoid us. Gunthar hailed him
peremptorily.

"Come here, Jed. We need you." The old man shuffled up obediently.
"Lief's gone over the crags at Tor Gulch. We'll be bringing him up."

The old man grinned childishly. For some reason the tragedy seemed
to amuse him. "Maybe you're drinking too much, Eric. Ella said you
struck her last week. You shouldn't do that. The Gulch'll hold
more'n one."

We picked up Guy Darrup, the estate carpenter. Gunthar explained.
Darrup's eyes clouded. There was unfriendliness in them. As we
headed westward down the path he said: "I guess that'll make your
job safe for a while now, Mr. Gunthar."

Gunthar snarled. "Get on. Mind your own business. Maybe _you'd_ like
to be overseer?"

"I'd do everyone fair." There was bitterness in the remark.

We took a circuitous route to the base of the rocky crags, passed
through a cluster of trees over which the mist hung. We went north
across a frozen stream, then turned in the general direction from
which we came.

"You're Miss Ella's father, aren't you, Gunthar?" Vance spoke for
the first time.

Gunthar gave an affirmative grunt.

"Who's _he_?" With a move of the head Vance indicated the old man
shuffling briskly far ahead.

A sudden decision prompted ingratiation on Gunthar's part. "Old Jed.
He was overseer here before me. Pensioned off now. He's cracked.
Lives alone down in the Green Glen--named it himself. Doesn't
mingle. We call him the Green Hermit...Nasty business about Lief,
with the house full of guests--"

"That remark of Darrup's. Is there talk of a new overseer?"

"Hell! They're always talking. I make 'em work. They don't like it."

Old Jed turned abruptly to the right past an eruption of shrubs.

"Hey," bawled Gunthar, "How do _you_ know where to go?"

"I reckon I know where Lief is," Jed cackled. He disappeared behind
a projecting rock.

"He's cracked," Gunthar repeated.

"Thanks for the information." As Vance spoke a shout came from Old
Jed.

"Here's Lief, Eric."

We came up. A crumpled body, hideously twisted, lay at the foot of a
stone cliff. The face was torn and clotted, and the bare head was
violently misshapen. There was a dark pool of coagulated blood.

Vance leaned over the figure, examined it closely; then he stood up.
"No doctor can help. We'll leave him here. Darrup'll watch. I'll
phone Winewood." He looked up at the cliffside and then through the
trees at the Manor towers beyond.

Gunthar waved Old Jed away.

"You really oughtn't strike Ella, Eric," the old man admonished with
a faint grin as he moved off round the cliffs to the flat meadow.

"Can we get to the top of the cliff on our way back to the Manor?"
asked Vance.

Gunthar hesitated. "There's a steep short cut back a ways. But it's
a dangerous climb--"

"We'll take it. Get going."

When we had struggled up the slippery, treacherous incline, Gunthar
indicated the approximate spot where Lief Wallen must have gone
over. There were shrub oaks near the edge of the cliff and Vance
moved among them, gazing down at the thin layer of crusted snow.
Suddenly he knelt beside a sturdy tree bole. "Blood, Gunthar." He
pointed to an irregular dark patch a few inches from the tree trunk.

Gunthar sucked in his breath. "Holy God--up here!"

"Oh, quite." Vance rose. "No. No accident. Too bad the wind last
night obliterated the tale of footprints. However...We'll be
going. Work to do."

Gunthar halted abruptly. "Old Jed knew just where the body was!"

"Thanks awfully." Vance hastened down the long slope toward the
Manor.



CHAPTER V

THE CURSE OF THE EMERALDS

(_Thursday, January 16; 9:30 a.m._)

Carrington Rexon was drinking his coffee in the den when we
returned.

"Up to the police," Vance announced. Then he explained..."I'll
phone Winewood." He went to the telephone and conversed briefly.

Rexon rang. Higgins entered.

"Oh! Ah!" Vance sat down. "Many thanks. Just coffee, Higgins." He
lighted a cigarette with unusual deliberation and stretched his legs
before him.

Rexon was silent, coldly calm. He studied Vance over his coffee cup.

"Sorry you should be bothered," he murmured. "I was hoping my
anxiety was unwarranted."

"One never knows, does one, old friend? We do our best."

Lieutenant O'Leary, of the Winewood police, a tall, shrewd and
capable man, far superior to the ordinary country constable, arrived
simultaneously with Doctor Quayne.

"Sorry, doctor. No need for you." Vance gave the details. "Fellow's
been dead for hours, I'd say. It's the Lieutenant's problem."

"Doctor Quayne is our official physician," said O'Leary.

"Ah!" Vance threw his cigarette in the grate. "That facilitates
matters. We'll go down at once. Darrup's watching the body. I
ordered it left where Gunthar found it. Forgive my intrusion,
Lieutenant. Sole interest Mr. Rexon."

"Quite correct, sir," O'Leary returned. "We'll see how the land
lies."

"It lies exceeding black despite the snow."

Ten minutes later Doctor Quayne was examining Lief Wallen's body.

"A long fall," he commented. "Battered badly by the impact. Been
dead all of eight hours. Poor Wallen. An honest, conscientious
chap."

"That linear depression and laceration above the right ear," Vance
suggested.

Quayne leaned over the body again for several moments. "I see what
you mean." He looked up at Vance significantly. "I'll know more
after the autopsy." He rose, frowning. "That's all now, Lieutenant.
I'll be getting along--I've several calls to make."

"Thank you, doctor." O'Leary spoke courteously. "I'll attend to the
routine."

Quayne bowed and departed.

O'Leary looked at Vance shrewdly. "What about that depression and
laceration, sir?"

"Come with me a moment, Lieutenant." And Vance led the way to the
cliff above. He pointed to the dark stain by the shrub-oak bole.

O'Leary inspected it and nodded slowly. Then he gave Vance a steady
look. "What's your theory, sir?"

"Must I? But it's only a vague idea, Lieutenant. Highly illusory.
That bash on Wallen's head might be from an instrument. Doesn't fit
with a tumble. The poor johnnie could have been hit elsewhere and
shoved over the cliff to cover up. There are faint indications in
the snow hereabouts, despite last night's wind. Remote speculation
at best. But there could have been three people here last night.
Marks not clear. No. Proof lackin'...My theory? Wallen was struck
near the Manor. Struck over the ear with an instrument shaped--let
us say--like the blunt end of a spanner. His skull was fractured.
Then he was dragged here. Two faint lines up the slope. Heels,
perhaps. The body was dropped to the ground here so the other could
hold to this tree while shoving Wallen over the cliff. Hemorrhage
from the nose and ears intervened. Hence the blood here."

"I don't like it, sir." O'Leary frowned glumly.

"Neither do I. You asked for it."

O'Leary looked down at the telltale stain, then back at Vance.
"You'll help us, sir? I'd be flattered. No need pretending I don't
know of you."

"Disregardin' the compliment, I'd he happy to." Vance took out a
cigarette. "My sole interest Mr. Rexon. As I said."

"I understand. My thanks. I'll get the machinery going." O'Leary
strode off briskly.

When we returned to the Manor the sun was streaming into the
spacious glass-enclosed veranda which stretched across the entire
east side of the house. At the foot of a short terrace leading from
the veranda was a large artificially controlled skating rink, lined
on three sides with slender trees and landscaped gardens.
Immediately below, to the south, was a pleasant pavilion.

Joan Rexon reclined on the veranda in a tufted wheel-chair built
like a _chaise longue_; and beside her in a small wicker porch chair
sat Ella Gunthar. Vance joined them with a smile of greeting. Joan
Rexon was frail and wistful, but she gave little impression of
invalidism. Only the blue veins in her slender hands indicated the
long illness which had sapped her strength since childhood.

"Isn't it terrible, Mr. Vance!" Ella Gunthar said in a quavering
voice. He looked at her a moment questioningly. "My father has just
told us about poor Lief Wallen. You know, don't you?"

Vance nodded. "Yes. But we mustn't let that cast a shadow over us
here." He smiled to Joan.

"It's very difficult to avoid it," Miss Rexon said. "Lief was so
kind and thoughtful..."

"The more reason not to think of such things," Vance declared.

Ella Gunthar nodded seriously. "The sunshine and the snow--there
_are_ happy things in the world to think about." She placed her hand
tenderly over Joan's. But the thought of the tragedy remained with
her as well. "Poor Lief must have fallen on his way home this
morning."

Vance looked at her meditatively. "No. Not this morning," he said.
"It was last night--around midnight."

Ella gripped her chair, and a frightened look came into her eyes.
"Midnight," she breathed. "How terrible!"

"Why do you say that, Miss Ella?" The girl's manner puzzled Vance.

"I--I--At midnight ..." Her voice trailed off.

Vance quickly turned the conversation, but failed to alter the
girl's strange mood. At length he excused himself and went into the
house. He had barely reached the foot of the main stairs when a hand
was placed on his arm. Ella Gunthar had followed him.

"Are you sure it was--midnight?" Her whisper was tense and pleading.

"Somewhere thereabouts." Vance spoke lightly. "But why are you so
upset, my dear?"

Her lips trembled. "I saw Lieutenant O'Leary come in with you and go
toward Mr. Rexon's den. Tell me, Mr. Vance, why is he here? Is
anything--wrong? Will we all have to go to Winewood--to answer
questions maybe?"

Vance laughed reassuringly. "Please don't trouble your lovely little
head. There'll be an inquest, of course--it's the law, y' know. Just
formality. But they'll certainly not ask you to go."

Her eyes opened very wide. "An inquest?" she repeated softly. "But I
want to go. I want to hear--everything."

Vance was nonplused. "Aren't you being foolish, child? Run back and
read to Joan and forget all about--"

"But you don't understand." She caught her breath sharply. "I've
_got_ to go to the inquest. Maybe--" She turned suddenly and hurried
back to the veranda.

"My word!" murmured Vance. "What can possibly be in that child's
mind?"

On the upper landing, as we turned toward our rooms, the housekeeper
stepped out unexpectedly from a small corridor. She drew herself up
mysteriously.

"He's dead, isn't he?" Her tone was sepulchral. "And perhaps it
wasn't an accident."

"How could one know?" Vance was evasive.

"Normal things don't happen here," she ran on tensely. "Those
emeralds have put a curse on this house--"

"You've been reading the wrong novels."

She ignored the implication. "Those green stones--they create an
atmosphere. They attract. They send forth temptation. They radiate
fire."

Vance smiled. "What do you find abnormal here?"

"Everything. Darling Joan is an invalid. Old Jed's a fanatical
mystic. Miss Naesmith brings strange people here. There's intrigue
and deep jealousies everywhere. Mr. Rexon wants to choose his son's
wife." She smiled inscrutably. "He doesn't know he's building on
sand. It all started years ago."

"You hear much, what?" Vance spoke satirically.

"And I see much. The Rexon dynasty is falling. Young Mr. Richard
pretends much; but the first night he got back from Europe a girl
was waiting for him in the rear hall back of the stairs. He took her
in his arms without a word and he held her close and long." She came
nearer and lowered her voice. "It was Ella Gunthar!"

"Really, now." Vance laughed indifferently. "Young love. Any
objection?"

The woman turned angrily and went down the hail.



CHAPTER VI

A WOMAN'S BARB

(_Thursday, January 16; 4:30 p.m._)

Vance deserted the Manor an hour later, just as the noonday siren
shrilled overhead, the surrounding hills catching the note and
throwing the echo back and forth much longer than the original blast
warranted. Carrington Rexon had long taken a boyish delight in
retaining this outmoded signal for his workmen. He admitted it
served no purpose, but it amused him to continue to use it.

The early winter dusk had begun to fall when Vance returned.

"Been snoopin' and talkin' round the estate," he told Carrington
Rexon, settling himself comfortably before the fire. "Much needed
activity. Hope you don't mind."

Rexon's laugh was mirthless. "I only hope your time wasn't wasted."

"No. Not wasted. I'll be frank. You want it, I know."

Rexon nodded stiffly.

"Things not happy," summarized Vance. "Meanness at work. And
jealousies. Nothing overt. Just undercurrents. They could erupt,
however. Gunthar's hard on the men. That doesn't help...Hear
you've been planning to replace him as overseer. Wallen mentioned.
Any truth in that?"

"Frankly, yes. But I was in no hurry."

"Lief Wallen wanted to marry Ella. Both father and daughter
protested. Friction--scenes. Not nice. Much bitterness. Source of
general resentment of estate workers toward Miss Ella. Think she
considers herself superior to the rest of them because she's Miss
Joan's companion. Only Old Jed defends her. They answer he has
delusions and a soft spot for the color green. Implication bein' the
presence of the emeralds has affected him. Everyone adding fuel to a
smoulderin' fire and waiting for a flareup."

Rexon chuckled. "And perhaps you think, Vance, that I, too, am
affected with the rest."

Vance made a deprecating motion. "By the by, yours is the only key
to the Gem Room, what?"

"Good Heavens, yes! Special key and special lock. And a steel door."

"Been in the room today?"

"Oh, yes. Everything's quite in order."

Vance changed the subject. "Tell me about your housekeeper."

"Marcia Bruce? Solid as rock."

"Yes. I believe you. Honest, but hysterical."

Rexon chuckled again. "You've noticed much...But she adores
Joan--cares for her like a mother when Ella Gunthar is off duty.
Basically, Bruce is a fine woman. Quayne agrees. There's a
fellow-feeling between those two. She was superintendent of nurses in a
hospital once. Quayne's a worthy man, too. I'm glad to see that
friendship developing."

"Ah!" Vance smiled. "I perceive Squire Rexon is sentimental."

"The human heart desires happiness for others as well as for
oneself." Rexon was serious now. "What else did you learn, Vance?
Anything pertaining to Lief Wallen's death?"

Vance shook his head. "Solution may come through irrelevancies.
Later. I've only begun." Then he went out to the drawing room.

Bassett sat at the table near the veranda door where we first met
him. He had just reached up and caught Ella Gunthar's arm as she
passed. He was smirking up at her unpleasantly. She drew away from
him. Bassett let her go. "Haughty, aren't we?" His eyes followed her
with a sardonic leer as she returned to Miss Joan.

Vance strolled up. "Not skiing today, Mr. Bassett? Thought the whole
jolly crowd was up on the Winewood trails."

"I slept too late and missed the party...Pretty blond thing, that
Ella Gunthar." His eyes drifted back to the veranda. "Unusually
attractive for a servant."

Vance's eyes narrowed, hard as steel, and drew Bassett's gaze.
"We're all servants. Some to our fellow men. Some to our vices.
Think that over." He went out to the veranda.

Lieutenant O'Leary was just coming up the steps at the side
entrance.

"Doctor Quayne's doing the autopsy now," he announced. "Inquest
tomorrow at noon. You'll have to attend, I'm afraid, sir. I'll pick
you up."

"Any complications ahead?" asked Vance.

"No. I've soft-pedaled everything. John Brander, our coroner, is a
good man. He likes Rexon. And I've explained the situation. He won't
ask embarrassing questions."

"Accident verdict, maybe?"

"I hope so, sir. Brander understands. It'll give us time."

"A pleasure to work with you, Lieutenant."

O'Leary went inside to see Rexon, and Vance strode to where Joan and
Ella Gunthar were sitting.

A noisy group of guests, returning from their skiing expedition,
came clattering up the terrace, passed us with cheery greetings, and
continued upstairs. Carlotta Naesmith and Stanley Sydes remained on
the veranda and joined us. Ella Gunthar was looking about anxiously.
"It's really no use, Ella," Miss Naesmith told her satirically.
"Dick's gone daffy over Sally Alexander."

"I don't believe it!"

Miss Naesmith's mouth twisted in a cruel smile. "Does it hurt,
Ella?"

"Carlotta! Cat!" There was no mirth in Sydes' reprimand.

"How do you feel today, Joan?" Miss Naesmith's mood changed as the
girl smiled up sweetly. "And you, too, Mr. Vance. Why didn't you
join the skiing party? It was glorious. At least ten inches of
powder over a deep base."

"Isn't there enough snow already in these locks of mine?"

"And most becoming, Sir Galahad!" She turned and stroked Sydes'
temple. "Wonder if Stan'll be handsome when he gets grey."

"I promise you, Goddess," declared Sydes, "I'll be unutterably
fascinating." He leaned over her. "And now, for the last time:--"

"I always get seasick. I'll seek my treasure nearer home."

"Maybe I will too, if you spurn my invitation." Sydes' tone was
fretful and aggressive.

"What do you think this wild man wants, Joan?" Miss Naesmith
explained banteringly. "He insists I sail with him to Cocos Island
and go diving for the treasure of the _Mary Dear_ in Wafer Bay."

"Oh, that would be wonderful!" There pathetic longing in Joan
Rexon's voice.

"You dear, sweet child." The older girl's tone softened. Then she
went upstairs, and Sydes followed.

A while later Marcia Bruce came out. "You may run along home, Ella.
I'll take our darling in charge."

Vance rose.

"And I'll see Miss Ella home."

I knew he had great compassion for the girl who had no part in the
gay sophisticated life about her. And I knew why he wished to walk
with her to her father's cottage. He would strive to cheer and amuse
her, so that the sting of Miss Naesmith's words might be forgot.



CHAPTER VII

THE INQUEST

(_Friday, January 17; noon._)

The coroner's inquest increased the tension of the situation. Ella
Gunthar had spoken urgently to Vance as soon as she arrived at the
Manor that morning. She was fully cognizant of the time and place of
the inquest and determined to be there. Vance sought to dissuade
her, but finally abandoned the effort. He realized there was some
deeper reason than mere curiosity, and arranged to take her with us
in O'Leary's car.

At the bend in the roadway where it joined the main highway O'Leary
signaled sharply on his horn. The sound found a prolonged echo in
the archaic midday siren reverberating over the estate and weirdly
following us like a mechanical nemesis as we drove on. The
Lieutenant offered assurances to Vance's unvoiced concern.

"It won't take us more than ten minutes to get there. Brander'll
wait for us."

The small room in the Town Hall at Winewood was well filled with
townspeople and workers from the Rexon estate; but there were no
guests from the Manor itself.

At one end of the room on a low platform was a long table at which a
heavy-set, red-faced man with blinking eyes presided.

"That's John Brander," whispered O'Leary. "A reasonable man. Local
real-estate lawyer."

At the left of the table, partitioned off by a railing, sat the
jury, simple and honest men of the conventional type one would
expect to find in a country town. A constable, with an ineffectual
air of importance, stood beside the witness stand.

Eric Gunthar was called first. He explained briefly how he had come
upon Lief Wallen's body on his way to work, and had returned to the
Gulch with Old Jed, Darrup and Vance. Under adroit questioning, his
trip to the summit of the cliff with Vance was brought out; but when
Gunthar became too voluble regarding the blood spot, he was somewhat
abruptly dismissed, and Darrup was called. He appeared cowed and had
little to add to Gunthar's testimony. Old Jed proved a somewhat
pathetic figure on the witness stand, and Brander wasted no time on
him.

Vance was called next. Brander's questions elicited largely
repetitions of the testimony already given; and despite the
coroner's obvious attempt at caution, the blood stain by the scrub
oak on the cliff was necessarily gone into at considerable length.
Brander seemed to attach no particular importance to it and
contrived a subtle suggestion that the blood might have been other
than human blood. I myself was conscious of a fleeting mental image
of some boy or amateur huntsman shooting a rabbit scurrying over the
snow.

"Were there footprints anywhere near the spot?" Brander asked.

"No. No footprints," Vance answered. "There were, however, vague
impressions in the snow."

"Anything definite?"

"No." And Vance was permitted to step down.

Doctor Quayne was then sworn in. His dignity and soft manner were
impressive. The jury listened with patent respect. The doctor's
testimony was perfunctory and technical. He told of the condition of
the body when he first saw it; estimated the time of death; and
hastened over the findings of the autopsy. He emphasized, however,
the peculiar skull wound over Wallen's right ear.

"Now, this skull wound, doctor," the coroner interposed. "Just what
was peculiar about it?"

"It was somewhat sharply outlined and depressed, running from the
right ear for about four inches toward the temple--not exactly what
one would expect from even violent contact with a flat surface."

"There was snow where Wallen struck?"

"About an inch, I should say."

"Did you examine the ground under the snow for a possible
projection?"

"No. It would have been visible had it been there."

"But there are projecting rocks on the cliff between the upper ledge
and the ground, aren't there?"

"Slight ones. Yes."

"Is it not possible, then, Wallen's head glanced one of these rocks
in falling?"

Doctor Quayne pursed his lips. He expressed considerable doubt.

"However," persisted Brander, "you couldn't say definitely--could
you, doctor--that this particular injury was wholly incompatible
with the fall?"

"No. I couldn't say that definitely. I merely state that the injury
seemed strange in the circumstances; one hardly to be expected."

"But still,"--Brander leaned forward with marked courtesy--"you'll
pardon me, doctor, if I insist on the point. Such an injury would
have been _possible_ in an accidental fall from the cliff?"

"Yes,"--Doctor Quayne's tone showed annoyance--"it would have been
possible."

"That will be all, doctor. Thank you for your clarity and help."

O'Leary was then called. His testimony, brief and businesslike,
served merely to corroborate that of preceding witnesses. As he
stepped down there came an unexpected and dramatic interlude. Guy
Darrup suddenly leaped to his feet.

"You ain't doin' fair to Lief Wallen, Mr. Brander," he shouted
righteously. "You ain't askin' for the things where truth lies. I
could tell you--"

Brander struck the table with his gavel. "If you have evidence to
give," he said with acerbity, "you should have stated it when you
were on the stand."

"You didn't ask me the right questions, you didn't, Mr. Brander. I
know plenty about poor Lief."

"Swear him in again, Constable."

"Not comfortin' for us," whispered Vance to O'Leary.

"Brander has no choice." O'Leary, too, was apprehensive.

Darrup took the oath a second time.

"Now give us your withheld evidence, Darrup." Brander's biting tone
was wasted.

"Maybe you don't know, Mr. Brander, the queer wrong things that goes
on over there at the Squire's." Darrup spoke like a zealot aroused.
"Mr. Gunthar's always a-bullyin'. An' he drinks too much to suit the
Squire. He's been warned, he has. An' it was Lief Wallen that was
gonna step in his boots--just like he stepped in Old Jed's boots.
An' Lief wanted to marry that pretty girl of his--the one down there
who looks after Miss Joan." Ella Gunthar drew back as he pointed.
"Lief had a right. He'da made her a good honest husband. But Mr.
Gunthar didn't want it. I guess he's got his own ideas." Darrup
contorted his lips into a shrewd smile. "An' the girl didn't want it
neither. She thinks she's better than us. An' there's been plenty o'
trouble about it all--Lief wasn't a boy who'd give up easy..."

Darrup breathed noisily, and hurried on.

"But that ain't all, Mr. Brander--not by a long ways. Nothing's
right up there at the Squire's. There's funny things goin' on. Deep,
dark things--things you ain't taught about in the Bible. What's the
girl doin' down in the Green Glen at night times, I'd like to know?
I've seen her sneakin' to Old Jed's hut. There's plottin'.
Everybody's lyin'. Everybody's hatin'. An' Old Jed's queer. He don't
talk to nobody. But he's up to something, always lookin' up at the
trees, an' lettin' the stream water run through his fingers, like a
kid. An' then, just when young Lief's about to step into Mr.
Gunthar's job, he goes an' falls off the cliff. Lief knew his way
about the grounds better'n to do that. Anyway, what's he doin' up
there that time o' night when he's supposed to be watchin' round the
Manor?"

Brander's patience gave out. His gavel smashed down.

"Did you come here to vent your hates, man? That's not evidence.
That's old women's talk."

"_Not evidence!_" shrieked Darrup. "Then ask Mr. Gunthar's girl why
she was runnin' down the slope from the cliff at twelve o'clock that
night when Lief _fell over!_"

"What's that?"

"You heard me, you did, Mr. Brander. I was workin' late in the
pavilion, fixin' things for the Squire's party. An' here she comes
runnin' down the slope an' turned right by the pavilion. An' she was
cryin', too."

I looked at Ella Gunthar. Her face was white, her lips trembled.
There was a subdued commotion in the room. Brander hesitated, looked
uneasy. He rustled through some papers before him. Then he looked
angrily at Darrup.

"Your statements are irrelevant." He paused. "Unless, perhaps,"--
there was jocularity in his tone--"you're accusing a mere girl of
hurling a big fellow like Wallen over the cliff. Is that what you
mean?"

"No, Mr. Brander." Darrup lapsed again into sullenness. "It wasn't
her as could've done it. I'm only tellin' you--"

Again the gavel descended. "That's enough! This inquest is not for
the purpose of injuring a young woman's reputation. It is merely to
establish by what means Wallen came to his death, and, if by
criminal means, at whose hand. Your speculations are, therefore, not
helpful to this investigation. Step down, Darrup." Darrup obeyed,
and Brander turned quickly to O'Leary. "Any more witnesses;
Lieutenant?"

O'Leary shook his head.

"That's all then." Brander spoke briefly to the jury. They filed
out. In less than half an hour their verdict was announced:

"We find that Lief Walton met his death by an accidental fall, under
suspicious circumstances."

Brander was startled. He opened his mouth, was about to speak, but
said nothing. The inquest was over.

"There's a verdict!" O'Leary scoffed to Vance as we drove back to
the Manor. "No sense whatever. But Brander did his best."

"Yes--oh, yes. Not strictly legal, perhaps. Could have been worse.
However..."

Ella Gunthar sat in the corner of the back seat beside me, a
handkerchief pressed to her mouth, staring, unseeing, over the quiet
winter landscape.

Vance took her gently in hand when we arrived. "Was Darrup telling
the truth, my dear?" he asked.

"I don't know what you mean..."

"Were you running down the slope that night?"

"I--No. Of course not." She raised her chin defiantly. "I was at
home at midnight. I didn't hear anything..."

"Why are you fibbing?" he asked sternly. She compressed her lips and
said nothing. Vance went on with tenderness. "Maybe I know. You're a
brave little soldier. But very foolish. Nothing's going to hurt you.
I want you to trust me." He held out his hand.

Her eyes searched his face a moment. A faint smile showed on her
lips. Then she placed her hand confidently in his.

"Now run along to Joan--and let that smile come all the way out."



CHAPTER VIII

SECRET PLANS

(_Friday, January 17; evening._)

That evening, shortly after dinner, I stood with Vance on the
veranda, looking out over the shadows on the skating rink. Echoes of
music and gaiety drifted out to this secluded corner from the
drawing room. Vance was in a serious, contemplative mood and smoked
a _Régie_ in silence, with a faraway expression.

Before long, however, there was the sound of approaching footsteps
behind us, and Vance turned to greet Carlotta Naesmith.

"Brooding over your sins, Sir Knight?" the girl asked as she came
up, "It really doesn't help. I've tried it...I sought you out to
ask a most important question--tu-whit, tu-who: Do you skate
gracefully?"

"At my time of life!" Vance pretended dejection. "But your query's
flatterin'. I'm duly grateful."

"I was hoping you did skate. We do so need a Master of Ceremonies."
She prodded him playfully. "You are hereby elected."

"It sounds interestin'. Explanat'ry instructions in order."

"It's like this," Miss Naesmith readily complied. "All the inmates
of the zoo, barring the decrepit, are throwing a party for Richard
tomorrow night. A sort of farewell celebration. It's to be on the
rink out there...I'm hostess _pro tem_, you know. Originality
expected from one so brilliant. Hence skates--that being the best
idea the brain could conjure up."

"Sounds jolly," said Vance. "And my duties?"

"Oh, just to keep things going. Be officious--you can. Announce the
animals. I'm sure you get it: every animal act has a ringmaster."

"Must I supply liniment?"

"You wrong us, sir!" she chirped indignantly. "We all skate
amazingly well. I understand the bar will be temporarily padlocked."

"That could help, y' know." Vance smiled. "We're planning it quite
seriously," she ran on. "We're even going to practice on the lower
rink tomorrow. And we're going to Winewood in the morning to scout
for costumes...Sounds a bit horrible, doesn't it?"

"Oh, no!" Vance protested. "Sounds jolly. As I said." He looked at
the girl searchingly. "Tell me, Miss Naesmith, why did you try to
hurt Ella Gunthar yesterday?"

Miss Naesmith's mood changed. Her eyes narrowed. She shrugged
noncommittally.

"It doesn't take both my eyes to see that she and Dick are attracted
to each other. They always were as kids."

"And Sally Alexander?"

She laughed without mirth. "Dick didn't speak to her all day. But
let Ella worry."

"And it doesn't take both my eyes"--Vance did not shift his gaze--
"to see that you will never pine away if Richard is diverted."

She pondered that a moment. "Dick's a nice boy. It's Papa Rexon's
idea, you know. And who am _I_ to upset his fondest dream?"

"Is it nice to be bitter?" Vance brought out his cigarettes. Miss
Naesmith accepted one, and he lighted one himself.

"Oh, it's done in the best circles," the girl said facetiously. "And
anyway, it's not the man's place to walk out. That's _my_
prerogative."

"I see. Mere technique of etiquette at fault. Well, well."

The girl blew Vance a kiss and went back to the noisy drawing room.

"As I thought," he murmured, as if to himself. "Neither wants it.
Richard makes the fact evident. _Ergo_, pique. Evinced by a display
of cruelty. Ancient feminine sequence. However, nice girl at heart.
It'll all arrange itself. Poor papa. Yes, the Rexon dynasty is
crumblin'. Same like Bruce predicts." He looked out over the shadowy
rink, drawing deeply on his _Régie_. "Come, I've a wishful idea." He
spoke irrelevantly as he turned suddenly and went inside.

We found Joan Rexon in her own sitting room across the hall. She was
on a divan by the window, and Marcia Bruce was reading to her.

"Why aren't you in the drawing room, young lady?" Vance asked
pleasantly.

"I'm resting tonight," the girl replied. "Carlotta told me there's
to be a big party for Dick tomorrow night, and I want to feel well,
so I won't miss any of it."

Vance sat down. "Would it tire you too much if I talked to you a few
minutes?"

"Why, no. I'd love it."

Vance turned to Miss Bruce. "Mind if I speak with Miss Joan alone?"

The housekeeper rose in resentful dignity and went to the door.
"More mystery." Her tone was hollow. Her green eyes flashed.

"Oh, quite," laughed Vance. "A dark plot, in fact. But I can
complete my dire machinations in ten minutes. Come back then, what?
There's an angel."

The woman went without a word.

"I want to talk a moment about Ella." Vance drew up his chair beside
the slight reclining figure of Joan Rexon.

"Dear Ella," the girl said sweetly.

"She is a dear, isn't she? ...I've wondered since I've been here why
I never see her on the rink. Doesn't she skate?"

Joan Rexon smiled sadly. "Oh, she used to love skating. But I guess
she's lost her interest--since I fell."

"But I know you love to see others skating and being happy."

She nodded. "I do. I do. I've never forgot what fun I used to have
myself. That's why Dad kept up the rinks and the pavilion. So I can
sit on the veranda and watch the others. He often brings famous
skaters up here just to perform for me."

"He'd do anything he thought would make you happy," said Vance.

She nodded again, emphatically. "And so would Ella...You know, Mr.
Vance, I'm really a very lucky girl. And I do have wonderful times
just watching others do the things I'd love to do."

"That's why I thought Miss Ella might be doing your skating for you,
so to speak."

The girl turned her head slowly toward the window. "Maybe I'm to
blame, Mr. Vance. I've often thought that."

"Tell me about it," Vance urged softly.

"Well, you see, when I was a little girl, just after my accident,
Ella went out on the rink and skated--she was a beautiful skater. I
watched her and I was very selfish, I think. Just the sight of her
skating seemed to hurt me. I don't exactly understand it. I was such
a baby. It--it--"

"I understand, my dear."

"And when Ella came back to the veranda I was crying...After that,
for several years, I saw Ella only at intervals. She was at school,
you know. And we never spoke again about her skating."

Vance took her hand gently. "She was probably too busy with other
things to keep up her skating. Or perhaps she lost interest because
you couldn't join her. You needn't feel guilty...But it wouldn't
hurt you any more, would it?"

"Oh, no." She forced a smile. "I wish she _would_ skate again. I was
just terribly foolish."

"We're all foolish when we're young." Vance laughed.

The girl nodded seriously. "I'm not foolish--that way--any more. Now
when I see some wonderful skater I wish it were Ella. I know she
could have done it."

"I know just how you feel." As he rose the door opened and Marcia
Bruce entered.

"The plot's concocted," said Vance. "And I'm sure I haven't tired
the young lady. She's quite ready to hear the ending of the story
you were reading to her."

As we came out again into the hail and approached the stairway two
figures stood conversing earnestly in a secluded nook at the rear.
They were Carlotta Naesmith and Stanley Sydes. Vance merely glanced
toward them and proceeded to the drawing room.



CHAPTER IX

AN ABRUPT SUMMONS

(_Saturday, January 18; forenoon._)

The next morning Vance rose in good season and, after a hasty cup of
coffee, left the house, alone, disappearing down the wide path which
led past the pavilion to Gunthar's cottage. Shortly after his
departure the other guests straggled down to the breakfast room and
then assembled before the spacious gabled garage. One by one the
cars were brought out and the cavalcade swung gaily up the hill to
the main road and toward Winewood. Half an hour or so later the
housekeeper piloted Joan Rexon tenderly to the now deserted veranda
and with motherly attentions installed her on the specially built
_chaise longue_ near the windows overlooking the skating rink.

Barely was the girl settled when Vance and Ella Gunthar turned the
corner of the path by the pavilion and came toward the house.

"You see, Miss Joan," Vance said as they entered, "not only do I see
your charming companion home in the evening, but I escort her to you
in the morning."

Ella Gunthar smiled. She seemed particularly happy. There was a new
sparkle in her eyes. Marcia Bruce, apparently sensing something
unusual, looked from Ella to Vance and back again. Then she rose,
patted Joan Rexon fondly, and went indoors.

Vance remained on the veranda a while, chatting in his most trivial
manner, and finally went inside to seek the comfort of the easy
chair in his room. He seemed preoccupied and lay back, smoking
listlessly for some time. His meditations, whatever they were, were
interrupted by a knock on the door. Lieutenant O'Leary came in and
sat down. There was an added sternness in his aquiline face.

"I wanted to see you alone, Mr. Vance. The butler said you were
here, so I took the liberty..."

"Delighted, Lieutenant." Vance rearranged himself in his chair and
lighted another _Régie_. "I trust you haven't brought disconsolate
tidin's."

O'Leary fumbled with his pipe a moment without replying. When he got
it going he looked up.

"I wonder, sir, if, by any chance, you have the same idea I have?"

"It could be." Vance's eyebrows went up questioningly. "What is your
thought?"

"I'm convinced I know who killed Wallen."

Vance lay back lethargically and studied the strong set face of the
man opposite.

"Amazin'!" he murmured. Then he shook his head. "No. No such
thoughts here. Mind a blank as to that. Anyway, thanks for your
confidence. Could you stretch it further?"

O'Leary, hesitant at first, now seemed eager to talk.

"I figure it this way, sir: I don't think Guy Darrup was lying at
the inquest yesterday."

"No. Not lying. Merely impulsive and ingenuous. A simple honest mind
ruled by zealous emotions. Indignations churned up in him, and
boiled over."

"Then you believe him?"

"Oh, yes. Quite. No alternative. Fact is, I'd done a spot of spyin'
around myself and already knew most of what he poured forth. Not a
pleasant situation here and abouts. But where's it criminal? I need
more guidance. Do you have it?"

"Here's how I've put it all together: Gunthar drinks too much and is
about to be discharged. Wallen's slated for the promotion. That in
itself is a good enough motive with rugged straightforward natures.
Gunthar has just such a nature. He's not subtle, and apt to be cruel
in his cups: he'd take the straight line--strong and forthright--
when perplexed with a problem. Now, add to this motive the friction
between him and Wallen regarding his daughter's future. Wouldn't you
say that would set the stage?"

"Granted." Vance nodded. "Opportunity even simpler. But continue,
Lieutenant."

"Exactly, sir. A fine opportunity. Gunthar knows the lay of the
land. He knows Wallen's habits and knows his weaknesses. What could
be easier for him than to inveigle Wallen to the cliff on some
pretext, bash him over the head, and throw him over into the
Gulch?...Miss Gunthar probably suspected her father's intent,
followed him secretly up the cliff, and, when the thing was done,
came running down, crying."

"And what could Gunthar hope to gain?" asked Vance indifferently.
"He would still be discharged."

"Oh, I know Wallen wasn't the only available man for the job. Rexon
can get a dozen others, given a little time. But I gather Gunthar
intended to give up his tippling--which is only of recent origin--
and insinuate himself again into Rexon's good graces."

"But Gunthar was still drinking too much yesterday, I saw him both
before and after the inquest."

"That substantiates my theory," O'Leary declared. "He needed it to
buck him up--the experience is enough to undo a stronger man."

"True," conceded Vance. "The point fits snugly. What else,
Lieutenant?"

"Gunthar threatened Wallen twice."

"Gossip?"

"Necessarily, of course. But I believe it's authentic enough. It'll
be sworn to by reliable witnesses."

"A clever analysis, Lieutenant," drawled Vance. "But not a
defense-proof case."

O'Leary showed resentment. "That's not all, sir." He pulled himself
forward in his chair. "Gunthar can't prove a satisfactory alibi for
the supposed time of the killing. He came into Murphy's tavern at
Winewood at ten o'clock that night. He was nervous and drank more
than usual. He left at about half-past eleven. It takes nearly half
an hour to walk here from Winewood. An hour later Sokol, the
druggist in Winewood, was driving home from a late party and saw
Gunthar crossing the meadow on the far side of Tor Gulch. The man
thought nothing of it at the time; but after the inquest he figured
the information might have some bearing, and told me about it. True
enough, Gunthar was headed for his cottage. But that isn't the short
cut from Winewood.--And it is the route he would have taken if he'd
first been to the cliff...Does that strengthen my ease against
Gunthar?" finished O'Leary doggedly.

"Oh, markedly," Vance readily agreed. "All rather circumstantial,
however, isn't it, Lieutenant?"

"That may be." There was a touch of bravado in his voice: a
satisfying sense of triumph over Vance. "But sufficient grounds for
arresting the man."

"Oh, tut, tut. I wouldn't do that." Vance was all mildness. "So far
you've done exceeding well, Lieutenant. You put things together
deuced cleverly. Why spoil it all by moving too precipitately? Tie a
few more ends."

"I don't intend to act speedily. I could do with a few more facts."

"Exactly. A common need of mankind. I'll bear your theory in mind.
Maybe I'll be able to supply the missing facts. Credit all yours."

O'Leary knocked out his pipe and rose. "I've several lines I'm
following quietly. But I thought I'd tell you which way they're
leading. I was hoping you might see things from my point of view."

"I do," Vance assured him. "You've done well. Thanks again for your
confidence."

When O'Leary had shaken hands and gone, Vance crushed out his
cigarette and walked to the window.

"Deuce take it, Van," he said, "the man's too specious.
Speciousness. Curse of our modern age. He thinks straight, though.
Competent chap. All for the best. Not a nice theory. I hope he's
wrong."

An hour later Vance went below. The party that had driven off to
Winewood earlier had returned. We saw some of them in the lower
hall. From the drawing room came sounds indicating others there.

Doctor Quayne was sitting with Joan Rexon and Ella Gunthar on the
veranda. He got up when he saw us and smiled.

"You come just in time, Mr. Vance," his pleasant voice greeted us.
"Now you can entertain the young ladies. I'll have to run away in a
few minutes to see some of my patients who need me much more than
Joan does. I dropped by to make sure she was strong enough for the
party tonight, and she doesn't need me at all. With the rest last
night and this beautiful mild weather, she's all in readiness for
the festivities."

"Anyway," Miss Rexon said, "I managed to keep you here an hour,
doctor."

"That was purely social, my dear Joan." He turned back to Vance. "If
all my patients were as charming as these two young ladies I'd never
complete my rounds. The temptation to remain and visit would be
greater than I could resist."

"Mr. Vance, is flattery supposed to be a cure?" Joan Rexon seemed
very happy.

"There can be no flattery where you are concerned," Vance returned.
"I know that Doctor Quayne means every word he says to you."

Several of the guests came out, joined us a moment to make a fuss
over Joan Rexon, and then returned indoors. The midday siren
sounded. Bassett, too, I noticed, strolled out; but he merely nodded
and remained at the other end of the veranda. He sat down at a small
table and began a game of solitaire.

The doctor glanced at his watch. "Good Heavens! That was the noon
signal!" He gave the two girls a cordial bow. "You're both a
corrupting influence." He went quickly through the drawing-room
door. A few minutes later we saw him drive away.

We remained on the veranda for another half hour, relaxing in the
warm sunshine, and Vance entertained the girls with tales of his
travels in Japan. In the midst of his engaging narrative he glanced
toward the French doors just behind us. Excusing himself suddenly,
he hastened toward the door. As he stepped inside he turned and
beckoned me to follow.

Higgins was standing just by the entrance, his face like chalk, his
watery old eyes bulging. Fear and horror pervaded his entire being
as he clasped and unclasped his hands against his breast.

"Thank God you were here, Mr. Vance!" His voice quavered and the
words were barely audible. "I couldn't find Mr. Richard. Come
quickly, sir. Something terrible--" He moved swiftly toward the rear
of the main stairs and led us to Carrington Rexon's den.

There, on the floor before the grate, lay the owner of Rexon Manor.



CHAPTER X

THE MISSING KEY

(_Saturday, January 18; 12:30 p.m._)

Vance, down on one knee in a moment, cursorily examined the
coagulating trickle of blood behind Carrington Rexon's right ear. He
listened a moment to the labored breathing, then sought the pulse.
He turned the man's face toward the light, found it ashen pale. He
raised the upper eyelid of one eye; the eyeball was firm, the pupil
contracted. He touched the cornea with his fingertip. The lids
immediately compressed tightly.

"Not serious," Vance announced. "He's reacting now from
unconsciousness...I say, Higgins, summon the doctor immediately."
He loosened Rexon's collar and stock.

Higgins coughed.

"I phoned Doctor Quayne before I came out to you, sir. Fortunately,
he was at home, sir. He should be here directly."

"Stout fella, Higgins. Now, if you'll call Lieutenant O'Leary--tell
him to come here at once. Urgent. Explain, if necess'ry."

"Yes, sir." Higgins picked up the telephone, put through the call,
and returned the receiver. "The Lieutenant says he'll be here in ten
minutes, sir."

Vance stepped to the window and opened it. Then he went to the
fireplace and added a fresh log. The crackling flames seemed to
dissipate the gloom that hung over the room. A knock on the door was
followed by the entry of Doctor Quayne, bag in hand.

"Good God! What's this!" He rushed to Rexon.

"Not too serious, doctor. No. Bad rap on the head." Vance moved away
a step. "He should be coming to. Every indication of return of
muscular tone. I found his pulse weak but regular. There was a
definite corneal reflex when I opened his eye. Unmistakable
resistance when I moved his head."

Quayne nodded and fussed with the wound. A low moan came from Rexon.
His eyes opened, glazed, unseeing. At an order from Quayne, Higgins
brought brandy. The doctor forced a stiff dose gently between
Rexon's lips. The prostrate man moaned again and closed his eyes.

"Lucky I went home for lunch before continuing on my rounds..."
The doctor chatted casually as he proceeded to examine Rexon.
Finally he rose. "Everything quite in order," he finished
cheerfully.

Rexon's eyes opened again, almost clear now. He recognized Vance and
Quayne, attempted a smile, winced, and raised a hand to the back of
his head.

"We'll take care of that in a moment." Quayne was kindly reassuring.
Then, with Higgins' help, he placed Rexon on the sofa. With deft
fingers he dressed the wound, continuing his assurances to the man.

While the doctor was thus busied, Lieutenant O'Leary came in. Vance,
in a low tone, gave him the details.

"May we put a query or two now?" Vance asked as the doctor stepped
away from the sofa.

"Certainly, certainly," Quayne told him. "Mr. Rexon'll be quite all
right now."

Vance motioned Higgins from the room, and stepped to the sofa with
O'Leary.

"Now, what can you tell us, old friend?" he asked.

"I doubt if I can tell you anything, Vance." Rexon's voice was low
and husky, but it gained in volume as he continued. "I'd just risen
from my desk to ring for Higgins...I must have been struck from
behind." His hand moved to his head again. "The next thing I knew,
you and Quayne were with me."

"Any idea how long ago that was?"

"Only a vague one, I'm afraid." Rexon thought a moment..."But
wait! I think I heard the first notes of the siren before I lost
consciousness...Yes. I'm positive. I recall being annoyed because
it was so near twelve and my breakfast tray hadn't been removed.
It's usually taken out of my way by eleven. That's why I was going
to call Higgins."

"Had you been here in the den since you came down this morning,
sir?" O'Leary put in.

"More or less, yes, Lieutenant. But I was out of the room for a few
minutes once or twice."

"Had any one been here with you?" asked Vance.

"Yes. Bruce came in for instructions, as she usually does when there
are guests. And my son spent about a half hour with me. Doctor
Quayne here stepped in to say hello before he went out to Joan.
Sydes and Carlotta came in for a minute. Some of the other guests
did, too. I'll try to think back, if you want to know who else."

"No--oh, no. Really doesn't matter." Vance stepped back.

"Do you recall any feeling of giddiness when you first rose to call
Higgins?" the doctor asked. "Judging from the wound, I'd say it was
highly possible you hit one of the fire irons as you fell."

"I don't see how," answered Rexon a bit nettled. "I wasn't dizzy.
The sensation was I was struck from behind."

"All! I see," said Quayne thoughtfully.

Rexon suddenly started forward, his eyes averted frantically. A
bunch of keys on a long chain dangled from his trousers pocket over
the edge of the divan. He caught the keys and sank back fumbling
with them hysterically.

"The key!" he gasped after a moment. "The Gem-Room key! God in
Heaven! It's _gone_!"

"Easy now, Rexon," admonished the doctor. "It can't be gone. Look
again--calmly."

Rexon ran his hands hopelessly through his pockets. O'Leary searched
vainly on the floor. Vance stepped from the room, returning
instantly to report that the Gem-Room door was safely locked.

"Proves nothing!" exploded Rexon. "We must get in there at once.
I'll get the duplicate key."

He rose feebly as he spoke, and moved unsteadily across the room.
Snatching a priceless Rembrandt etching from the opposite wall, he
threw it carelessly aside. Then he pressed a small wooden medallion,
and a narrow panel shifted, revealing an oval steel plate with a
dial and knob. His nervous fingers managed a sequence of turns--left
and right and left again. Finally he pulled the plate open and
reached inside the hidden wall safe. He brought out a key with a
long slender shaft. Taking it from him, Vance led the way through
the hall.

He had a little difficulty fitting the key into the lock, but
finally succeeded and pushed the heavy steel door inward. Rexon
brushed past him excitedly and came to a sudden stop in the middle
of the famous Gem Room.

"They're gone?" His voice was little more than a hoarse whisper.
"The most precious part of my collection. _And_ Istar's--" His voice
broke as he pointed spasmodically and began to sway.

Quayne stepped to him immediately, and took his arm. "My dear
friend," he cautioned. He turned to us. "I'll take him back to the
den, gentlemen." He led Rexon from the room.

Vance closed the door after the two men, and locked it. Lighting a
cigarette, he moved leisurely through that interesting room, with
O'Leary following him in silence. The room was completely void of
furnishings except for the ebony carpet and the numerous metal-bound
glass cases along the walls. Emeralds of various shapes and sizes,
in exquisite and unique settings, were displayed against white
velvet backgrounds. In the corner to which Rexon had pointed a case
larger than the others had its front pane shattered. A smaller case
beside the large one was similarly broken. Both were empty. But none
of the other cases in the room seemed to have been disturbed.

"Very mystifyin'," Vance murmured. "Only two cases broken."

"Probably didn't have time; hurried job," suggested O'Leary.

"Quite, Lieutenant. All indications pointin' thus...Wonder what
Istar has to do with it."

He stepped to the side window and forced the catch open. O'Leary
looked on as he examined the heavy criss-cross iron bars that
enclosed the entire window frame. Then they made a similar
inspection of the other window.

"My word! Here's something interestin', Lieutenant. Bit of
tamperin', what?" He directed O'Leary's attention to some peculiar
ragged scratches across three of the bars.

O'Leary's brows went up. "Whoever it was must've tried this means of
entry first and found it too cumbersome an undertaking. No
patience."

"Or," returned Vance, "an interruption occurred. Aborted attempt.
Could be. Let's toddle."

They reclosed the windows. Vance took another look about the room
before unlocking the unwieldy door.

In the den Doctor Quayne was attempting futilely to console Rexon.
"It's not as if they'd all been taken." Platitudes like that. "Only
a few pieces ..."

"_Only a few pieces!_" repeated Rexon despairingly. "The very pieces
that matter! If they'd taken all the others and left me those--" He
did not complete the sentence.

Vance handed Rexon the key. "I've relocked the door, of course. Now
tell us just what is missing. And how is Istar mixed up in it?"

Rexon jerked himself up in his chair; leaned wearily against the
desk. "Every unset stone I owned. Spent a lifetime collecting 'em."

"Those would be the easiest to dispose of, I take it," observed
O'Leary respectfully.

"Yes. Exactly. A fortune for any one into whose hands they came. All
but the Istar ..."

"Again, wherefore Istar?" persisted Vance.

"Queen Istar's necklace," groaned Rexon. "The rarest piece in my
collection. From Egypt--eighteenth dynasty. It can never he replaced.
Six high cabochon emeralds of flawless cut on a chain of smaller
stones set in silver and pearls...You must remember it, Vance."

"Ah, yes. Of course," said Vance sympathetically. "Naughty queen--
Istar. Always poppin' in and out to annoy folks."

O'Leary was making notes in a small book. "When were you last in the
room?" asked Vance.

"This morning, early. I go in every morning. Had Bruce there with me
to do a little dusting. For the display to my guests this evening."

"Ah, yes. Very sad. Now, of course, there'll be no display."

"No." Rexon shook his head in keen disappointment.

"But the youngsters must have their party tonight as though nothing
had happened. You agree, Rexon?" Vance's tone was significantly
imperative.

"Yes, by all means," complied Rexon. "No need to upset everybody."

The doctor rose presently, picked up his bag. "You don't need my
services any more just now, Rexon. Wish I could be more helpful. But
I'll be back this evening to keep an eye on Joan for you."

"Thank you, Quayne. That's very good of you."

The doctor bowed himself out.

O'Leary closed his notebook. "Tell me, Mr. Rexon, was your overseer
in to see you this morning?"

"Gunthar? No," replied Rexon. "He's probably been working on the
rink and the pavilion all morning. But it's strange you should ask
that. Higgins told me when I came down this morning that Gunthar had
been here about half an hour earlier asking if he could see me.
Higgins told him I wasn't down yet, and the man went away grumbling
to himself. I don't understand it, for he never comes here unless I
send for him."

O'Leary nodded with satisfaction. He stepped to the open window,
lowered it and raised it again. Then he leaned out for a moment as
if inspecting the flagging below. There was a speculative look in
his eyes as he rejoined us.

In the hall Vance drew the Lieutenant aside. "What about Gunthar?"
he asked in a low tone. "Any secrets to unbosom?"

"It's a clearer-cut case now than it was yesterday." The Lieutenant
was solemn. "You admitted I had a good case then, sir. But add this
to it: I tried to see Gunthar this morning. One of the workmen told
me he had gone to the Manor to speak to the Squire. Seemed natural.
So I waited around a while. But Gunthar didn't come back."

O'Leary cocked a triumphant eye at Vance.

"You see, sir, how easy it would have been for the man to have
entered the den through the window, either then or later when Mr.
Rexon was out of the room. He had only to wait back of the screen
till the time was ripe. When he had struck the blow it would have
been a moment's work for him to snatch the key and get to the Gem
Room."

Vance nodded. "Deuced clever, Lieutenant. Logical from many points
of view."

"Yes. And what's more," persisted O'Leary, "I'm not at all convinced
his daughter Ella wasn't mixed up in it--you know, sir, like giving
him the tip-off--"

"Oh, my dear fellow! You startle me no end. I say, aren't you
carrying this prejudice against Gunthar a bit too far?"

O'Leary looked surprised that Vance apparently could not appreciate
the circumstantial possibilities of the situation.

"No, I wouldn't say so," he retorted with the calmness of
conviction. "I've got enough to arrest the girl along with her
father."

"But on what grounds, Lieutenant?" Vance was concerned.

"As a material witness, if nothing else," was O'Leary's confident
rejoinder.

Vance lighted a cigarette and blew a long ribbon of smoke. "Not
attemptin' to try your case, Lieutenant. No. It's far too logical.
Merely making an urgent request. Neither the girl nor papa is likely
to run off tonight, what? Surely, tomorrow will serve your purpose
quite as well. You'll wait, Lieutenant? I'm beggin'."

O'Leary studied Vance several moments. There was no denying the look
of admiration beneath his perturbation and doubt. Finally he nodded.
"I'll wait, sir. Though it goes against my best judgment." And he
strode off across the veranda and disappeared down the side steps.

Vance, too, stepped out on the veranda a moment later. Joan Rexon
still sat where we had left her, but Ella Gunthar was no longer
there. In her place sat Carlotta Naesmith.

"My word!" murmured Vance. "No use hopin' the doughty Lieutenant
didn't note Miss Ella's absence. No. Observin' fellow, O'Leary."

Bassett was still hunched over the table where he had started his
game of Canfield. Stanley Sydes had joined him and sat in a chair
opposite, acting as banker. A decanter of Bourbon stood between
them.



CHAPTER XI

FAREWELL SOIRÉE

(_Saturday, January 18; 9 p.m._)

The afternoon had passed uneventfully. After lunch Carlotta Naesmith
and Stanley Sydes invited Vance to go with the others and watch
their practice routine on the ice. He had politely declined. Richard
Rexon, who likewise remained at the Manor, had talked briefly with
Vance regarding the stolen emeralds and spent the rest of the
afternoon brooding about the matter. Miss Joan retired to her
sitting room for a rest. The house was unusually quiet.

At dinner there was excited talk about the party. Especially were
there mysterious hints of a surprise performer whom Mr. Rexon had
invited for the occasion. No one seemed to have any specific
information, however.

Dinner over, the older guests assembled on the veranda, grouping
themselves on either side of Miss Joan's _chaise longue_ at the
center window. The night was clear and not too cold.

Shortly before nine Marcia Bruce brought Miss Joan out to her place.

"Please pull up a chair for Ella beside me," the girl requested.
"She should be here any minute now."

Miss Bruce complied.

Doctor Quayne came up. After a word of encouragement to Miss Joan
and a greeting to Richard, he seated himself beside Carrington Rexon
behind the young people. Jacques Bassett stood against the closed
doors at the rear. Lieutenant O'Leary unobtrusively found a place
for himself.

A high, old-fashioned phonograph was wheeled out to the rink by
Higgins and another servant. A box of records was carried down.

Vance, on skates, in immaculate evening attire, with a white muffler
at his throat, appeared on the rink. Additional lights were turned
on as he came forward.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he began in mock ceremonious style. His
voice was clear and resonant. "I have been honored with the
privilege of conducting this memorable event. I confidently promise
you an evening of most unusual regalement."

General applause greeted his statement.

"We have with us tonight," he proceeded with exaggerated formality,
"performers of wide renown. I might even say, of world-wide renown.
Most of you, I am sure, will recognize each name as it is
announced..."

Another round of applause drowned out his next words.

"The first of our guest stars," he resumed, "is Miss Sally
Alexander. She will entertain you in her own incomparable manner."

Miss Alexander came up from the pavilion, a smiling urchin in
colorful tatters, skating gracefully into the spotlight thrown from
an upper window of the Manor. She sang a gay Parisian chansonette of
dubious significance, and was rewarded with much laughter and
cheering. Her next number was a monologue depicting an intoxicated
celebrity attempting to thread his way through a bevy of admiring
debutantes. Skates made the task none too easy. The small audience
was genuinely amused, their approval long and loud.

Vance assisted the young woman back to the pavilion and returned
with Dahlia Dunham and Chuck Throme, both in trunks and jerseys.
They skated into the spotlight and made a deep bow. Vance raised the
young woman's hand.

"On my right, wearing red trunks," he announced, "is Miss Dahlia
Dunham--a most charmin' battler, with many a vict'ry to her credit.
On my left, in white trunks, is Jocky Throme, with a list of wins
quite as impressive. The two will now go through three rounds for
the skate-weight championship."

The gloves were put on, the seconds waved away; the referee came
forward, and the bout started. The two contenders sparred lightly
for a few seconds. They went into a clinch and were separated by the
referee. The slippery ice under their skates sent many of the
punches far afield. Those that connected did little damage. When
Vance blew his whistle at the end of the third round Miss Dunham was
declared the winner by popular acclaim. Chuck Throme, taking his
defeat gallantly, essayed another bow. As on an earlier occasion, he
carried the obeisance too far. His skates slid out from under him.
He lay prone on the ice. Vance and Miss Dunham assisted him to his
feet and helped him from the rink.

Joan Rexon sat up and looked about. "I wish Ella would come," I
heard her say. "She's missing all the fun. Have you seen her, Dick?"

Richard Rexon shook his head glumly. "Maybe she's outside
somewhere." He went to investigate.

Next Miss Maddox and Pat McOrsay presented a skit with a homemade
miniature plane on runners. This was followed by Vance's
announcement of Miss Naesmith's number with Stanley Sydes. In
Spanish costume they creditably performed a series of dances to the
accompaniment of the records Vance placed on the phonograph. The
other performers joined them for the final tango. Richard Rexon had
returned to the disconsolate Joan.

"And now," came Vance's voice again, "We have a surprise for you. I
can't give you the name of this performer because she is practically
unknown. We call her the Masked Marvel...But one moment! I must
whisper in our maestro's ear what melody he is to play." He
pantomimed comically to the phonograph as he put on a new record.
The lovely strains of _Geschichten aus dem Wiener Wald_ came
floating over the still night. And then ...

A petite figure came tripping out on the ice with unbelievable ease
and rhythm. Her costume of velvet and sequins shimmered gaily in the
lights. A silk mask covered most of her face. Her spaced routine was
exquisitely performed. With incredible grace she combined the most
difficult school figures with spirals, spins, and jumps of daring
originality.

Everyone gasped with delight. There was a remark that it must be
Linda Höffler, the newest skating sensation. Some of the guests
questioned Miss Joan and young Rexon. They disclaimed all knowledge.
Carrington Rexon, when asked what famous importation he had bagged
for the event, would give no information.

Each time the girl left the rink the applause was so loud and
continuous that Vance had to bring her back.

Finally one voice called out, "Remove the mask!" The cry was taken
up in unison. Vance whispered to the girl at his side. She permitted
him to take the mask from her face. Smiling happily, Ella Gunthar
stood before us.

Joan Rexon arose in triumphant delight. "I knew it was Ella!" She
was almost in tears. "I always knew Ella could do it. Isn't she
marvelous, Richard?"

But young Rexon was already on the terrace steps, making his way to
the rink. Carrington Rexon and the doctor stepped to Miss Joan's
side.

"Oh, Dad!" the girl exclaimed. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"It's as much a surprise to me as it is to you, my dear. Mr. Vance
told me merely he had arranged something for you. I had no idea it
was a surprise like this."

"All right, now. All right," Quayne put in admonishingly. "I think
that's enough for this evening, Joan." The two men helped the girl
indoors.

A noisy circle surrounded Ella Gunthar on the rink. The workmen,
having been permitted to witness the performance, now moved off. The
guests withdrew indoors.

Later they gathered in the drawing room. The performers came up from
the pavilion, still in their costumes. Vance, showered with
congratulations, disclaimed all credit.

"It's all Miss Naesmith's doing, I assure you," he told everyone.

Ella Gunthar came in, escorted by Richard Rexon. She was
enthusiastically greeted on all sides. She seemed upset and nervous
and remained only long enough to embrace Miss Joan and say a few
words to her. Young Rexon's and Vance's offers to see her home were
refused with polite determination. She hurried away alone.

The phonograph was brought back from the rink. Someone wound it up
and started a record. Soon dancing began. Quayne brought the
housekeeper in and directed her to get Miss Joan off to bed. The
woman had a new look of pride about her and was almost cheerful as
she took charge of the girl and led her from the room.

The gaiety of the party increased. Only Jacques Bassett sat morosely
by himself. Quayne was about to approach him, but was buttonholed by
Miss Naesmith with a request for the best antidote to seasickness.
Richard Rexon joined Bassett at his table.

Vance had had enough. He bade his host good night. O'Leary came up
with a questioning look. But Vance put him off.

"Let's sleep on it, Lieutenant," he said. "Come round before
noon...Jolly party, what?...Cheeri-o."

O'Leary watched sullenly as Vance mounted the stairs.



CHAPTER XII

QUEEN ISTAR'S NECKLACE

(_Sunday, January 19; 9:30 a.m._)

Vance rose early again Sunday. After strong coffee he invited me to
stroll with him in the clear winter sunshine. Snow had fallen in the
early hours of the morning; the world about us was covered with a
fresh white blanket. We took a footpath that led down to the small
pond in the Green Glen where we had first come upon Ella Gunthar. As
we skirted a high bush at one end of the pond a small cabin came
into view.

"The Green Hermit's cottage, I'll warrant," commented Vance.
"Sabbath morn visit to the druid in order."

The door was slightly ajar. Vance rapped. There was no response. He
pushed the door wide open. At a small table near a window sat Old
Jed. He looked up without surprise.

"Good morning," Vance said pleasantly from the threshold. "May we
come in?"

The old man nodded indifferently. His attention was focused on some
object between his fingers. As we approached him he raised his
hands. The sun fell full on a dazzling necklace of emeralds.

"Six cabochons on a chain of smaller stones," said Vance half to
himself. Then admiringly to the old man: "Lovely, isn't it?"

Old Jed smiled with childish delight as he let the green stones
slide between his fingers.

Vance sat down beside him. "What else have you?"

Old Jed shook his head.

"What did you do with the others?"

"No others. Only this." He spread the necklace on the table,
inviting Vance to share his ecstasy. "Like the green meadows in
springtime," he said mystically. "Like running streams of water--
like God's trees in summer:--green, all beauty in nature is green."
His eyes shone fanatically.

"Yes," said Vance, falling in with his mood. "Spring...the green
of nature all about:

'And all the meadows, wide unrolled,
Were green and silver, green and gold.'"

He looked up kindly.

"Find it, Jed?"

A shake of the head from the old man. "Where did you get it?"

Another shake of the head. "You're a friend of Miss Ella?" the
hermit asked as if eager to change the subject.

"Yes. Of course. And you are too."

The grey head bobbed enthusiastically up and down. "But that fellow
Mr. Richard brought home with him. Are you a friend of his?"

"Mr. Bassett? No. No friend of his. Far from it...What about him?"

"No good," declared Old Jed with strict economy of words.

Vance raised his brows slightly. "Did he give you that green
necklace?"

"No!" The old man was petulant. "He came here to make trouble for
Miss Ella."

"Really, now! When was that?"

"He came here last night. Before the swell doin's up at the big
house. He thought Miss Ella was alone. But I saw him." Old Jed
cackled. "Now he won't come here no more."

"No? Why not?"

"He won't come no more," repeated the other vaguely..."But up at
the big house, Mister: you'll take care of Ella?"

"Certainly," promised Vance. "She'll be all right...But tell me,
Jed; how did you get that trinket?"

The old man looked back at him in blank silence.

Vance tried strategy. "It's for Miss Ella's sake I must know."

"Miss Ella, she doesn't do anything bad."

"Then tell me where you got that necklace," persisted Vance.

The old man looked about him in perplexity. His eyes came to rest on
the small phonograph we had seen Ella Gunthar using. He looked up at
Vance triumphantly. "There!" He pointed to the instrument.

Vance rose and brought it to the table. He opened it up and shook
it, but without disclosing anything untoward. The old man picked up
the necklace, placed it on the green felt base.

"So," he said simply. "It was hidden there when I found it."

Just then the door was pushed wide open again. Ella Gunthar stood
there, a smile fading from her lips as she saw us. Old Jed stood up
to greet her. Vance stepped across the room, took the girl gently by
the hand, and led her to the table. Her glance fell on the open
phonograph with the string of gems sparkling inside. Abruptly she
turned away, her face white.

"How much do you know about this, Miss Gunthar?" Vance asked
indulgently.

"I don't know--anything about it." Her answer was low and hesitant.

"But you've seen it before?"

"I--think so. In the Gem Room."

"How did it happen to be hidden in your little music box? Jed says
he found it there."

"I--I don't know. Maybe it's not real."

"Oh, it's real enough, my dear."

"I don't know anything about it," she repeated stubbornly.

"Now. I think you're fibbing again. Do you know that just such a
necklace, and many other costly stones, are missing from the Gem
Room?"

She nodded. "Richard told me last night."

"Did Richard give you this?"

"No!" She glared at Vance indignantly. "And Jed doesn't know
anything about it either. And neither does my father! Oh, you're all
trying to pin lies on father--don't you think I know why that police
officer from Winewood is always hanging around the estate?" Her
words came in a passionate rush.

Vance watched the unhappy girl appraisingly. "Who, then, my dear, do
you think took the emeralds?" he asked calmly.

"Who?--who?" she echoed. She bit her lips. She thought for several
moments. Then, as if on sudden impulse, she blurted defiantly: "_I_
took them--_I_ took them, of course!"

"_You_ took them!" Vance repeated skeptically. "What else did you
take besides the Istar necklace, Miss Ella?"

"I don't know just what--some loose stones."

"How did you get into the Gem Room?"

"I found the door unlocked."

"Oh, come now, Miss Ella. Mr. Rexon's not in the habit of leaving
the Gem-Room door unlocked."

"I found it unlocked," she insisted.

"And once inside the room, what did you do?" "I opened two of the
cases."

Vance laughed softly. "You found those unlocked, too?"

She drew up with a start. Tears formed in her eyes.

"Then I--I--broke them," she stammered.

"I see, Miss Ella. Then you won't mind coming with me to the Manor
to tell Mr. Rexon all about it?"

"No." She swallowed hard. "I won't mind."

Old Jed looked from Vance to the girl and back to Vance. He furrowed
his brow in an attempt to concentrate.

"Mr. Vance," the girl asked timidly, "will Miss Joan have to know
about it? And--and--Richard?"

"I'm afraid so," said Vance. "But perhaps not at once, my dear. Are
you ready to go?"

Vance pocketed the necklace and accompanied the girl from the cabin.
Again he took the footpath by which we had come. He made no further
mention of the missing gems. Instead he asked: "Bassett been making
himself objectionable again?"

She kept her eyes straight ahead. "It was nothing...Did Jed tell
you? ...I never saw Jed so angry. I think Mr. Bassett was really
frightened."

The rest of the walk was in silence.

Carrington Rexon was alone in the den. Ella Gunthar entered the room
as Vance held the door for her. She stepped to one side and stood
shyly with her back against the wall. Vance indicated a chair. The
girl looked from him to Rexon and came forward.

"Now, my dear," prompted Vance as she sat down.

She lowered her eyes, gripped the sides of the chair.

"Mr. Rexon, I--" She raised her head and then spoke very quickly.
"I took the emeralds."

"You _what_?" Rexon asked in astonishment.

"I took the emeralds," she repeated more slowly.

Rexon laughed bitterly in spite of himself.

"I can prove it!" she declared recklessly. She extended her hand to
Vance for the necklace. He brought it out, gave it to her. She
placed it diffidently on the desk beside her.

Rexon took it up eagerly, looked at it carefully. "The Istar
necklace! Ah!" Then shrewdly: "Where are the rest?"

The girl shook her head. "I won't tell you. I won't!" Her compressed
lips indicated unmistakably that she would say no more.

Rexon leaned back in his chair and studied the girl critically. Then
crisply: "And you're the girl my son wants to marry!"

Ella Gunthar's face suddenly flushed. Rexon's words had startled
her.

"Oh, yes, my dear young lady," Rexon continued coldly. "You didn't
think I knew of the affair that's been going on between you and
Richard. Miss Naesmith told me about it only last night--Miss
Naesmith, the girl I hoped would be his wife...Bah! After all I've
done for you! You're not content to steal the love of my only son.
You must take my emeralds too." He half rose in his anger. "I'm
almost glad this thing has happened. It will be well worth the loss
of the emeralds if I can save Richard..."

Vance stepped swiftly round the desk and put his hand on the older
man's shoulder. "My dear old friend, please! Don't turn a
disappointment into a tragedy."

Rexon relaxed under the persuasive pressure of Vance's hand.

Tears flooded Ella Gunthar's eyes. Vance came to her side.

"Poor child," he said soothingly, "don't you think this tragic farce
has gone far enough? It's time for the truth now--all the truth you
know. We're in the dark. We want your help. Some terrible forces are
at work in the Manor here. Some dangerous criminal perhaps. You can
help those you love only by telling us the truth. Will you?"

She took a deep breath, dried her eyes. "Yes, I will," she said with
unexpected determination.

Vance sat down beside her. "Then tell me first: Whom are you trying
to shield with this foolish tale of theft?"

"I--I don't know exactly. But it seemed that everyone I love had
suddenly been caught in an awful trap. Poor Jed, whom you caught
with the necklace; my father, whom I knew that police officer
suspected of all sorts of things; and, somehow, Richard...And it
was all mixed up in some horrible way with that night on the cliff
when poor Lief was killed. I--I--it was all confusion. And it seemed
that only I could help."

She buried her face in her hands, but when she looked up again her
eyes were still dry.

"And I had to try to help them without knowing how to go about it;
for I _really_ didn't know...Only little things, here and there,
that didn't seem to fit together."

"You poor child," murmured Vance again. "But please tell us what you
do know--all the little things--anything that may come to your mind.
Maybe it will help us all--especially those you love most."

"Oh, I'll try! I'll try!" She spoke eagerly and braced herself.
"Perhaps you think, Mr. Vance, that I insisted on going to the
inquest Friday merely as an overcurious child."

"No," returned Vance. "Naturally, I've pondered the point. But no
opinion."

"Well, anyway, you know all that I heard there. I think that jury was
just anxious to get a bad job off their hands." (I could see that Vance
was amazed at the sagacity indicated by her remark.) "And I've heard
other things, too, Mr. Vance. I've heard the workmen saying it's strange
that my father should have been the one to find Lief Wallen's body.
...Guy Darrup is still saying I should have married Lief.--Can a girl
help it if she doesn't love a man?--Then I've heard my father say it's
strange that Jed should have known just which way to go that morning.
Jed, who wouldn't harm a fly! ...I've heard that my father wasn't home
at midnight on the night Lief died, and that it made things look pretty
dark for him ...Well, _I_ wasn't at home at midnight either! Does that
mean _I_ killed Lief Wallen?..."

She broke off.

"I'm sorry if I sound all mixed up," she resumed. "But it's because
I feel all mixed up...A little before twelve that night I came
here. Richard asked me to. We hadn't had a chance to speak alone
together all day. We were to meet at a favorite tree we have up
behind the pavilion. I waited and waited. But Richard didn't come.
And then I heard him talking to somebody.--He was angry, I think.
But he must have gone back inside. That's when I went running down
past the pavilion crying. Just as Guy Darrup said I did. But he
didn't know the reason."

She paused and looked at Vance, then at Rexon.

"Anything more?" Vance gave her a searching glance.

"Haven't I said enough?" Her voice sounded weary.

"You haven't told us where you got the necklace."

"Must I?"

"It might help to clear up a deucedly involved situation, don't y'
know."

"All right. But my father didn't take it!" She looked defiantly at
Rexon. "I found it lying on the floor near the window in the
dressing room reserved for me at the pavilion last night. I was
going to return it to Mr. Rexon. But then Richard told me what had
happened. I was afraid I'd be asked questions. I knew father was in
the pavilion yesterday. Jed brought my costume up there for me.
Father locked the room--to keep the surprise--and gave me the key. I
was afraid to do anything with the necklace until I had time to
think what would be best. And that's why I took it to Jed's cabin
and hid it in my little music box...But my father didn't take it!
And Old Jed didn't take it either! ..."

Carrington Rexon looked profoundly disturbed and perplexed. Vance
placed his hands on Ella Gunthar's shoulders and was about to raise
her from the chair.

A knock on the door was followed by Higgins ushering in Lieutenant
O'Leary with a plainclothes man in his wake.



CHAPTER XIII

THE SECOND MURDER

(_Sunday, January 19; 11 a.m._)

O'Leary looked from Vance to the girl in the chair and then at the
necklace spread on the desk before Rexon.

"Where did that come from, sir?" he inquired bluntly.

Vance briefly repeated the girl's account of the finding of the
necklace.

"A likely story." O'Leary's tone was sarcastic...

The telephone rang. Rexon answered. Then: "It's from New York,
Vance--for you. Private line, this. Perfectly safe. Go ahead." He
pushed the instrument across the desk.

O'Leary drew his officer aside and spoke earnestly to him while
Vance was at the telephone.

"...What caused the delay, Sergeant?"

Vance was saying. "Ah, records in Washington...I see...take it
word for word..." He reached for paper and pencil. He wrote out a
dictated message. I recognized the excitement under his calm
demeanor as he worked quickly. "Thorough as always, Sergeant." He
spoke with satisfaction as he threw down the pencil. "That gives me
just what I need...No. Not necess'ry for you to come. Many
thanks...."

He pushed the phone back and stood up. He sighed. He folded the
message he had written out, and placed it in his pocket. He sat down
again and lighted a _Régie_. "Well, Lieutenant?"

O'Leary came back to Ella Gunthar's chair. "I've kept my promise to
you, sir." He was calm, unofficious. "I've waited, as you asked me
to. Now I have no choice but to arrest this girl and her father. I
think you will agree, sir. I brought this man for the purpose." He
hesitated. "Unless you have additional information that will alter
my decision."

"I think I have, Lieutenant." Vance turned to the girl in the chair.
"Would you join Miss Joan on the veranda, Miss Ella?"

"I'm sorry, sir." O'Leary held up his hand peremptorily. "I don't
believe I can allow that."

"Oh, I say! Then send your man with her. Perfectly safe,
Lieutenant."

O'Leary scowled, but complied. The girl walked slowly from the room,
followed by the husky Winewood constable.

"Thanks no end." Vance tossed his cigarette into the grate.
"Lieutenant, I promised you additional information. Here it is." He
brought forth the folded paper from his pocket, and passed it to
O'Leary.

The Lieutenant unfolded it, glanced at it with quickly moving eyes,
then read it aloud: "Whisky glass submitted shows clear prints of
Jasper Biset. Description also corresponds. Biset reputed head of
international organization of high-pressure jewel thieves. Generally
keeps in background. No cause for criminal action against him
available. Better known abroad, but would be recognized here. Last
tabbed in Saint Moritz, Switzerland."

O'Leary looked up blankly.

"Let me explain further." Vance spoke. "On my first evening here I
saw a face. Strangely familiar. Vague association. With Amsterdam.
There were eyebrows meeting above the nose. Like a black shaft. But
the face wasn't right. No. Something missin'. Should have been a
mustache. Bristly. However...Mustaches come and go. On impulse, I
took the glass from which the gentleman had been imbibing too much
Bourbon. Sent it, with note and general description, to New York
police. Hopin'...That's the verbatim report. Just received."

"Who is Jasper Biset?" O'Leary's voice was tinged with exasperation.

"Gent known to police as Jasper Biset is here under preferable name
of Jacques Bassett. Guest of the Manor. More specifically of Mr.
Richard Rexon."

Carrington Rexon gave a start but said nothing.

"Then you think he's the one--" began O'Leary.

"Don't know, Lieutenant. Those are all the facts I have. Bein'
honest. Keepin' an open mind. Like yourself. But a chat with
Biset--Bassett is clearly indicated--eh, what? Shall we do it here?"

O'Leary, somewhat dazed and uncertain, nodded.

Vance turned to Rexon. "Will you have the gentleman summoned, sir?"

Rexon, frowning deeply, rang. Higgins appeared and was given
instructions. Vance paced up and down the room. He lighted a fresh
_Régie_. The Lieutenant stood stoically at the window. He fumbled
with his pipe.

Higgins returned. "Sorry, sir. Mr. Bassett is not in his room."

"Well, can't you find him, man?" Rexon showed impatience.

"It would seem, sir, the gentleman hasn't been in his room all
night."

"Oh, my word!" Vance stood perfectly still, his cigarette halfway to
his lips. "Are you sure, Higgins?"

"I knocked on the door, sir. No one answered. The door was unlocked,
and I looked in, sir. The bed hasn't been slept in all night. I
checked with the chambermaid, sir."

A groan escaped from Rexon.

O'Leary stood up, aggressively indignant. "I felt we should have
acted sooner, Mr. Vance."

Vance ignored the implied reprimand. "Higgins, call the garage."

The butler dialed three numbers, handed the instrument to Vance.

"Any car been taken out this morning?" Vance waited a moment. "And
last night?" ...He put the telephone down. "Every car cozily in its
place. Curious. Suppose we toddle up to the gentleman's boudoir."

The room showed no sign of disorder. One closet held a number of
suits neatly arranged on their hangers. The other disclosed a grey
topcoat, a tan one, two or three robes, and several pairs of shoes.
Three hats rested on an upper shelf. From the closets Vance went to
the bureau, inspected the drawers. These were neatly filled with the
customary accessories of a man of taste. A trunk stood in one corner
of the room with a matching bag beside it. Vance opened these, found
them empty.

"Can't see that we'll learn anything here." He took in every detail
of the room. "Suggest we go down to Winewood. Confab with the
station master might prove illuminatin'."

The Lieutenant's small car was parked outside the veranda. O'Leary
turned toward it as we came down the steps.

"Oh, I say!" Vance checked him. "Please! Mind functions more
efficiently at lesser speed. Let's go on foot. If you don't mind."

O'Leary shrugged. We continued to the end of the pathway, swung into
the vehicle road leading through the estate to the county highway.
The fresh layer of snow was unmarred but for a single set of tire
tracks marking the Lieutenant's arrival an hour or two earlier.

Vance lighted a cigarette. We trudged along.

"Not every day one has the opportunity to lay his hands on a
murderer." O'Leary spoke glumly. "Too bad if he's got away."

"Oh, yes. Quite. Very sad. But I'm not convinced the man is a
murderer. My own observations contraindicative. No. Not the type
that deals in murder. Too suave. Wouldn't bloody his hands."

"Then you don't think he killed Wallen in an earlier attempt to get
at the emeralds?" O'Leary seemed surprised.

"No--oh, no. As I said. Not the type. However..."

"But you admit he's gone off now with the gems?"

"My dear Lieutenant! I admit nothing. Just lookin' round at present.
Strivin' to learn."

"That throws us back on Eric Gunthar. Has he been asked to account
for himself during yesterday's incident?"

"No. Not yet. Good thought, however. I'll speak with him later.
'Where were you on the night?' And all that sort of thing. Might
help. Might not..." Vance flung the end of his cigarette aside.

We had just passed through the large gates and taken perhaps a
hundred paces on the highway toward Winewood.

O'Leary brought out his pipe. "The car would have been quicker--"

"Quicker. Yes." Vance stopped abruptly. "But not as productive of
results...Look yonder, Lieutenant."

He directed our gaze into a clump of trees at one side of the
roadway, just beneath the towering wall of the Rexon estate. An
irregular mound of snow, with patches of black here and there, ended
in a pair of patent leather shoes.

"Might have driven right past that, don't y' know." Vance stepped
through the undergrowth. O'Leary followed in abashed silence.

As we came nearer, the mass resolved itself into the outlines of a
hunched human form, one arm twisted crazily under the torso; the
other extended straight from the shoulder.

"That, I opine, is our missing jewel expert." Vance spoke solemnly.
He approached the figure, turned the face upward.

It was Jacques Bassett, in the evening attire in which I had last
seen him the previous night. Now he wore a black Chesterfield as
well. Vance bent down, examined the body more closely. A streak of
sticky, darkened snow above the right ear caught his attention.

"Same like Wallen, Lieutenant. Not a nice business. Not at all a
nice business. No."

"You're right, sir. Too much like Wallen. Same kind of wound. I
don't like it either, sir...Been dead long, would you say?"
O'Leary asked as Vance rose.

"Eight or ten hours. But, my word, Lieutenant! I'm not the Medical
Examiner. Should have Quayne here. Shall I stagger back to the Manor
and phone your Aesculapius, or would you prefer to do the chore
while I wait here?"

"No need for you to stay here, sir." O'Leary was respectful. "I'll
remain. If you'll be good enough to phone Doctor Quayne."

"Gladly, Lieutenant...By the by, ..." Vance hesitated. "Could you
tell me if the emeralds are in the gentleman's attire?"

"Really shouldn't do it, sir. Against regulations." O'Leary knelt
down as he spoke and made a swift examination of Bassett's pockets.
He rose. "No emeralds, sir. Just the usual." Then he added quickly,
"You see what this means, sir?"

Vance looked at the other from the corner of his eye. "You're far
too clever for this bailiwick, Lieutenant."

"I like it here...It does throw the case back on Eric Gunthar
harder than ever--doesn't it, sir?"

Vance nodded. "I'm afraid it does--theoretically. But surely,
Lieutenant, you don't believe--"

"I'm not paid to believe things, sir. I'm paid to follow facts."
O'Leary drew on his pipe. "And I'm afraid I'll have to go through
with the arrest of Gunthar and his daughter. I'm telling you now,
sir. I want to be fair."

"I understand, Lieutenant." Turning away, Vance retraced his steps
to the Manor.

On the veranda a few of the guests were talking animatedly. Joan
Rexon had gone indoors. Ella Gunthar sat apart from the others,
looking listlessly toward the rink. She was still guarded rather
ludicrously by the Winewood constable. Vance approached her.

"Listen carefully, my dear. There's real danger for you and your
father. I need your help. You and I must work together. We'll get
rid of the nightmare: Here's what I want you to do. Get your skates
and skating costume. Tell your father Mr. Rexon would like to see
him in his den. And Old Jed too, if you can find him. This gentleman
will accompany you."--Vance indicated the constable.--"Then you are
to come back here to the rink and skate as if everything you ever
wanted depended on it. Keep all the guests interested. Keep them
away from the house at any cost. Skate until I give you the signal
to stop. In the meantime, I'll be working hard for you and your
father. Understand?"

The girl's lips quivered. Then she raised her chin and looked Vance
straight in the eye. "I'll do everything you ask." There was
determination, submission, heroism, in her voice. She turned toward
the pavilion, the burly officer close behind her.

Vance started for the den. Carlotta Naesmith ran up inquisitively,
as if to ask a question.

Vance held up his hand. "Not now, please. I have an urgent favor to
ask of you. All the guests must be kept out here. Away from the
house. Ella Gunthar is going to skate for them. You've hurt her
much. She's suffering now. Be kind."

Before Miss Naesmith could answer, Vance continued to the den.

He found Carrington Rexon still alone there and briefly told him of
the new developments.

The man sank dejectedly into a chair. "Another death!" he groaned
miserably. "And the emeralds?"

"Not on him. May still be recovered."

Vance reached for the telephone. He called Quayne, apprised him of
the situation, and informed him just where he would find Lieutenant
O'Leary waiting by Bassett's body.

"What do you make of it all, Vance?" asked Rexon as the other sat
down opposite.

"Nothing yet, old friend. Tryin' to add things up. Must make a
simple sum eventually...Would you ask your housekeeper to come
here, please? A few queries I'd like to put to her."

Rexon telephoned the request.

Vance rose with suppressed nervousness and went to the window. He
lighted a cigarette. At length he turned and faced his host.

"I've a feeling that somewhere this morning I've missed something.
Of no importance. Bothers me no end, though. Something unconsciously
waited for. Hasn't happened..."



CHAPTER XIV

SKATING FOR TIME

(_Sunday, January 19; 1:15 p.m._)

Marcia Bruce came in, dignified and composed. Vance drew up a chair
for her.

"We have a few questions to put to you, Miss Bruce," he began
tentatively.

"Nothing here surprises me any more," the housekeeper returned
philosophically. "I'll do my best to answer."

"You know, of course, that several of the emeralds have been stolen
from the Gem Room?"

"Mr. Rexon has informed me of it. That surprises me less than
anything else. I'll be glad to be free of the atmosphere surrounding
those stones."

"What do you mean, Bruce?" interposed Rexon.

"I might as well tell you, sir. You'll have to know sooner or later.
I'm resigning immediately, sir. And leaving here for good in about a
week--maybe sooner."

"Resigning! Leaving! But why, Bruce?"

The woman blushed. "Doctor Quayne has done me the honor of asking me
to marry him."

Vance smiled pleasantly. "Well, well! That would have been last
evening--eh, what, Miss Bruce? Just before you came for Miss Joan."

The woman seemed startled. "How could you know that?"

"Lovelight in a woman's eyes. I saw the signs. May I be the first to
congratulate you."

"And I too, am delighted to hear it, Bruce..." Rexon's voice
trailed off. Then, "But couldn't you stay on? Joan would miss
you..."

"And I'll be sorry to leave Miss Joan, sir. But Loomis--that is, the
doctor--wants to leave Winewood. He finds it increasingly difficult
to manage here--what with two younger men making such inroads on his
practice."

"Where does he plan to go?"

"I'm not quite sure yet, sir. He mentioned the possibility of going
abroad."

Rexon nodded resignedly. "I understand. I understand. I imagine it
_is_ getting a hard row for Quayne to hoe. But, Gad! I'll miss him.
And you too, Bruce."

"To get back to less pleasant matters, Miss Bruce." Vance seated
himself on the arm of a chair. "You must have been down on the lower
floor here yesterday about noon."

"I was. I was down most of the morning, seeing about meals, and--"

"Did you see Eric Gunthar here?"

"I noticed him hovering outside the rear entrance. But I don't know
whether he came into the house."

"Did you see Old Jed?"

"That hermit! He never comes near the house, sir."

"Well, can you remember any one you did specifically see? Out in the
hall there, or near the Gem Room?"

"So many of the guests were up and down." She hesitated a moment, as
if to collect her thoughts. "Mr. Richard dashed through the hall
once or twice. I think I saw his foreign-looking friend, too. And
that treasure-hunting gentleman was hovering around. I don't know
whether he was waiting for Miss Naesmith, or what. And I saw Doctor
Quayne, though I didn't have a chance to speak to him." She seemed
avid for any excuse to mention the man's name.

"Was that when he arrived in the morning?" Vance asked.

"No. It was when he was leaving. He had stayed longer than usual and
he was late. I remember the noon siren had blown a few minutes
earlier--"

Vance sprang to his feet and held up his hand for silence. A
far-away look came into his eyes. He paced back and forth nervousl