ht have caused death; for the skull was badly fractured, and vital
organs had been pierced by the dagger, which the papers called it,
though it really was a paper cutter of foreign make.

King and Darcy were not, as yet, formally, arrested, being "detained,"
merely, at police headquarters as witnesses, though there was no
question but that suspicion was cast on both. Under the law a formal
charge must be made against them within twenty-four hours, and unless
this was done King's lawyer threatened to bring _habeas corpus_
proceedings for his client.

"Oh, there'll be a charge made before then all right," said Thong
easily, when the legal shyster had, with threatening finger under the
detective's nose, made much of this point. "I'm not saying it will be
against your man, Mr. Fussell, but there'll be a charge made all right."

It is needless to say that both suspected men protested they knew
nothing about the killing. King was frank enough--sober now--to say he
had been drunk all night--spending the hours with boon companions in a
notorious resort, a statement which seemed capable enough of proof.

Darcy told over and over again how he had come downstairs to find his
relative stretched on the floor of the shop, and, aside from that
little restless period of the night, he had heard no disturbance.
Sallie Page could tell nothing, the maid was out of the city, and none
of the clerks knew more of what had happened than they were told.

Playing up Darcy's story, Daley and some of the other reporters
speculated on whether or not a burglar might have entered the store,
leaving no trace of his uncanny skill, and, in his wanderings about the
place, have entered Darcy's room. He might even have attempted to
chloroform the jewelry worker, it was suggested, and perhaps did,
slightly. Then, descending to the store, the intruder might have
started to loot the safe when he was disturbed by Mrs. Darcy, who may
have come down to see what the unusual noise was.

Such, at least, was a theory, and one several took stock in. At any
rate Darcy, after having been aroused, by what he knew not, had gone to
sleep again, only to awaken to hurry down to do the repair work on the
watch of the East Indian--the watch that was found so uncannily ticking
in the otherwise silent jewelry store, clasped in the hand of the dead
woman. It was mentioned that Singa Phut was being kept under
observation, though no suspicion attached to him.

Darcy h