ar Fandor! I know only too well that you would not take
'no' for an answer."

"And you are right. I beg of you to give me some details, not as regards
Thomery's death, for I have already made my little investigation
touching that; but as to how the police managed to find the poor man's
body."

"In the easiest way in the world. Monsieur Thomery's servants were very
much astonished yesterday morning, when they could not find their master
in the house.

"After eleven, Thomery's absence from the Bourse gave rise to
disquieting rumors. He had some big deals to put through, therefore his
absence could only be accounted for in one way--he had had an accident
of some sort.

"Naturally enough, they warned Headquarters, and at once I suspected
there might be a little scandal of some sort.... You guess that I
immediately went myself to Thomery's house?... I examined his papers;
and I found by chance three receipts for the rent of a flat, in the name
of Monsieur Durand, rue Lecourbe. One of them was of recent date. I, of
course, sent one of my men to ascertain who lived there! This man
learned from the portress that there was a new tenant there, who had not
yet moved in with his furniture; but who, the evening before, had
brought in a heavy trunk.... My man went up to this flat, and had the
door opened. You know under what conditions he found Thomery's dead
body."

"And you did not find indications which went to show why Monsieur
Thomery committed suicide?"

"Committed suicide?... When a financier disappears, my Fandor, one is
always tempted to cry 'suicide'; but, this time, I confess to you that I
do not think it was anything of the kind!..."

"Because?"

"Because"--and Monsieur Havard bent his head. "Well, when I reached the
scene of the crime I immediately thought that we were not face to face
with a suicide. A man who wishes to kill himself, and to kill himself
because of money affairs, a man like Thomery, does not feel the
necessity of committing suicide in a little flat rented under a false
name, and in front of a trunk, which you know, do you not, belonged to
Mademoiselle Dollon! One might swear that everything was arranged
expressly to make anyone believe that Thomery had strangled himself,
after having stolen the trunk, for some unknown reason!"

"You did not find any kind of clue?"

"Yes, indeed! And you know it as well as I do, for I have no doubt the
extraordinary event has been the gossip of the neighbour