the police, he would let something slip when the police came at him with
their hundreds of questions. We printed the letter to Scotland Yard, each
one doing a letter at a time. Hill took it with him, saying he would post
it on his way home.

"When he left, Fred and I sat there thinking. Suddenly it came to me as
clear as daylight that Hill had committed the murder, and had fixed up
things so as to throw suspicion on Fred. He must have known Sir Horace
was coming back from Scotland that night, and he had laid in wait for him
and shot him. Then he had come over to my flat in order to persuade Fred
to carry out the burglary, and direct suspicion to Fred for the murder,
if the police worried him. I told Fred what I thought, but he only
laughed at me and said I was talking nonsense. But I was right, for a
week afterwards the police came and arrested Fred at the flat."

"How did they get him?" asked Kemp.

"I saw them coming along the street from the window, and I pointed them
out to Fred. He tried to get away through the kitchen window along the
ledge and down the spouting. He almost got away, but one of the
detectives saw him before he reached the ground, and they dashed down
stairs and got him in the street. Next day I saw in the papers that Hill
had made an important statement to the police, and this had led to
Fred's arrest. Hill is the murderer, Kincher. The cunning, wicked,
treacherous villain told the police about Fred being up there. He wants
to see Fred hang in order to save his own neck." The girl's voice rose
to a shriek, and she sprang to her feet with blazing eyes. "Kincher,"
she cried, "you've got to help me put the rope round this wretch's neck.
Do you hear me?"

Kemp's impassivity was in marked contrast to the girl's hysterical
excitement.

"What do you want me to do?" he asked.

"Fred wants you to get up an alibi for him. He sent me over to ask you to
arrange it without delay. He wants you and two or three others to swear
that he was over here on the night of the murder. That will be sufficient
to get him off."

"Not me," said Kemp, shaking his head decidedly. "I won't do it; it's too
risky. The police have too many things against me for my word to be any
good as a witness. I'd only be landing myself in trouble for perjury
instead of helping Fred out of trouble. He ought to have got an alibi
ready before he was arrested. I told him at the inquest that he ought to
look after it, and he swore he'd not