ard no shot, although the door
stood open all the while the merchant was in the office. Somebody has
secreted the pistol with which the shooting was done and it might be
well to search all the clerks."

"That would be a useless procedure," replied Britz. "There is no
conspiracy of silence. If those men outside could shed any light on the
crime, they would do so eagerly. The murderer could not have enjoined
silence on thirty or thirty-five men. No, they have told all they know.
You may permit them to enjoy their lunch."

Although the coroner was the ranking official, his respect for Britz's
judgment was such that he invariably followed the latter's suggestions.
So he informed the clerks they could leave the building at will.

While the coroner was in the big room addressing the employes, Britz
suddenly walked to the chair in which the murdered man still sat
huddled. Bending down, he picked up something long and shiny, which the
others had overlooked. It was a long darning needle, and the detective,
after examining it an instant under the electric light, slipped it into
a leather card case. He did not mention what he had found to the
coroner, when the latter returned.

"Greig," said Britz to his bulky companion, "go out and fetch a
step-ladder. Let us examine the walls and ceiling."

Greig hastened out of the office, returning in a few minutes with the
ladder. The two detectives devoted half an hour to sounding the walls
and ceiling, while the coroner wrote out the necessary permit for the
removal of the body.

"Everything is absolutely solid," declared Britz, when he had finished
his examination. "There are no panels in the wall through which the
assassin might have entered."

"That's what I thought," beamed the coroner. "The murderer entered and
left through the door. And some of those clerks, if not all of them,
must have seen him--or her. I tell you they're in a conspiracy to shield
the murderer."

Britz extended a hand toward the glass partition.

"Look down this room," he said. "The murderer, presuming it was a man,
must have passed down this long aisle into the office. Then, it was
necessary to repeat the journey in order to escape. Had there been a
conspiracy, then those thirty clerks must have remained quietly at their
desks while the assassin walked out of the room. Do you believe these
men would have permitted him to escape?"

"Suppose he carried the pistol in his hand, don't you believe he could
h