ave intimidated them?" ventured Greig.

"Sure!" joined the coroner. "And the men may now be ashamed of their
cowardice."

"That wouldn't have prevented them giving the alarm after the murderer
left," declared Britz. "No, coroner, no one saw the slayer enter or
leave. In fact, he did not enter through the door."

"Then how did he get in?" demanded the coroner. "Through the wall? Or
did he fire through the ceiling or floor?"

"As I said before, there is no secret panel in this room," was Britz's
rejoinder.

"Then you believe Mr. Whitmore committed suicide?" suddenly fired the
coroner.

"No."

"He might have committed suicide, and the clerks, out of regard for
their employer, substituted pistols in order to make it appear like
murder," joined Greig.

"Perhaps," replied Britz. "Relatives and friends frequently endeavor to
give a case of suicide the aspect of murder."

"But you don't really believe it of this case?" asked the coroner.

"I do not," confessed Britz.

"Then your theory must be that some invisible person fired a silent
shot"--the coroner paused a moment, then as if struck by a sudden
thought--"of course, a Maxim muffler might have deadened the sound of
the pistol."

"The office boy would have heard the click of the hammer," interposed
Britz.

The coroner repressed with difficulty the smile that struggled to his
lips.

"Lieutenant," he said disparagingly, "you don't attribute this crime to
the work of spirits, do you?"

"No," laughed Britz. "Spirits don't murder people outside of story
books. No ghostly significance attaches to the murder of Mr. Whitmore."

"Well, what is your theory?" demanded the coroner.

"I haven't any--as yet. I shall wait until I'm in possession of more
facts before formulating one. Of this I am certain, however. Mr.
Whitmore came down here to-day expecting to meet death. In fact, he had
prepared himself for it by destroying or secreting all his personal
papers. More than that I am not prepared to say at present."

"Is there anything further that I can do?"

"Nothing, coroner, beyond ordering an immediate autopsy."

"Very well," replied the coroner, preparing to go. He was about to step
out of the room when his footsteps were halted by an approaching figure
that tore down the aisle as if under the stress of great excitement. The
figure did not pause at the door but brushed past the official, halting
abruptly before the body of the slain man.

"Dead!" he moaned,