tained the gun
until he had a chance to dispose of it on his way to his hotel in
Hamilton."

Dundee shook his head. "I'd like to agree, chief, but I believe Lydia is
telling the truth. She says she was in the upstairs bedroom with Sprague
and remained behind only two or three minutes at most, to put his
shaving kit into the packed bag, and to clean up the bathroom basin. On
her way down the backstairs she says she heard Lois Dunlap's second ring
and went to answer it. Sprague and Janet Raymond, with whom Janet says
he stopped to talk a minute on the front porch, were in the dining room
_before_ Lydia entered it.... I'm convinced Lydia hates Sprague and
would be glad to believe him guilty.... No, Mr. Sanderson, I don't
believe Sprague did it, but I do believe it was Sprague's revenge that
Nita was afraid of when she made her will Friday night. Naturally she
figured she'd have time to tell the person she was blackmailing that she
was through with him--or her, but I believe Sprague and Nita were
lovers, even partners in blackmail, and that she feared he would kill
her when he knew she was going to marry Ralph Hammond and give up their
source of income."

Sanderson considered for a long minute, pulling at his full lower lip.
"Well, thank God for those precious footprints Strawn is building on!
Don't think I fail to follow your reasoning that the crime _must_ have
been committed in the bedroom, and not from the window sill, but those
footprints may save us yet, and will certainly get us through the
inquest. You agree, of course, that none of all this you've told me must
even be hinted at during the inquest?... Good! Let's be going. It's
nearly ten."

Dundee's whole soul revolted at the very thought of the barbaric farce
of an inquest--the small morgue chapel crowded to the doors with
goggle-eyed, blood-loving humanity; the stretcher with its sheeted
corpse; reporters avid of sensation and primed with questions which, if
answered by indiscreet witnesses, would defeat the efforts of police and
district attorney; news photographers with their insatiable cameras
aimed at every person connected with the case in any way.

Mercifully, this particular inquest upon the body of Juanita Leigh Selim
promised to be quickly over. For Coroner Price, in conference with
Sanderson, Dundee and Captain Strawn, had gladly agreed to call only
those witnesses and extract from them only such information as the
authorities deemed advisable.