ame when
he became dummy, and to go to the trophy room and wait there until the
murderer had a chance to slip away and appear beneath the window.
Sprague had been promised that, when he raised the screen at a tap or a
whispered request, a roll of bills would be handed to him, but--he
received a bullet instead."

"And which one of your six suspects have you picked on?" Strawn asked
sarcastically.

"That's just the trouble. There are still six," Dundee acknowledged with
a wry grin. "After Sprague's disappearance, every one of the six was
absent from the porch at one time or another.... No, by George! There
are _seven_ suspects now! I was about to forget Peter Dunlap, who admits
he was alone on a fishing trip when Nita was murdered and who left the
porch last night to go to the library, as soon as Sprague arrived!... As
for the movements of the original six after Sprague disappeared: Polly
Beale took a walk about the grounds; Flora Miles went upstairs to hunt
for Karen Marshall, and was gone more than ten minutes; Drake went to
the dining room to get the refreshments, and no one can say exactly how
long he was gone; Judge Marshall went up to get his wife, and had time
to make a little trip on the side; Janet Raymond walked over from her
home, and passed that very window, arriving after Sprague had
disappeared; and, finally, Clive Hammond arrived alone in his car, which
he parked within a few feet of that window. This morning he gets
married----"

"A telegram, sir!" interrupted a plainclothesman, who had entered
without knocking.

Strawn snatched at it, read it, then exulted: "Read this, boy! I guess
_this_ settles the business!"

The telegram had been filed half an hour before and was from the city
editor of _The New York Evening Press_:

"WORKING ON YOUR THEORY OF NEW YORK GUNMAN RESPONSIBLE MURDERS OF
JUANITA LEIGH SELIM AND DEXTER SPRAGUE THIS PAPER HAS DISCOVERED
THAT SELIM WOMAN WAS SEEN AT NIGHT CLUBS SEVERAL TIMES DURING
JANUARY FEBRUARY WITH QUOTE SWALLOW TAIL SAMMY END QUOTE UNDERWORLD
NAME FOR SAM SAVELLI STOP SAVELLI TAKEN FOR RIDE TUESDAY APRIL
TWENTY SECOND TWO DAYS AFTER SELIM WOMAN LEFT NEW YORK STOP POLICE
HERE WORKING ON THEORY SAVELLI SLAIN BY OWN GANG AFTER THEY WERE
TIPPED OFF SAVELLI WAS DOUBLE CROSSING THEM STOP IN EXCHANGE FOR
THIS TIP CAN YOU GIVE US ANY SUPPRESSED INFORMATION YOUR POSSESSION
STOP SAVELLI HAD BROTHER WHO IS KNOWN TO US TO HAV