get hold of it and
kill Sprague last night."

"Why not let us suppose that Tracey himself killed Sprague to protect
his wife, not only from scandal, but from a charge of murder?" Dundee
countered. "Tell me honestly: do you think Tracey Miles loves Flora
enough to do that for her?"

Suddenly, inexplicably, Penny began to laugh--not hysterically, but with
genuine mirth.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

"What are you laughing at?" Dundee demanded indignantly, but the
sustained ringing of the telephone bell checked Penny Crain's mirthful
laughter. "My Chicago call!... Hello!... Yes, this is Dundee.... All
right, but make it snappy, won't you?... Hello, Mr. Sanderson! How is
your mother?... That's fine! I certainly hope--Yes, the inquest is
slated for tomorrow morning, but there's no use your leaving your mother
to come back for it.... Yes, sir, one important new development. Can you
hear me plainly?... Then hold the line a moment, please!"

With the receiver still at his ear, Dundee fumbled in his pocket for a
folded sheet of paper. "No, operator! We're not through! Please keep off
the line.... Listen, chief!" he addressed the district attorney at the
other end of the long distance wire. "This is a telegram Captain Strawn
received this afternoon from the city editor of The New York Evening
Press.... Can you hear me?... All right!" and he read slowly, repeating
when necessary.

When he had finished reading the telegram, he listened for a long
minute, but not with so much concentration that he could not grin at
Penny's wide-eyed amazement and joy. "That's what I think, sir!" he
cried jubilantly. "I'd like to take the five o'clock train for New York
and work on the case from that end till we actually get our teeth into
something.... Thanks a lot, and my best wishes for your mother!"

"Why didn't you tell me about this 'Swallow-tail Sammy'?" Penny demanded
indignantly. "Tormenting me with your silly theory about poor Flora and
Tracey, when all the time you knew the case was practically solved--"

"I'm afraid I gave the district attorney a slightly false impression,"
Dundee interrupted, but there was no remorse in his shining blue eyes.
"But just so I get to New York--By the way, young woman, what _were_ you
laughing at so heartily? I didn't know I had made an amusing remark when
I asked you if you thought Tracey Miles loved his wife well enough to
commit murder for her."

Penny laughed again, white teeth and brown eyes