e, I had the fun of being flower girl for Lois
and Flora both."

"Do you think Flora was really in love with Tracey?" Dundee asked
curiously.

"Oh, yes! But she'd have been in love with anyone who wanted to
marry her, and the funny thing is that, with the exception of Peter
and Lois, they are the happiest married couple I have ever known.... You
see, Tracey has never got over being flattered that so pretty and
passionate a girl as Flora Hackett wanted _him_!... And that's why I
laughed!... Tracey, with that deep-rooted sexual inferiority complex of
his, would have been so flattered if Flora had told him she killed Nita
out of jealousy that he would have forgiven her on the spot. On the other
hand," she went on, "if Flora had told him that Nita had documentary
proofs of some frightful scandal against her, can't you see how
violently Tracey would have reacted against her?... Oh, no! Tracey would
not have taken the trouble to murder Sprague, when Sprague popped up for
more blackmail!"

"Perhaps he might have, if the scandal dated back to before the
marriage," Dundee argued. "Let's suppose Sprague did pop up, and Flora
turned him over to Tracey. When Sprague appeared apparently uninvited
last night, Flora must have been on pins and needles, trying to make
Tracey treat him decently and hoping against hope that Tracey would
simply pay the scoundrel all the blackmail he was demanding----"

"Which is exactly what Tracey would have done, instead of taking the
awful risk of murdering him in his own home," Penny cut in spiritedly.
"Besides, Tracey wasn't gone from the porch long enough to go outside,
signal to Sprague in the trophy room, shoot him when Sprague raised the
screen, and then hide the gun. I told you Tracey was gone only about a
minute when he went to see if Sprague's hat and stick were gone from the
closet."

"Did Tracey and Flora both step outside to see their guests into their
cars?" Dundee asked suddenly.

"Tracey did," Penny answered. "Flora told us all good night in the
living room, then ran upstairs to see if Betty was still asleep.... But
remember we didn't leave until midnight, and Dr. Price says Sprague was
killed between nine and eleven last night."

"Dr. Price would be the first to grant a leeway of an hour, one way or
another," Dundee told her. "Of course, if Tracey did kill him, he let
Flora believe that he had given Sprague the blackmail money he was
demanding. For it is inconceivable that a wom