the resulting excitement. And if Nita had been
wounded only, living to tell how the shot was fired, Miles would have
committed suicide then and there."

"What if Nita had not asked him to mix cocktails or had not gone to
powder her face?" Strawn asked.

"The whole party was going to dine and dance at the Country Club.
Miles would have escorted her home, as he had done on Monday night, when
Nita had probably made her last demand. He could have counted on Nita's
going into her bedroom to powder her face, even if he had had to tell
her that her nose was shiny, and would himself then have gone to the
dining room, on the excuse that he needed a drink before discussing
'business'.... But I must tell you that on Saturday morning, according
to the telephone operator in Miles' office, into whom I put the fear of
the Lord and the law when I interviewed her this morning, Nita rang Miles
to say she must see him as soon as possible, her unexpressed intention
being to tell him that she was not going to make him come across again.
Miles--the telephone operator confessed to having listened-in on the
Whole conversation--told her he would be right out, but Nita said she and
Lydia were going into Hamilton and would not be back until 2:30--the
time the bridge game was scheduled to begin. That was the opportunity
Miles had been praying for, and he came on out, having previously stolen
the gun and silencer and having studied this house--"

"How had he got in?" Sanderson wanted to know.

"Judge Marshall had lent him a key in February, when Miles wanted to
show the house to an engaged young man in his offices, and Miles had
neglected to return it.... Well, when he arrived, he found Ralph Hammond
here, and had to leave, waiting at a safe distance, probably, until the
coast was clear about one o'clock. Even so, he had more than an hour to
do his carefully planned job.... _Nita had to die!_ Miles could not
continue to pay her large sums of money, since he was really only an
employe of Flora's. Everything he held dear in the world was threatened.
He loved Flora, he adored his children, and he could not give up the
luxury and social position which his bigamous marriage with Flora----"

"Why didn't he make a clean breast of the whole mess to Flora, since he
had not married her until he believed Nita Leigh was dead?" Sanderson
interrupted.

"You must remember that Flora was carrying on a violent flirtation with
Sprague--'vamping' him to get th