ver
seriously suspected your son of the Rivers murder, I had no idea that
McKenna was contemplating arresting him, and if I had, I would have
advised him against it. Besides causing annoyance to innocent people,
McKenna's made a serious tactical error. He was misled by appearances,
and he was afraid I'd break this case before he did, which I intend to
do." He turned to Karen Lawrence. "I talked to McKenna after you called
me; he as much as admitted making that arrest to get in ahead of me."

"I told you," Dorothy Gresham flashed at the others. "I knew Jeff
wouldn't stoop to anything as contemptible as pretending to be Pierre's
friend and then getting him arrested!"

Rand permitted himself a wry inward smile. He hoped she would not have an
opportunity to observe his stooping capabilities before he had finished
his various operations at Rosemont.

"I certainly hoped not." Mrs. Jarrett relaxed, smiling faintly at Rand.
"Pierre likes you, Colonel. I hated the thought that you might have
betrayed him. Are you working on the Rivers case, too?"

Rand nodded again, turning to Dot Gresham. "Your father retained me to
make an investigation," he said. "After that trouble he had with Rivers
about that spurious North & Cheney, he wanted the murderer caught before
somebody got around to accusing him."

"You mean there's a chance Dad might be suspected?" Dot was scared.

Rand nodded. The girl was beginning to look suspiciously at Karen and
Mrs. Jarrett. Getting ready to toss Pierre to the wolves if her father
were in danger, Rand suspected. He hastened to reassure her.

"Rivers was still alive when your father reached home, last evening," he
told her. "That's been established."

She breathed her obvious relief. If Gresham had left home after Rand's
departure with Philip Cabot, she didn't know it.

Karen, on the other hand, was growing more and more worried.

"Look, Colonel," she began. "They didn't just pull Pierre's name out of a
hat. They must have had something to suspect him about."

"Yes. You shouldn't have lied to McKenna. He checked up on your story;
the woman across the street told him about seeing Pierre leave here a
little before eleven and come back about half an hour later."

"I was afraid of that," Karen said. "I forgot all about that old hag.
There's nothing that can go on around here that she doesn't know about;
Pierre calls her Mrs. G2."

"And then," Rand continued, "McKenna claims that a car like Pierre'