Nelda let out an inarticulate howl of fury and sprang at him, nails
raking. Corporal Kavaalen caught her wrist before she could claw the
prisoner.

"That's enough, you!" he told her. "You stop that, or you'll spend a
night in jail yourself."

She jerked her arm loose from his grasp and flung out of the library. As
she went out, Gladys entered; Rand, who had been bringing up in the rear,
stepped down from the stairway.

"He confessed," he said softly. "We had to bluff it out of him, but he
came across. Sold the pistols to Carl Gwinnett. We're going, now, to pick
up Gwinnett and the pistols."

"I'm glad you found the pistols," she told him. "But what're we going to
do, over the week-end, for a butler...."

Rand snapped his fingers. "Dammit, I never thought of that!" He allowed
his brow to furrow with thought. "I won't promise anything, but I may be
able to dig up somebody for you, for a day or so. Some of my friends are
visiting their son, in a Naval hospital on the West Coast, and their
butler may be glad for a chance to pick up a little extra money. Shall
I call him and find out?"

"Oh, Colonel Rand, would you? I'd be eternally grateful!"

It was just as easy as that.

CHAPTER 18

Dave Ritter, driving his small coupe, kept his eye on the white State
Police car ahead. Rand, who had come away from the Fleming home in the
white car, had called Ritter from the office of the Justice of the Peace
while waiting for Walters to put up bail, after his hearing. Now, en
route to Gwinnett's, he was briefing his assistant on what had happened.

"So everything's set," he concluded. "Mrs. Fleming jumped at it; she
knows you're coming in your own car, which you may keep in the garage
there. You've left New Belfast about now; if you show up around three,
you'll be safe on the driving time. Your name is Davies; I decided on
that in case I suffer a _lapsus linguae_ and call you Dave in front of
somebody."

"Yeah. I'll have to watch and not call you Jeff, Colonel Rand, sir." He
nodded toward the glove-box. "That Leech & Rigdon's in there; you'd
better get it out before I go to the Flemings'. The guy at the drive-in
made a positive identification; it's the one he sold Fleming. I saw the
rest of the pistols he has there; don't waste time looking him up about
them. They stink. And I saw Tip this morning. He got young Jarrett sprung
on a writ." He thought for a moment. "What does this do to the Rivers and
Fleming murders?