lete, insofar as he had
time to go. He desired to spend at least twelve hours in the library.
This could not be. The case would be taken from his hands within
minutes. Already there was a stir in the front part of the house. The
bell had been ringing for some time. Delaney and the butler had
hastened forward to answer it.

"The Central Office bunch!" announced the operative, parting the
curtains and staring in at Drew. "Here they are, Chief!"

The detective stepped briskly out of the room and glided through the
foyer hall to the front door. Here Delaney joined him, as steps were
heard coming up from the servants' quarters as well as outside. It was
as if a raid were in progress.

"Brass band methods!" said Drew. "You get out, Delaney, and go to our
taxi. Stay there! I want to speak to Fosdick."

The door opened. A burly form blotted out the light from the Avenue and
stamped in, shaking the snow from his overcoat. It was Fosdick--Chief
of Detectives.

"Hello," he said cuttingly. "Hello, Drew! What's this you've been
giving me over the 'phone?"

The detective drew Fosdick aside and allowed five Central Office men to
stream into the hallway.

"Go and see," he suggested into the detective's ear. "Go and see. I've
left everything just as I found it. The body is still there. The
servants have been kept in the house. Question them. I'm off, now.
'Phone me not later than eight this morning. I'll be at my office. I'm
acting in a private capacity. I'm protecting Loris Stockbridge--the
sole heir!"

"Protecting!" exclaimed Fosdick. "What d'ye mean?"

Drew dropped his hand to his pocket and crammed down the little
ivory-handled revolver. "Well," he smiled broadly. "You know what I
mean. She's alone in this world--save for her friends. The old man
called me in the case. I'm still in the case--remember that!"

Fosdick gulped hard. "All right," he said, turning and peeling off his
coat. "I'll soon get to the bottom of this! Case looks easy to me. It's
suicide! That's all it ever could be!"

Drew found his hat and coat where the butler had hung them. He went out
through the front door without answering Fosdick. He crossed the Avenue
on a diagonal which brought him to the waiting taxi where Delaney stood
muffled to the chin. The two men climbed upon the running-board. The
driver started up with a jerk, from his frozen position in the snow.
They rounded the block and stopped in front of the drug-store where
Loris had met th