ement of
the doctor's."

"George?"

He leaned nearer.

"Have you ever thought that she might have been a suicide? That she
stabbed herself?"

"No, for in that case a weapon would have been found."

"And are you sure that none was?"

"Positive. Such a fact could not have been kept quiet. If a weapon had
been picked up there would be no mystery, and no necessity for further
police investigation."

"And the detectives are still here?"

"I just saw one."

"George?"

Again his head came nearer.

"Have they searched the lobby? I believe she had a weapon."

"Laura!"

"I know it sounds foolish, but the alternative is so improbable. A
family like that cannot be leagued together in a conspiracy to hide
the truth concerning a matter so serious. To be sure, they may all be
short-sighted, or so little given to observation that they didn't see
what passed before their eyes. The boys look wide-awake enough, but who
can tell? I would sooner believe that--"

I stopped short so suddenly that George looked startled. My attention
had been caught by something new I saw in the mirror upon which my
attention was fixed. A man was looking in from the corridor behind, at
the four persons we were just discussing. He was watching them intently,
and I thought I knew his face.

"What kind of a looking person was the man who took you outside last
night?" I inquired of George, with my eyes still on this furtive
watcher.

"A fellow to make you laugh. A perfect character, Laura; hideously
homely but agreeable enough. I took quite a fancy to him. Why?"

"I am looking at him now."

"Very likely. He's deep in this affair. Just an everyday detective,
but ambitious, I suppose, and quite alive to the importance of being
thorough."

"He is watching those people. No, he isn't. How quickly he disappeared!"

"Yes, he's mercurial in all his movements. Laura, we must get out of
this. There happens to be something else in the world for me to do than
to sit around and follow up murder clews."

But we began to doubt if others agreed with him, when on passing out we
were stopped in the lobby by this same detective, who had something to
say to George, and drew him quickly aside.

"What does he want?" I asked, as soon as George had returned to my side.

"He wants me to stand ready to obey any summons the police may send me."

"Then they still suspect Brotherson?"

"They must."

My head rose a trifle as I glanced up at George.

"Then