wife
waved to him from across a staircase. She looked pert and cool and
girlish in her ice-blue suit and perky hat. "Here, darling! Oh, you
look so discouraged! Did George give you a hard time? He can be a
brute when he wants to."

"Not really. He thinks I ought to call it quits."

"And don't you think so, dear?" she asked, taking his arm as they
started down the stairs.

"Who me?" He grinned with sudden boyishness. "You know me. Never say
die! If I thought we ought to give it up would I be trying to find
this old bag Valeria Schmitt or whatever her name is? Brogan was
right, that's just about as farfetched a notion as has come down the
pike in a long time."

"Well, it may be farfetched, but she's not an old bag. I called her to
make sure she'd be at home. I didn't know how long you'd take in
there. She was very excited that you were coming to see her."

"Did she know who I was?"

"Of course, even aside from the letters. She's been following the
investigation very carefully. She didn't seem to think it was at all
curious that you wanted to see her because she knew someone
twenty-five years ago."

Kessler laughed as they stepped out into the hot sunlight. "Well, if
she's not a bag she's a bat. The more I think about it the crazier it
seems. Suppose we get it over with now and start for Maine tonight.
We'll be all set to go."

"Good! Good! That's the way I like to hear you talk. We'll make it a
second honeymoon."

Margaret was still musing dreamily when they finally got to the car
and started off in the direction of Silver Spring, where Valeria
Schmitt lived in maiden retirement. "It will be just wonderful, dear,"
she said and then sighed. "Oh, but it reminds me of those poor
Valentes, going off on their honeymoon."

"Now, now. I'm the one who's supposed to be obsessed with the crash,
not you."

"Oh, but that was so sad. He was so handsome. And she was a pretty
little thing, too, if you could tell from the wedding pictures. And
then having postponed the wedding twice, too! It seems just like some
fate was dogging them."

Kessler chuckled. "I don't think mumps really qualifies as an evil
fate."

"No, but can you imagine! First him and then her! If it had been only
one or the other they would both be alive and happy today."

"Alive anyway. I talked to some of his friends who suggested he was a
mean one even before he had mumps." He smiled at his wife. "Even if he
was good-looking. And now will you look