e departed with a light step. There was a smile on his lips. Here
was the style of procedure with which he was familiar and in full
sympathy. Here was action supplanting stagnation--something definite
succeeding the long nerve-wracking period of conjecture which appeared to
lead nowhere save into a labyrinth of endless discussion.

He started the machinery of the department to moving. When he returned to
his office an hour later, Carroll was still seated motionlessly before
the grate fire--an extinguished cigar between his teeth--eyes focused
intently on the dancing flames. Leverage spoke--

"I've got Barker."

"Where is he?"

"Downstairs."

"Bring him in. You stay here when he comes--send everybody else out."

Cartwright brought Barker into the room and Leverage dismissed the
plainclothesman. Barker, eyes wide with fear, face pallid--yet with a
certain belligerence in his attitude--confronted the two detectives.

"I say--" he started, "what does this mean?"

"It means," said Carroll coldly, "that you are under arrest for the
murder of Roland Warren!"

"That I'm--" Barker fell back a step. It was plain that he was surprised.
"You're arresting _me_ for Warren's murder?"

"Yes."

"But I didn't do it. I'll swear I didn't."

"Of course you'll swear it--" Carroll's steely voice excited a vast
admiration in Leverage's breast. Many times before he had seen the
transformation in his friend from all too human softness to almost
inhuman coldness--yet he never failed of surprise at the phenomenon.
"But we know you did do it."

"You don't know nothin' of the kind," Barker's voice came in a
half-snarl. "I don't give a damn how smart you fly-cops are--you can't
prove nothin' on me."

"That so?"

"Yes--that's so. Just because I worked for Warren ain't no reason why you
should arrest me for his murder. Suppose I had wanted to kill him--and I
didn't--didn't have no reason at all. But suppose I had wanted too--you
know bloody well that I didn't do it."

"Why do we know that?"

"Because you know he was killed by a woman!"

"Aa-a-ah! That's what you think, eh?"

"I know a woman killed him."

"You were present?"

"Bah! Trying to trap me--are you? Well, I ain't going to be trapped. I
don't know nothin' about it. Like I said from the first."

"But you do know something about it," insisted Carroll icily. "And I'd
advise you to come clean with us."

"There ain't nothin' to come clean about."

"You say we know th