ite his caller. Then he nodded.

"You came to see me?"

"About the Warren case."

"You know something about it?"

"Yes!" The young man seemed to bite the word. "I do."

"What?"

"You're in charge of the case, aren't you?"

"Yes."

"You've seen this morning's papers?"

"I have."

"Well, they're rotten--absolutely rotten. They don't say it in so many
words, but the impression they create is that my sister, Hazel, was the
woman in the taxi who killed Roland Warren. It's a damned lie!"

The young man was growing more excited. Carroll put out a
restraining hand.

"I quite agree with you, my friend--it _was_ a pretty rotten impression
to create; but I shall see that all doubt is removed from the mind of the
public when this afternoon's papers appear. I have just learned that
your sister has an ironclad alibi."

"You have already learned that?"

"Yes."

Gresham leaned forward eagerly.

"What makes you sure--that she did not--was not--"

"Suppose I question you--if you have no objections."

"Fire away."

"Where was your sister at midnight last night?"

"At home."

"Alone? I mean was any one besides your family there?"

"Yes," replied Gresham, showing surprise at Carroll's evident
knowledge of facts.

"Who?"

"Evelyn Rogers spent the night with her. Evelyn's a seventeen-year-old
kid who has had what I believe you call a crush on my sister. They were
together in that house from ten o'clock last night, or earlier, until
this morning. And if you don't believe that--"

"But I do. I have just had a visit from Miss Rogers, and she told me
exactly what you have just repeated; so I'm pretty well satisfied that
your sister had nothing whatever to do with the affair. I will take
pains to see that this evening's papers make that quite clear."

Gresham rose. A load seemed to have dropped from his shoulders.

"That's white of you, Carroll! I appreciate it."

"Not at all. I have no desire to cause annoyance or inconvenience where
it is unnecessary. And Miss Rogers told me, with great attention to
detail, just why and how it was impossible for your sister to have been
anywhere except at home last night."

"Evelyn's considerable of a brick, in spite of the fact that she's more
or less minus in the upper story. And now, if you're really satisfied,
I'll be going."

The two men walked to the door together. They were about of a height;
Carroll slightly the heavier of the two.

"You've no idea as to the id