ring
the diamonds. When she refused him money he grabbed them; she resisted
and he struck her!"

"You may be correct," said the investigator. He was keen, calm,
impersonal; it was as though the entire matter were a game, the
intricate possibilities of which were just being uncovered. But Scanlon
was much excited; the more the thing grew and took shape in his mind,
the more agitated he became. "And if you are right," proceeded
Ashton-Kirk, "we can perhaps guess as to what followed."

Something like a shudder ran through Scanlon's big frame.

"I know what you mean," he said. "That thing has been lying like a
shadow across my mind from the beginning. Nora Cavanaugh is a woman of
spirit; the man who struck her would risk----"

But the other interrupted him.

"We'll not think of shadows," said he, quietly. "They will land us
nowhere. What we are going to do is light the lamps along the road this
thing leads us; in that way only can we get a good look at the facts."

"Facts!" Bat put one strong hand on Ashton-Kirk's shoulder. "As I feel
now, facts are about the last things I want to deal with. Suppose the
police found this out--that the rascal of a husband had visited Nora to
get money from her, that he had struck her and taken her jewels, and
that she had----"

But Ashton-Kirk slapped him upon the back.

"Don't wear out your nerves conjuring up things which maybe never have,
or never will, happen," said he. "You'll have use for them, and at once.
For there is some snappy work to be done, and I want your help."

"Right," responded Scanlon, with an instinctive grasping at his old
habit of manner and thought. "What can I do?"

"I'll be engaged in another phase of the thing for a couple of days, and
in the meantime I'd like to have you go to Duke Sheehan's place and
look out for the gentleman Devlin calls Big Slim. If possible, get
acquainted with him, and find out anything of value he may have."

"Good enough," said Bat. "An acquaintance with that guy is one of the
things I'd framed up for the near future. I'm interested in why he was
promenading around on the scaffold at Nora's window, and why he shifted
his attention to Stanwick in such a hurry." Bat looked at his hat which
lay upon the table, and then to Ashton-Kirk once more. "Any particular
time you'd like me to take up this job?" inquired he.

"The sooner the better," was the prompt reply.

"That means now," said the big man, as he took up the hat. "First I