"And I warn you again," said the detective, dryly. "Don't ask me to
explain, for I can't. But you go to see Hay when he invites you, and
make yourself agreeable, especially to Mrs. Krill."

"Am I likely to meet her?" asked Paul, with repugnance.

"Yes, I fancy so. After all, you are engaged to the daughter of the dead
man, and Mrs. Krill--I don't count Maud, who is a tool--is a deucedly
clever woman. She will keep her eye on you and Miss Norman."

"Why? She has the money and need take no further notice."

Hurd closed one eye in a suggestive manner. "Mrs. Krill may not be so
sure of the money, even though possession is nine points of the law. You
remember that scrap of paper found by the maid?"

"In which Norman warned Sylvia against allowing his real name to become
known? Yes."

"Well, the letter wasn't finished. The old man was interrupted, I
suppose. But in the few lines of writing Norman says," here Hurd took a
scrap of paper--a copy--out of his book and read, "'If the name of Krill
gets into the papers there will be great trouble. Keep it from the
public, I can tell you where to find the reasons for this as I have
written'--and then," said Hurd, refolding the paper, "the writing ends.
But you can see that Aaron Norman wrote out an account of his reasons,
which could not be pleasant for Mrs. Krill to hear."

"I still don't understand," said Paul, hopelessly puzzled.

"Well," said the detective, rising and putting on his smart hat, "it's
rather a muddle, I confess. I have no reason to suspect Mrs. Krill--"

"Good heavens, Hurd, you don't think she killed her husband?"

"No. I said that I have no reason to suspect her. But I don't like the
woman at all. Norman left his wife for some unpleasant reason, and that
reason, as I verily believe, has something to do with his death. I don't
say that Mrs. Krill killed him, but I do believe that she knows of
circumstances which may lead to the detection of the criminal."

"In that case she would save her thousand pounds."

"That's just where it is. If she does know, why does she double the
reward? A straightforward woman would speak out, but she's a crooked
sort of creature; I shouldn't like to have her for my enemy."

"It seems to me that you do suspect her," said Paul dryly, but puzzled.

Hurd shrugged his shoulders. "No, but I'm in a fix, that's a truth,"
said he, and sauntered towards the door. "I can't see my way. There's
the clue of Mrs. Krill's past to be fol