ng that interested me was that the name happened to be the
same as assumed by the man I was following--why?"

"Because this gentleman here is Frederick Cavendish, who was reported
as killed--struck down in his apartments on the night of April 16.
Instead he took the midnight flier West and you followed him. The dead
man was Tom Burke; wait a minute and I'll tell you the story--all I
know of it, at least."

He told it rapidly, yet omitting no detail of any interest. The two
detectives, already half convinced of their mistake, listened
fascinated to the strange narrative; it was a tale of crime peculiarly
attractive to their minds; they could picture each scene in all its
colours of reality. As the speaker ended, Roberts drew in his breath
sharply.

"But who slugged Burke?" he asked. "The fellow went in there after
swag; but who got him?"

"That is the one question I can't answer," replied Westcott gravely,
"and neither can Fred. It doesn't seem to accord with the rest of our
theories. Enright told Lacy he didn't know who the dead man was, or
who killed him."

Miss Donovan pushed her way in front of Cavendish, and faced the
others, her cheeks flushed with excitement, a paper clasped in one hand.

"Perhaps I can help clear that up," she said clearly. "This is the
letter found under Miss La Rue's bed. I have read part of it. It was
written by Jack Cavendish just as he was taking a boat for South
America. It is not a confession," she explained, her eyes searching
their faces, "just a frightened boy's letter. I wouldn't understand it
at all if I didn't know so much about the case. What it seems to make
clear is this: The La Rue girl and Patrick Enright schemed to get
possession of the Cavendish property through her marriage to John; this
part of the programme worked out fairly well, but John could not get
hold of enough money to satisfy them.

"Enright and the girl decided to put Frederick out of the way, but
lacked the nerve to commit murder--at least in New York. Their scheme
seems to have been to inveigle their victim away from the city, and
then help him to get killed through an accident. In that case the law
would award the entire estate to John. They never told John this plan,
but their constant demands for money fairly drove the young man to
desperation.

"The making of the will, and the sudden proposed departure of Frederick
for the West, compelled immediate action, yet even then John was kept