aving been
sent to Helga Strawn, New York. That looked all right, didn't it? But
then you told Brisbane that Helga Strawn told you that Hume had paid
her twenty-five thousand. Eh?"

"Yes," Shandon returned. "Have you asked her?"

Kinsell laughed softly.

"I don't do business that way. Usually in this sort of a game if you
want to catch nice fat lies fish with question marks for hooks. She is
one of the cleverest women I ever knew, is Helga Strawn, almost as
clever as Jeanette Compton. Quite as clever, perhaps, but Jeanette has
the bulge on her in that she's got her eyes on Helga all the time that
Helga has her eyes on Hume."

"Who's Jeanette Compton?"

"She's Helga Strawn's new maid. The old one quit; bribed her myself.
You'll find the item in the bill later on. Also Jeanette Compton is
the finest little girl on our staff."

"And you're watching Helga Strawn too?"

"With both of Jeanette's bright little eyes, all the time. To go on:
we've found through our men in New York that fifteen days after the
death of your brother, Helga Strawn placed on deposit in her bank in
New York two drafts. One for five thousand dollars, one for twenty
thousand. We have found that after Sledge Hume had drawn his five
thousand here he was out of the country for two days. We have
questioned every bank, Wells Fargo office and post office within a
day's range of El Toyon. Last week I got what I wanted from a bank in
Reno. A man, evidently a mining man, claiming to be in town from a
strike in Tonopah, deposited twenty-five thousand dollars at the
Merchants' and Citizens' Bank. It was in cash. The depositor gave his
name as--what do you guess?"

Shandon looked at him blankly. Kinsell smiled and said abruptly,

"He gave his name as Wayne Shandon. How does that strike you? It all
happened while you were going East with your brother's body; I believe
that it occurred while your train was being held up a few minutes in
Reno."

Shandon's bewilderment seemed to please Kinsell. He chuckled softly,
and then, his face growing thoughtful again, he went on.

"You'll remember that the train is scheduled to stop for fifteen
minutes in Reno? Well, the man made his deposit, and ten minutes later
he came back, said that his plans had changed, that he was going to
take the train with a friend he had seen on board, and asked to have
his money back. It was given to him, at his request, in twenty-five
bank notes of the thousand