eal suspicions on her part."

"I have been watching for an opportunity to strike up an
acquaintance for a long time," replied Marsh, "but no such
opportunity has as yet presented itself. You can rest assured,
however, that I am ready when it does."

Just then Marsh sat up and listened, as footsteps sounded over their
heads.

"That's all right, Marsh," smiled Morgan. "Those are my men taking
fingerprint photographs. That was the next point I was going to tell
you about--my discoveries in that apartment."

"You found fingerprints?" cried Marsh.

"No, just the marks of the sides of two hands. Apparently not of
much use--but then you never can tell."

Morgan suddenly jumped to his feet. "Good Lord!" he exclaimed, "that
reminds me. I forgot that I had a man sitting outside on the stairs.
He'll be wondering what has happened." With that Morgan went to the
door and told the plain-clothes man, who had been waiting outside,
that everything was going smoothly and he could go back to the
station. Returning to his chair, Morgan took up the subject of the
clues he had discovered in the apartment. After recounting his
discovery of the cuff button, he added, "and that was one of the
most damning pieces of evidence which I had against you, Marsh--the
letter--"M" on that cuff button."

"That would not have gone very far," laughed Marsh, "because I've
never worn an initialed cuff button in my life. In fact, Morgan, it
could have been only a clue--not evidence--for it would have been
simple, when the loss was discovered, to also lose the duplicate.
That cuff button may or may not be a clue. Of course, the tenant's
initials do not coincide with the initial on that button, but it
might have been dropped by a servant or a friend. As a matter of
fact, that button might have been lying under the cabinet for some
time before Ames went to Europe. However, it's something worth
having and remembering, for one never can tell when even a little
thing like that may give some lead that would prove worth while."

"How would you analyze that flattened bullet?" asked Morgan.

"The shot was fired at close range," Marsh replied. "It may have
passed clear through the person fired at. That bullet is worth
remembering, however, just like the cuff button. Some day it may fit
in with and explain other evidence."

"There is one more point," added Morgan, "that may or may not have a
bearing on this case. Last night, while my partner Tierney and
myse