Well, suppose you come over here, Mr. Goode," Rand suggested. "That way,
I won't have to interrupt my work so much. There's nobody at home now but
Mrs. Fleming, and as she's indisposed, we'll be quite alone."

"Oh; very well. I think that's really a good idea; much better than your
coming over here. I'll see you directly."

Ritter was grinning as Rand hung up. "That's the stuff," he approved.
"The old Hitler technique; make them come to you, and then you can pound
the table and yell at them all you want to."

"You go let him in," Rand directed. "Show him up here, and then take a
plant on that spiral stairway out of the library, just out of sight. I
don't think this it, but there's no use taking chances." He mopped his
face again. "Damn, it's hot in here!"

Ten minutes later, Ritter ushered in Humphrey Goode, and inquired if
there would be anything further, sir? When Rand said there wouldn't, he
went down the spiral. Just as Rand had expected, Goode began peddling
the same line as Varcek and Dunmore before him. They all came to see him
in the gunroom with a common purpose. After easing himself into a chair,
and going through some prefatory huffing and puffing, Goode came out with
it. Did Rand believe that Lane Fleming had really been murdered, and was
he investigating Fleming's death, after all?

"I have always believed that Lane Fleming was murdered," Rand replied.
"I also believe that his murderer killed Arnold Rivers, as well. I am
investigating the Rivers murder, and the Fleming murder may be considered
as a part thereof. But what brings you around to discuss that, now? Did
you learn something, since last evening, that leads you to suspect the
same thing?"

"Well, not exactly. But this afternoon, Fred Dunmore and Anton Varcek
came to my office, separately, of course, and each of them wanted to know
if I had any reason to suspect that the, uh, tragedy, was actually a case
of murder. Both had the impression that you were conducting an
investigation under cover of your work on the pistol collection, and
wanted to know whether Mrs. Fleming or I had employed you to do so."

"And you denied it, giving them the impression that Mrs. Fleming had?"
Rand asked. "I hope you haven't put her in any more danger than she is
now, by doing so."

Goode looked startled. "Colonel Rand! Do you actually mean that...?" he
began.

"You were Lane Fleming's attorney, and board chairman of his company,"
Rand said. "You can probably im