I'm glad to be able to spend money
to help catch whoever did it. It won't help him, but it'll make me feel a
lot better.... You will catch him, won't you?"

Rand nodded. "I don't know whether he'll ever go to trial and be
convicted," he said. "I don't think he will. But you can take my word for
it; he won't get away with it. Tomorrow, I think the lid's going to blow
off. Maybe you'd better be away from home when it does. Take Nelda and
Geraldine with you, and go somewhere. There's likely to be some uproar."

"Well, Nelda and Geraldine and I are going to church, in the morning,"
Gladys said. "It's a question of face. We have a rented pew--Lane was
quite active in church work--and none of us are willing to let ourselves
get squeezed out of it. We all go; even Geraldine manages to drag herself
to the Lord's House through an alcoholic fog. And we'll have to be back
in time for dinner. It would look funny if we weren't."

"Well, if nothing's happened by the time you get back, I want you to talk
the girls into going somewhere with you in the afternoon, and stay away
till evening. And don't get the idea that you could help me here," he
added, stopping an objection. "I know what I'm talking about. The
presence of any of you here would only delay matters and make it harder
for me."

Then Ritter came in, a cigarette in one corner of his mouth, carrying a
tray on which were a bottle of Bourbon, a bottle of Scotch, a siphon and
a couple of bottles of beer.

CHAPTER 20

The dining-room was empty, when Rand came down to breakfast the next
morning. Taking the seat he had occupied the evening before, he waited
until Ritter came out of the kitchen through the pantry.

"Good morning, Colonel Rand," the Perfect Butler greeted him unctuously.
"If I may say so, sir, you're a bit of an early riser. None of the family
is up yet, sir."

Rand jerked a thumb toward the kitchen. "Who's out there?" he hissed.

"Just the cook; frying sausage and flipping pancakes. Premix pancakes, of
course. The maid sleeps out; she hasn't gotten here yet. How'd it go last
night? You put a dummy under the covers and sleep on the floor?"

"No, last night I was safe. The blow-off isn't due till this morning,
when the women are at church, and he'll have to catch me and the fall-guy
together."

"What do you want me to do?" Ritter asked, giving an un-butler-like hitch
at his shoulder-holster. "I can stand on my official dignity, and get out
of any