There was a long silence.

"Well, that beats me," said Whiteside, laying the weapon on the table.
"At every turn some new mystery arises. This is the second jar I've had
to-day."

"The second?" said Tarling. He put the question idly, for his mind was
absorbed in this new and to him tremendous aspect of the crime. Thornton
Lyne had been killed by his pistol! That to him was the most staggering
circumstance which had been revealed since he had come into the case.

"Yes," Whiteside was saying, "it's the second setback."

With an effort Tarling brought his mind back from speculating upon the
new mystery.

"Do you remember this?" said Whiteside. He opened his safe and took out a
big envelope, from which he extracted a telegram.

"Yes, this is the telegram supposed to have been sent by Odette Rider,
asking Mr. Lyne to call at her flat. It was found amongst the dead man's
effects when the house was searched."

"To be exact," corrected Whiteside, "it was discovered by Lyne's valet--a
man named Cole, who seems to be a very honest person, against whom no
suspicion could be attached. I had him here this morning early to make
further inquiries into Lyne's movements on the night of the murder. He's
in the next room, by-the-way. I'll bring him in."

He pushed a bell and gave his instructions to the uniformed policeman
who came. Presently the door opened again and the officer ushered in a
respectable-looking, middle-aged man, who had "domestic service" written
all over him.

"Just tell Mr. Tarling what you told me," said Whiteside.

"About that telegram, sir?" asked Cole. "Yes, I'm afraid I made a bit
of a mistake there, but I got flurried with this awful business and I
suppose I lost my head a bit."

"What happened?" asked Tarling.

"Well, sir, this telegram I brought up the next day to Mr.
Whiteside--that is to say, the day after the murder----" Tarling nodded.
"And when I brought it up I made a false statement. It's a thing I've
never done before in my life, but I tell you I was scared by all these
police inquiries."

"What was the false statement?" asked Tarling quickly.

"Well, sir," said the servant, twisting his hat nervously, "I said that
it had been opened by Mr. Lyne. As a matter of fact, the telegram wasn't
delivered until a quarter of an hour after Mr. Lyne left the place. It
was I who opened it when I heard of the murder. Then, thinking that I
should get into trouble for sticking my nose into police bus