alty._

I had heard of that fellow Collins, a notorious man in his line. His
specialty, cremations, removed all possibility of pathological or
toxicological investigation weeks afterward, when public suspicion
became aroused. The political coroners were supposed to be partners of
his in crime, and the police had tracked many a case through his
establishment to the retorts at the Fresh Pond crematory, where nothing
but a few handfuls of ashes remained. Was there to be a cremation in the
Browning case? Of course, I asked myself that question, and I also
wondered why the sleuths of Smith's had not reported the fact, if it
were a fact, to the hotel headquarters. If they knew it, then my
telegram to Mr. Tescheron about Coroner Flanagan telephoning to all the
cemeteries and his further purposes need not cause alarm. Perhaps he
would laugh when he received it. The card had been placed there during
my absence. Jim would tell me about it in the morning, so I gave the
matter no further consideration.

By that time, 12 o'clock, the detectives must have had Tescheron talked
tired, I guessed, and he was probably at home trying to figure how he
might escape the coroner's ordeal of publicity on the morrow, unless, of
course, they knew this man cremated his victims right after the service.

It so happened that the detectives had him fairly crazy. When he read my
message he was completely daft. Instead of working out my plans
carefully, so as to achieve a complete fourth-act reconciliation by 6
o'clock, I spent the night answering and sending messages like a general
looking through a telescope on a hill-top.

The first lad in blue uniform came just about midnight and scared me a
little, but as Jim was not disturbed, all was well. It seems that
instead of going to bed, Pa Tescheron took a new start as soon as he
read my message about notifying the coroner. Smith was called again to
meet him at the Fifth Avenue Hotel, about fifteen minutes by messenger
boy from my headquarters. Here is the first message from General
Tescheron:

"You have done your worst. If you attempt to expose my family, I will
have you prosecuted for blackmail and punished to the full extent of
the law. Please call here at once.
"TESCHERON."

General Hopkins sent this back by return boy:

"Only evidence of attempted blackmail in this case so far is your
message just received. I will keep