"
"Oh, please don't!" said Margaret. "I almost fell in love with Chief
Inspector Kerry myself."
"A grand fellow!" declared her husband warmly. "The Kazmah inquiry was
the triumph of his career."
Monte Irvin turned to him.
"You did your bit, Seton," he said quietly. "The last words Inspector
Kerry spoke to me before I left England were in the nature of a
splendid tribute to yourself, but I will spare your blushes."
"Kerry is as white as they're made," replied Seton, "but we should
never have known for certain who killed Sir Lucien if he had not
risked his life in that filthy cellar as he did."
Rita Irvin shuddered slightly and drew her furs more closely about her
shoulders.
"Shall we change the conversation, dear?" whispered Margaret.
"No, please," said Rita. "You cannot imagine how curious I am to learn
the true details--for, as Monte says, we have been out of touch with
things, and although we were so intimately concerned, neither of us
really knows the inner history of the affair to this day. Of course,
we know that Kazmah was a dummy figure, posed in the big ebony chair.
He never moved, except to raise his hand, and this was done by someone
seated in the inner room behind the figure. But who was seated there?"
Seton glanced inquiringly at his wife, and she nodded, smiling.
Pages:
377
378
379
380
381
382
383
384
385
386
387
388
389
390
391
392
393
394
395
396
397
398
399
400
401