At that moment a brisk, energetic voice came from the hall. “How come you leave the front door standing wide open on the coldest day in—”

Elinor turned to face a broad-shouldered young man with wavy hair, hand-painted tie, and a completely self-assured manner. She said, “Paul!” then took one stumbling step and was in his arms.

He blinked at her. “Hey! What’s wrong?” Then he saw what lay on the floor by the desk. His self-confidence sagged.

Dr. Garrett moved to the door. “Kendrick,” he said, “take Elinor out of here. I’ll—”

“No!” It was Elinor’s voice. She straightened up, turned suddenly and started into the room.

But Paul caught her. “Where are you going?”

She tried to pull away from him. “I’m going to phone the police.” Her eyes followed the trail of bloodstains that led from the body across the beige carpet to the overturned chair and the woman at the table. “She—killed him.”

That was when I started for the phone myself. But I hadn’t taken more than two steps when the woman in the bathing suit let out a hair-raising shriek.

She was gripping the table with both hands, her eyes fixed on Drake’s body with the rigid unblinking stare of a figure carved from stone. Then, suddenly, her body trembled all over, and she opened her mouth again—But Garrett got there first.

He slapped her on the side of the face—hard.

It stopped the scream, but the horror still filled her round dark eyes and she still stared at the body as though it were some demon straight from hell.

“Hysteria,” Garrett said. Then seeing me start again toward the phone, “Get an ambulance, too.” And when he spoke to Paul Kendrick this time, it was an order. “And get Elinor out of here—quickly!”

Elinor Drake was looking at the girl in the bathing suit with wide, puzzled eyes. “She—she killed him. Why?”

Paul nodded. He turned Elinor around gently but swiftly and led her out.

The cops usually find too many fingerprints on a phone, none of them any good because they are superimposed on each other. But I handled the receiver carefully just the same, picking it up by one end. When Spring 7-1313 answered, I gave the operator the facts fast, then asked him to locate Inspector Gavigan and have him call me back. I gave Drake’s number.

As I talked I watched Dr. Garrett open his black case and take out a hypodermic syringe. He started to apply it to the woman’s arm just as I hung up.

“What’s that, Doc?” I asked.

“Sedative. Otherwise she’ll be screaming again in a minute.”

The girl didn’t seem to feel the needle as it went in.