“It was in the bag by that time,” he said later. “At least I had the story. Probably if you’d thought about it you’d have had it too. It was pretty obvious. But look where I was! I had a motive—and a good one—for everybody from Tony Wainwright and Bessie to Margery Stoddard, Julian, Bill, and Lydia. And to add to the mess Bill Sterling and Lydia were about to get married. Maybe that wasn’t something!”

He sent the key box to the city that day. I believe they got excellent fingerprints of O’Brien, Reynolds, and myself, but that was all. A man came down that same afternoon to go over the trunk room itself, with the same result, only more so. He found everybody’s prints, from those of the head housemaid to a nondescript thing which turned out to be one of poor old Roger’s paws. As the servants had already been fingerprinted, he let them alone. But Bessie, confronted by the detective, defied him at first.

“I refuse, absolutely,” she said. “I’m not going to have my hands ruined with that stuff. Take it away. You know what you can do with it.”

“Plenty of prints around your room, madam,” said the detective impassively. “You’ll find this easier.”

She succumbed at last, rolling her fingers on the ink pad and then on a sheet of paper.

“What’s it for?” she asked. “I suppose I’ve committed wholesale murder around here!”

“That’s for you to say,” said the detective, and went away.

Jim spent the afternoon in his office. It was too early for a cable, but he hoped for replies to his telegrams. That was when he made what he called his suspect list. I have it now, written in his small, legible hand.

(1) Julian Stoddard. Motive and opportunity, although time element still uncertain. More likely to have done away with Bessie Wainwright. Morgan making no trouble, but Bessie collecting blackmail. Why kill Maud Wainwright?

(2) Evans. No apparent motive either murder, but possibly still alive. In which case used Andy McDonald’s car to attack Haines. Strong for his age. Knew house. Could probably have gotten to trunk room by way of basement if chain not up. Duplicate keys? If so, what did he want in trunk room? Related to Maud Wainwright? In that case, would he have killed her? Again, where is he?

(3) Bessie Wainwright. Reason to kill Morgan if he threatened to expose story. Could not have done it without help. Could have killed Maud Wainwright, especially if she was afraid Maud Wainwright intended to blow things wide open. Not in trunk room last night.

(4) Maud Wainwright. Could have killed Morgan and then herself. Strong woman. Was Morgan’s appointment with her at playhouse night of death? In that case Tony helped her dispose of body?

(5) Bill Sterling. Strong motive. (See letters from trunk.) Time element uncertain, but had key to playhouse. Also no time to leave Lydia’s car and get his own when seen in Beaver Creek Road.