“Have you come to give yourself up? I suspected you from the first, Fortune. Where is it?” He took a copy of the “Daily Wire” from the rack. “Yes. ‘Dr. Reginald Fortune, the eminent surgeon, was attending the function and was able to give the police a first-hand account of the crime. Dr. Fortune states that the weapon used was a surgical knife.’ My dear fellow, the case looks black indeed.” Reggie was not amused. “Yes. I also was present. And several others,” he said. “Do you know anything about any of us?” Lomas put up his eyeglass. “There’s a certain bitterness about you, Fortune. This is unusual. What’s the matter?” “I don’t like this murder,” said Reggie. “It spoilt the children’s party.” “That would be a by-product,” Lomas agreed. “You’re getting very domestic in your emotions. Oh, I like it, my dear fellow. But it makes you a little irrelevant.” “Domestic be damned. I’m highly relevant. It spoilt the children’s party. Why did it happen at the children’s party? Lots of other nice days to kill the resident medical officer.” “You’re suggesting it was one of the visitors?” “No, no. It isn’t the only day visitors visit. I’m suggesting life is real, life is earnest--and rather diabolical sometimes.” “I’ll call for the reports,” Lomas said, and did so. “Good Gad! Reams! Barton’s put in some heavy work.” “I thought he would,” said Reggie, and went to read over Lomas’s shoulder. At the end Lomas lay back and looked up at him. “Well? Barton’s put his money on this young nurse, Edith Baker.” “Yes. That’s the matron’s tip. I saw the matron. One of the world’s organizers, Lomas. A place for everything and everything in its place. And if you don’t fit, God help you. Edith Baker didn’t fit. Edith Baker has emotions. Therefore she does murders. Q.E.D.” “Well, the matron ought to know the girl.” “She ought,” Reggie agreed. “And our case is, gentlemen, that the matron who ought to know girls says Edith Baker isn’t a nice young person. Lomas dear, why do policemen always believe what they’re told? What the matron don’t like isn’t evidence.” “There is some evidence. The girl had one of these hysterical affections for the dead woman, passionately devoted and passionately jealous and so forth. The girl had access to the hospital instruments. All her time in the afternoon can’t be accounted for, and she was the first to know of the murder.” “It’s not good enough, Lomas. Why did she give the alarm?” Lomas shrugged. “A murderer does now and then. Cunning or fright.” “And why did she wait for the children’s party to do the murder?” “Something may have happened there to rouse her jealousy.” “Something with one of the visitors?” Reggie suggested. “I wonder.” And then he laughed. “A party of the visitors went round the hospital, Lomas. They had access to the surgical instruments.”