MURDER IN THE GILDED CAGE MURDER IN THE GILDED CAGE _By_ SAMUEL SPEWACK [Illustration] WALTER J. BLACK, INC. 2 Park Avenue NEW YORK, N. Y. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED COPYRIGHT, 1929, BY SIMON AND SCHUSTER, INC. PRINTED IN U. S. A. CONTENTS. CHAPTER PAGE I MRS. BREESE IS DIVORCED 9 II MAN OVERBOARD 23 III THE ACTOR ACTS 38 IV ENTER THE RUSSIAN 45 V THE LAST OF THE CIRCLE 53 VI MURDER 63 VII INQUIRY 70 VIII A CLEAR CASE 78 IX THIRD-DEGREE 87 X THE COUNT CONFESSES 95 XI THE PSYCHOLOGICAL ALIBI 102 XII THE SUSPECT REFUSES TO TALK 113 XIII MR. BREESE IS ANXIOUS 119 XIV THE WILL OF MRS. BREESE 128 XV WEATHER PREDICTION 137 XVI THE FUNERAL AT MIDNIGHT 146 XVII STORM 155 XVIII ONE OF YOU 167 XIX THE MURDER ON THE YACHT 181 XX THE LETTER 188 XXI THE RAID 196 XXII THE MAN IN THE TAXI 210 XXIII CALLE L 218 XXIV MODUS OPERANDI 226 XXV THE CALL 236 XXVI THE RUSSIAN EXPLAINS 241 _To_ BELLA CHAPTER I MRS. BREESE IS DIVORCED I have just returned to New York and examined in the morgue of the New York Times all the stories written and cabled of the Murder in the Gilded Cage. It is now six months since the weird death of Mrs. Breese, and I have decided that it is to the public interest that I present an unbiased factual account of what actually occurred in her winter home. For it is high time that someone set at rest the malicious rumors that still buzz wherever her set gathers. It is certainly due three of the principal actors in the tragedy that the truth be known. Whatever their personal failings may be, they have done nothing to deserve the stigma attached to their names. I do not see eye to eye with Ben Smith on this matter, who is responsible for the hitherto impenetrable secrecy. Boris Sergeivitch Perutkin, that most fantastic of investigators, is now concerned with another and even more devious problem, and does not care.