“I waited till some one did come in.” “Who was it?” “Jack Marston--the office boy.” “How long after you returned was it till Jack Marston appeared?” “I don’t know. A man under such circumstances hasn’t much knowledge of time.” “Did you send him to summon the police?” “I made him understand that Miss Langdon had been killed, and--well, he did the rest without waiting for directions.” Again that faint smile twitched the corners of Redway’s stern mouth. “And while he was gone Gay came in?” “Yes.” “When he entered the door where were you?” “At the side of the corpse.” “What were you doing?” “I had just stooped to pick up the pistol.” “Oh! But you didn’t pick it up?” “Why, no! In my personal contact with Gay I forgot it.” Nick gave a quiet chuckle in his innermost soul at so neatly trapping a lawyer. “Whose pistol was it, Mr. Redway?” “Mine.” “Where was it when you saw it last before you saw it on the floor near the dead girl?” “In the drawer of my desk over there.” “When was that?” “This morning.” “Was it loaded?” “Yes.” “Every chamber?” “I remember distinctly filling the chambers with cartridges yesterday, and I have not fired one of them since.” Nick noted the evasive answer. “Were you in the habit of keeping it loaded?” “No. On the contrary, I seldom had a cartridge in it. Yesterday I bought some and filled the chambers.” “What for?” “I intended it for the benefit of a cat which spends the midnight keeping people awake.” “Another evasive answer,” mentally noted Nick. “Well?” “Well, I went away without taking it with me. Hence it lay there all day loaded.” “Did Miss Langdon know the pistol was in that drawer?” “I suppose she did. The drawer was never locked, and she frequently went there to get things out of it.” “That is all I have to ask you at present, Mr. Redway. Will you have the kindness to remain in the outer office till we have a talk with the office boy?” “I have no choice but to oblige you,” came the sarcastic reply, and the junior partner left the room. The coroner looked at Nick with a puzzled expression on his face. “What do you make of Mr. Redway?” he asked. “Nothing yet, but there is a good deal more to learn which may place Mr. Redway in an entirely different light. Now for Jack Marston. I depend on the boy for information which may be most valuable.” CHAPTER V. THE MYSTERIOUS LADY CALLER. Jack Marston labored under extreme terror in the presence of the dead girl--so much so that Nick spent five minutes getting the lad’s mind in condition to answer questions coherently. Then he began on the lad cautiously. “How long have you been office boy for Bridgely & Byke, Jack?” asked the detective. “Nearly two years.” “What are your hours?” “I get here at eight o’clock, and this time of year go home generally at five.” “The office is closed up at that time?” “The janitor generally takes it to clean up. Sometimes he don’t get in till later.” “Do you lock up when you go away?”