But it was on the face and neck the gaze of the men was riveted. Once she had clearly been beautiful, but now the face was terribly black and swollen. The dark eyes were open and protruding, and held an expression of deadly horror and fear. The lips were drawn back showing the white, even teeth. And below, on the throat were two discoloured bruises, side by side, round marks close to the windpipe, thumb-prints of the animal who had squeezed out that life with relentless and merciless hands. When the paper was removed from the dead face, the eyes of Felix seemed to start literally out of his head. ‘God!’ he shrieked in a thin, shrill tone. ‘It’s Annette!’ He stood for a moment, waved his hands convulsively, and then, slowly turning, pitched forward insensible on the floor. The chief caught him before his head touched the ground. ‘Lend a hand here,’ he called. Burnley and the sergeant sprang forward and, lifting the inanimate form, bore it into an adjoining room and laid it gently on the floor. ‘Doctor,’ said the Chief shortly, and the sergeant hurried off. ‘Bad business, this,’ resumed the Chief. ‘He didn’t know what was coming?’ ‘I don’t think so, sir. My impression has been all through that he was being fooled by this Frenchman, whoever he is.’ ‘It’s murder now, anyway. You’ll have to go to Paris, Burnley, and look into it.’ ‘Yes, sir, very good.’ He looked at his watch. ‘It’s eight o’clock. I shall hardly be able to go to-night. I shall have to take the cask and the clothing, and get some photos and measurements of the corpse and hear the result of the medical examination.’ ‘To-morrow will be time enough, but I’d go by the nine o’clock train. I’ll give you a personal note to Chauvet, the chief of the Paris police. You speak French, I think?’ ‘Enough to get on, sir.’ ‘You shouldn’t have much difficulty, I think. The Paris men are bound to know if there are any recent disappearances, and if not you have the cask and the clothing to fall back on.’ ‘Yes, sir, they should be a help.’ Footsteps in the corridor announced the arrival of the doctor. With a hasty greeting to the Chief, he turned to the unconscious man. ‘What happened to him?’ he asked. ‘He has had a shock,’ answered the Chief, explaining in a few words what had occurred. ‘He’ll have to be removed to hospital at once. Better get a stretcher.’ The sergeant disappeared again and in a few seconds returned with the apparatus and another man. Felix was lifted on to it and borne off. ‘Doctor,’ said the Chief, as the former was about to follow, ‘as soon as you are through with him I wish you’ld make an examination of the woman’s body. It seems fairly clear what happened to her, but it would be better to have a post-mortem. Poison may have been used also. Burnley, here, is going to Paris by the nine o’clock in the morning to make inquiries, and he will want a copy of your report with him.’