"No. Central declares not," responded Mitchell. "She insists that it must have been sent by some one using unlimited service." Penfield paused to jot down a note on his memorandum pad before again questioning the inspector. "At what hour did the telephone call reach you?" "At eight minutes past eight o'clock yesterday morning. I was in Police Headquarters and took the message myself," tersely. "At what hour did you reach Miss Baird's home?" "Fifteen minutes later. I took O'Bryan, a plain clothes man, and Patrolman Myers with me." "Tell us what you found when you reached the Baird house," Coroner Penfield directed, settling back in his chair. Conscious that he had the undivided attention of every one in the crowded room, Mitchell spoke with slow impressiveness. "We went up the front steps of the house and rang the bell; not getting any response we rang several times. I was just thinking that we had better try the back entrance when O'Bryan saw the key in the front door--" "Wait." Penfield held up his hand. "Do I understand that the key to the front door was left in the lock on the _outside_ in plain view of every passer-by?" "It wasn't exactly in plain view," protested Mitchell. "We didn't see it at once, and the sidewalk is some distance from the house, which stands on a high terrace. Passers-by could not see the key in the lock unless they ran up the steps and stood in the vestibule of the front door." "Was the door locked?" "Yes, Sir." "Was it a spring lock?" "No, Sir." Mitchell drew an old-fashioned brass key from his pocket and handed it to the coroner. "That lock, Sir, was made by hand many years ago. It's the kind that if you lock the door, either from the inside or the outside, the door could not be opened unless you had the key to unlock it." "Then, Inspector, some person, on leaving the Baird house, locked the door on the outside, and thereby locked in any person or persons who might have been in the house at that time?" "Yes, Sir." "Ump!" Penfield picked up the brass key and handed it to the foreman of the jury. "Did you find finger marks on the key?" he asked. "No, not one." Mitchell hesitated. "Whoever handled the key wore gloves." "Very likely." Penfield spoke more briskly. "What did you discover inside the house, Inspector?" "We found no one in the hall; so we walked into the parlor which is on the right of the front door. No one was there, so we kept on through the door opening into the rear hall, and from there walked into the library." Mitchell paused dramatically. "There we found Miss Baird's dead body lying huddled up in a big chair in front of her tea table." "Had she been taking tea?" "Yes, judging from the plate of sandwiches and cakes, and her nearly empty teacup." Mitchell explained in detail. "There was a plate in front of her on which lay a half-eaten peach." "Was there evidence to show that some one had been having tea with Miss Baird?" inquired Penfield.