Mrs. Moxton picked it up, thrust it into the pocket of her cloak, and, without a glance at the amazed doctor, left the room. As she did so Busham stepped across to the grate in which a starved fire was burning and deliberately placed the will on the coals. Before Ellis could prevent it, the document was ablaze, and shortly nothing remained but black tinder. "Now," snapped Busham, pointing to the door, "you can follow her." CHAPTER XIV THE PIMLICO HOUSE Having seen Busham commit a felony by burning the will, Ellis left the office. He did not even protest against the destruction of the document, since it was none of his business to do so. Mrs. Moxton, who benefited under the will, had not only handed it over to her enemy, but had advised him to destroy it. She had exchanged it, so to speak, for the knife with which Moxton had been killed, and, in addition, had secured the lawyer's silence by yielding up her property. Silence about what? That was the question Ellis asked himself, and which he put to Cass when reporting the extraordinary scene which had taken place in the Esher Lane office. "I think I can guess what Busham hinted at," said the reporter. "He accuses Janet Gordon of the crime?" "Why should he? She had no motive to kill Moxton, so far as I can see." "Precisely, so far as you can see, Bob. Depend upon it, Busham is certain that Janet Gordon is guilty, and Mrs. Moxton knows that such is the case, else she would not give up her property so freely." "You mean that she allowed the will to be destroyed so that Busham should not accuse her sister?" "Yes. All along I said that Mrs. Moxton was shielding some person; now we know who the person is." "It might be so," said Ellis, reflectively. "Janet Gordon may have rushed out of the house with that knife and have killed Moxton, and afterwards she may have ran weeping to take a cab from so perilous a place. But why did she stab the man? Why? Why?" and Ellis, according to custom, began to pace the room. "Ah," said Cass, who was resting on the sofa, "you must ask Mrs. Moxton for a reply to that question." "She won't reply to it. For some reason which I cannot fathom she persistently keeps me in the dark." "H'm!" mused the journalist. "A dangerous, secretive woman! Don't get your back up, Bob, I am not calling her names. But you must admit that she is secretive, and secretive people are always very dangerous to those of a more open disposition. But how did Mrs. Moxton excuse herself for letting Busham burn the will?" "I don't know, Harry. I have not seen her since she left the office with that knife concealed in her pocket." "What! Did she not wait for you outside?" "No," replied Ellis, gloomily, "there was not a sign of her, although I searched all round. What is queerer still, she has not been home since. I have called twice at Myrtle Villa this afternoon, but no one is there."