“Only premeditation. It proves that the murderer went to Tracy’s room, passing by Ames’s room, carrying the nail with him, and presumably the hammer. That’s all I can see in it, but it lends a bit of colour to Maud’s idea that the story of _The Nail_ may have been responsible for the whole thing.” “Yes,” I said, holding myself together, “it does. But of course, even though we found that book at the house on the Island, there are several inmates of that house who may become suspect; also there is the possibility that one of those inmates may have lent that book to anybody in all Deep Lake.” “Perfectly true, Gray,” and Keeley spoke almost casually. “That’s logical enough. Now to find out who did or might have done that. It’s quite on the cards that somebody in the Pleasure Dome household read that book and used that method to do away with Tracy. It’s even possible that a rank outsider did the same thing. But somebody did do it, and with that book in the vicinity it’s only rational to assume the connection between the suggestion and the deed.” “Could it have been the work of a demented person?” asked Maud. “Very easily,” Keeley said. “I’ve hoped all along some maniac would turn up whom we could suspect. But none has, so far. Yes, it all has the earmarks of the work of a distorted brain, I mean the feather duster and all that tomfoolery. But I’ve not been able to find any trace of anybody even slightly or temporarily demented.” Well, then, of course, Posy May’s story had to be told to him. Lora undertook the telling, and without any help from Maud or me, she gave a clear and concise _résumé_ of Posy’s statements. Kee listened, as always, thoughtfully and with deepest interest. When she had finished, he turned to me and said, in what was intended for a comforting manner: “Take it easy, old man. The game’s never out till it’s played out. I’m not at all of the opinion that the scenes the volatile Posy described actually happened just as she described them. It may be Alma lost her temper, lost it to such an extent that the Merivales, one and all, urged her into the house. But make allowances for the source of that information and remember that it may all have happened some time ago, that Posy’s memory may be greatly stimulated by her imagination, and that she is decidedly prone to exaggerate, anyway.” My very drooping spirits revived and I plucked up a little hope. But I had to know what Kee thought about the book. “Do you feel sure, as Maud does, that the story in the book started the whole thing?” “As I said, a few moments ago, I do, at this moment, think there is some connection, but I am quite willing to say, also, that it is, to my mind, just as likely there is none.” “Then why did Alma want the book destroyed?” I demanded. “Because she thinks there _is_ a connection——” My heart lightened. “That,” I exclaimed, “proves you think her innocent.”