“Well, how did he do it?” “With his penholder. A smooth, sharp silver penholder. And he took the money and the ruby.” “And how did he leave the room?” “Don’t ask me that! That’s his secret. But, I’ve a notion he was in cahoots with that new Jap, the one that vamoosed. I theorize,” Morton waxed important as he noted the Prosecutor’s attention, “that the Jap had some grudge against Waring, and it was he who branded his forehead, and who contrived a way to leave the room locked behind him. Why, I read a story the other day, where a key was turned from the other side of a door by means of a slender steel bar through the key handle, and a string from the bar, leading down and under the door. Once outside, the murderer pulled the string, the bar turned the key in the lock, the bar fell to the floor and he dragged it under the door by means of the string.” “Ingenious! but it implies a door raised from the floor.” “I know. And this one isn’t. But it all goes to prove that there can be some way—some diabolically clever way to do the trick. And the Japanese are diabolically clever. And so is Lockwood. And if the two worked together they could accomplish wonders. Then Lockwood with his wooden face, could disarm suspicion. The Jap, let us say, couldn’t, so Lockwood packed him off.” “Interesting—but all theory.” “To be proved or disproved, then.” “Yes, but meantime, you are losing time on more practical investigation. Let’s look outside for footprints—I mean for any one coming or going from this side entrance.” “The French window? Nobody comes or goes that way in this weather; the path isn’t even shoveled. That’s used mostly in summer time.” “Nevertheless,” Cray opened the window door, “somebody has been here.” Morton looked out and stared hard. How had he come to neglect a matter of such importance. There were two plainly visible lines of footprints in the snow, one quite obviously coming toward the house and one going away from it. “There’s your murderer,” said Cray, quietly. “Oh, no,” but Morton wriggled uneasily. “It couldn’t be. No murderer is going to walk through crusted snow, to and from the scene of his crime, leaving definite footprints like those!” “That’s no argument. He might have come here with no intent of crime, and afterward, might have been so beside himself he couldn’t plan safely.” “Oh, well, get what you can from them,” said Morton, pettishly. “I suppose you deduce a tall man, with blue eyes and two teeth missing.” “Don’t be cheap, Morton. And, on the contrary, I deduce a small man. They are small footprints, and close together. The Japanese are small men, Morton.” “Well, these prints are more than twenty-four hours old, and they’re not clear enough to incriminate anybody.”