"No. I went out again, and was out nearly all night trying to walk it off." Runnels' face blanched, and he drew back. "Then of course you know?" "What?" "About Cortlandt. He's dead!" It was Kirk's turn to start and grow pale. The last cobweb was swept from his brain, and he gasped: "DEAD! When? Where? How did it happen?" "Nobody knows just how. He was found on the sea-wall near Alfarez' house, shot." "Shot! Good Lord!" "It happened some time early this morning, and the whole city is talking about it. I came to you the first thing." "We'd better hurry down there. Mrs. Cortlandt must be all broken up." Kirk began to dress hastily, but paused as his friend stammered: "Wait! I--I--let's understand each other first. I met Wade just now. The news has rattled him, and he's been talking." "What do you mean?" "Did you see Cortlandt again after I left you?" Runnels swallowed hard. Kirk whirled about and faced him. "Great heavens! No! See here, that idea is ridiculous." Runnels sank weakly into a chair and mopped his face. "I'm glad to hear you say that. It frightened me just the same, for I remembered you acted so queerly when I left you, and Wade seemed to think, perhaps--When you said you'd gone out again, it knocked me flat, understand?" "I can prove where I was, for Allan was with me. I couldn't sleep, so I tried to walk off my excitement. No, no. I couldn't do a thing like that. I thought last night that I could, but--I couldn't, really." "I'm afraid Wade will tell all about the party if we don't stop him." "Then we'd better hunt him up." Kirk resumed his dressing, while Runnels consulted his watch. "No. 5 is due in twenty minutes. We'll probably find him at the office." Together they hastened to the railroad building, Runnels telling all he knew of the tragedy as they went along. Cortlandt's body, it seemed, had been found about daylight by a Spiggoty policeman, who had identified it. Becoming panic-stricken at the importance of his discovery, he had sounded the alarm, then reported directly to the Governor, whose house was close by. It was General Alfarez himself who had informed Mrs. Cortlandt over the telephone of her husband's death. The whole city was alive with the news, the police were buzzing like bees. Rumors of suicide, murder, robbery were about, but no one seemed to know anything definite. Colonel Jolson in his motor-car had just come from Culebra, and Colonel Bland was on No. 5 from Gatun, hence Runnels' desire to be at the station. "It was suicide," Kirk averred, with conviction. "The man was insane last night, and that accounts for what he said about me. He's been sick for a long time." "If those boys will only keep their mouths shut!" Runnels said, anxiously. "There's no telling what these Spiggoties might do if they heard about that row." "Cortlandt was an American." "But it happened in Panama, and it would be their affair."