“Well, just begin to feel that it’s a pretty serious thing to bring a charge of murder against a man. You see, Low was hot and his tongue was uncontrollable. I presume he didn’t mean what he said.” “It isn’t our business to think what he meant,” declared Kerr. “And we’re not bringing any charge against him. If he’s innocent he can stand a little inquiry. So you’d better tell all you know frankly, and not wait till you are examined in court.” “Oh, I’ll be frank enough,” said Claymore, “I know that Mr. Judson asked him to call here at half-past three.” “You ought to have said that before.” Folsom, who had been listening quietly to the conversation, here suggested that an investigation should be made to find whether this Hank Low had been seen in the hotel. “I was just going to,” said Kerr. He opened the door, and asked the clerk to step in. “Do you know anybody named Low?” asked Kerr, when the clerk was with them. “Yes,” replied the clerk; “there’s a farmer named Hank Low, from Mason Creek——” “That’s the man.” The clerk said nothing further, and Kerr asked: “When did you see him last?” “This afternoon,” was the reply. “Here?” “Yes—great Heaven!” The clerk looked suddenly startled. “What’s the matter?” “Why! Hank Low called on Mr. Judson just before he died—or was it afterward?” “That’s a mighty important point,” said Kerr, gravely. “Isn’t there any way by which you can fix the time?” The clerk thought a moment. “Yes,” he said, “I can fix it to the minute, but I can’t do it offhand.” “Why? How can you fix it, then?” “Just as Low came to the desk a telegraph boy came with a message for a guest. I had to sign the boy’s book.” “Yes. Well?” “I had to enter the time, you know, and I looked up at the clock as I did so.” “Did you enter the exact minute?” “I did.” “What was it?” “That I can’t remember.” “The boy’s book will show?” “Sure.” “Then,” said Kerr, rising, “we’ll look up that boy, and also try to find the exact minute at which Mr. Judson fell or was thrown from the window.” The detective cautioned the others to say nothing about their conversation, and went out to talk with the men who had seen Judson fall. They agreed pretty nearly as to the time of the event. One said twenty-five minutes of four. The other thought it was two minutes later. When their watches were compared it was found that one was two minutes ahead of the other’s. The testimony of several other persons was taken on this matter, and it was agreed that twenty-five or twenty-six minutes of four was the time when Mr. Judson met his death. A bell boy was quietly questioned also. He remembered seeing Hank Low leave the hotel office. “’Twas just after he had gone up alone,” the boy said. “I remember, ’cause the clerk was going to send me up with him, and he saved me a trip upstairs by going alone.” This was important, and Kerr asked a number of other questions as to how it happened that Low went up alone, and so forth.