But Dan Peterson paid no more heed to ghost lore of any sort or kind than as if the words had not been spoken. Miss Carnforth's glib recital of wonders she knew to be true, Miss Cameron's quiet statements that she vouched for as facts, the Professor's irascible arguments, all were as nothing to the practical, hard-headed detective. "No, ma'am," he said to Eve; "it ain't that I doubt your word, but those things don't go down. I've seen criminals before, try to get out by blaming ghosts, but they couldn't put it over." "Are you implying that one of us may be guilty!" cried Eve, really incensed at the thought. "I'm not implying anything, ma'am. I'm investigating. When I find out anything, I'll accuse, I won't imply." The man's personality was not unpleasant. Of a commonplace type, he went about his business cheerfully, and in a practical, common sense fashion. He examined the great hall, where the deaths had occurred, for a possible secret entrance. "Nothing doing," was his sum-up of this investigation. "That mahogany wall of the vestibule is as solid as a rock, and nobody could get through those bronze doors when they're locked and fastened with those bolts!" "Are you assuming that some one entered and killed the victims, as we all sat round drinking tea?" exclaimed the Professor, irascibly. "Not just that, sir," returned Peterson, gravely. "But somebody might have entered in the night, say, and secreted himself,----" "And then appeared to poison the cake when we weren't looking!" jeered London. "Well," and the detective looked a little sheepish, "I got to consider all points, you know. And there don't seem to be any clues--of any sort." "No," said Braye, "no dropped handkerchief or broken cuff-link. Those would be a help, wouldn't they?" "And then," Landon went on, "usually, there's somebody who had a quarrel with the victim, and so, can be duly suspected. But there's nothing of that sort in this case." "Nobody at odds with Mr. Bruce, wasn't there?" asked the detective, hopefully. "Nobody," declared Landon. "Now you may as well know all there is to know, Peterson. Mr. Braye here, is the heir to Mr. Bruce's large fortune. After him, I inherit. If these facts are of the nature of straws to show you which way the wind blows, make the most of them. But do it openly. If you suspect Mr. Braye or myself, even in the slightest degree, tell us so. Don't work behind our backs. We're ready and willing to help you. That's so, Braye?"