At last he allowed himself to smile, and though he was known to be a hard man with even possible criminals, the smile was singularly pleasant just then. “Bless you,” he remarked tranquilly, “that’s all a matter for our medical friends to settle! If the bullet entered the body at a certain angle and a certain range, it will let you out.” “Then all this,” exclaimed Crane angrily—it was so like a boy to be most enraged when most relieved—“all this is waste of time—pure theatrics?” But at this point Willie Coster interfered. “Say, Mr. Inspector,” he said, awkwardly but determinedly, “I’m not crazy about a spotlight on myself, but just here there’s something I ought to say. I was pretty close by, myself, you understand.” “Exactly where you are now?” “Yes. And until the lantern was broken in the scrap scene, there was a little light shining through that door from the stage. See?” “Yes!” It was not only the representatives of the law who listened eagerly now. “Go on, man, go on!” “Well”—Willie hesitated, gulped, and plunged ahead—“I saw a woman’s shadow on the wall, and she had something in her hand. That’s all I wanted to say.” “Something in her——A revolver?” “I don’t know.” “Would you be prepared to—ah—say that you recognized the shadow?” “I would not. One woman’s shadow’s much like another, so far as I can see; and the women, too, for that matter! I never troubled to tell ’em apart!” “And you won’t even express a—ah—an impression as to whether what this shadow woman held was a weapon or not?” “No!” snapped Willie impatiently. “Why should I? I didn’t think about it at the time. I was waiting to time those shots. All I know is that it was a woman, and that she was holding something. She had something in her hand.” “I’d give something if I had it in mine!” muttered the inspector fervently, more fervently than he usually permitted himself to speak when on a case. Barrison put his hand in his pocket and drew out the thing which he had found in the shadow of the miniature stairway. He thought it the proper time to hand it over, and he said: “I think you have it now, Lowry! The barrel was still warm when I picked it up a few minutes after the murder.” CHAPTER X FACTS AND FANCIES A short while later the inspector addressed them mildly: