The Deep Lake Mystery

site. Clean, wind-swept, cheerful with flowers and only pleasantly shaded by the wavi

o awaited our coming were not at all re

n come along," admonis

oo, there was no real discussion, until we were, later, seated in th

ssing waistcoats," Kee

s the watch in the water

formed me. "The work of the same hand a

e going to be

ar in my own mind. I'm sorry Doctor Rogers went away-he could read the messa

n't help you, as you

rtance, but it surely isn't all there is of it. Nor the waistcoats, either. To me, those things see

ternoon, and left them in the boathouse where they were found. Griscom says they were in their place on Wedn

"what point are you making, Gray? These stor

ut she didn't carry the waistcoats away with her, Tuesday afternoon-that we know. So, what conclusion is there, but that, as the old nurse said, it is all a plant? Somebody came in the night, killed Mr. Tracy, an

criminating to Miss Remsen with a Lick telescope! Now, that's all right, and I'm not cavilling, b

admire Miss Remsen, but that's all the more reason

Gray be in it all, and that we pay

ot, and I at once recovered my balance, my self-respect and an adde

l daunted by their

d up all the rubbishy evidence to mislead the investigators. But, perhaps on purpose, perhaps accide

into the ash tray, "I'm ready to talk. So, call a halt o

were gazing directly at her husband, as she concent

I'm ready to say right out that I'm all

t once to a conclusion that somehow incriminated Al

There's the nail, of course, but what about the hammer or mal

ooked

n't either. How abou

responded. "Know o

is court at Whistling Reeds

t I hoped I d

oves?" I sai

but pos

isn't

assed. "But a lot of little bits of

jibed. "All right,

s more about this matt

ore than his words, struck a

I did, I was tempted to tell him everything, but c

ed at me,

know anything, do you?" I w

k out. But I do believe that there is a deep, dark, underlying my

confidently, and I could only re

king for a moment or

iss Remsen's sudden change of ba

base?" I sa

police would come to interview her. That seemed to spur her or stir her up in some w

at the idea of a police interview, and it brought out her natural bravery and courage. Sh

rch. March is a good man, but I

lared. "But you're going to

First of all, we have the collection of properties

not necessarily the

nclined to think a waggish-minded visitor follo

Lora, very

ned, "except in an effort to direct s

ould d

hful person, determined

," suggested Maud. "Say, Mr

"why should she kill the m

. "But there may have been reasons. Suppose Mr. Tr

iefly, as Maud looked

ell, suppose Mrs. Dallas did it-killed him, I mean-and suppose somebody saw her who cared for her, Mr. Ames or Mr. E

s a germ of thought in your theory. Granting two people concerned, there's no reason to

ed on fact," Lora put in. "It's only ima

or imagination?" I

in a fairy story or a romance. But imaginati

ora's usually right. Now what facts ha

"The relationships between the peo

a glance of approval. "Take the househo

as," I sai

t in the

hkey, so that makes her

msen is in th

ed, knowing better

on. What's the

ke suggestions that he could accept or discard

. A personal interview with her is needed, and then she would probably, or at l

ate him," said M

ve hated him," Kee declared

. "It was horrible, of course, but to my mind

urderer get his

las or Alma Remsen coming to the house armed with a hammer and nail! They might bring a pistol or a dagger,

e story Maud told of, the Spanis

o see a copy of that book in a suspect's posses

spects, and I suppose they include all who were qu

vants?"

that they run across, though the

tends, and there's no question of his opportunity. Say he read that gruesome tale, and concluded it would be a fine way to get his money quickly. Then, a

ay all be true, but you've no atom of proof, nor even an atom of e

Griscom's accomplice. Is

ove with the butler? Is Mrs. Dallas in love with the secretary? Is Harper Ames in love wit

way. I hate to acknowledge it, but he may know more, in his ordinary police way,

o see the stolid-looking man

s, there was a sort of power in the way he carr

to the ladies in a preoccupied way, and sea

"I've been to see

ut her?"

e's trying to hide something, I'm sure it's nothing of real importance. I mean, she think

ou know i

She gets embarrassed

ay more a

er relations with her uncle, or her feeling towards Mrs. Dallas, she's as unconcerned and un-self-conscious

gather fr

ave put them in her boathouse to incriminate her, and that scares her. Whi

said, looking at him with a sort of adm

I saw all that in Miss Remsen's face and attitude. It isn't imagination a detective nee

rderer surely ha

round the dead man. Sometimes I think he was, and

hy

ve chosen shooting or stabbing as a method. But granting a mentality that could think of and carry out a killing like

t done with int

even the crucifix-all right. But the exaggeration. The superfluity. The piling o

e," Keeley broke in, as if unable longer to keep st

unt for a nature, a temperament, that is extravagant

acclaim merit, and he thought the detective showed real insight.

but she had no hand in the crime. She had no hand in the decoration of the deathbed in that

whole-souled acquittal of Alma, and I b

ur pet suspect?

wered, frankly. "Mr. Ames, Mrs.

u care to detail your reasons? Or do you

o weigh his words as he spoke them. "No, Mr. Moore, I'm only too glad to tell you all I kno

. Motives first, for all f

I will tell you the gist of it. It's really no secret, but

ed, and Ma

ral heir. There is a gift of fifty thousand dollars to Mrs. Dallas and twenty-five t

big fortune for Mis

h the servants' bequests and charities included, that only runs to, say, tw

nts ge

. Fenn about the same. The other servants in proport

e will to work on. Now, granting greed as the motive, we have y

I mean they all had equal motive and the same oppo

itive that Moore as

ts had the ingenuity, the imagination, to cook up this way of doing th

n't

llars, garage and every such place, and I know every nail and hammer in the whole place.

er?" Moore lo

itimately there. This isn't proof positive, but it's fairly so, when you take it in connection with the absence of any such nails as we're searching for, and the unlikelihood of any

inside the house, but Mrs. Dallas was n

se unheard. I've tried it, and the door latch and lock are so slick and so well oiled that they move with absolute silence. Then the thick, soft rugs in the hall and on the stairs ar

osely

guarded against it. But that doesn't matter; the fact remains, anybody

ent intruder from outside, how did he get away from Mr. Tracy's sui

eley Moore squa

no idea?

?" counte

ve. He went ou

the

the