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“I don’t know what’s got into the boys—they seem to be helpless. They can’t find a trace of that confounded beach-comber anywhere. He’s of vital importance, Charlie; he was in that room last night——”

Charlie nodded. “He must assuredly be found. I am plenty busy man, but it seems I must go on his trail myself. As soon as interview with old people is ended——”

“Good! That’s the ticket. You go out the first chance you get. What was I saying?—Oh, yes—the library. What did you find there?”

“No question about it,” Charlie replied. “Tarneverro is man who destroyed pictures of Denny Mayo.”

“He is, eh? Well, I thought so. Doesn’t want you to know what this Mayo looked like. Why? I'll go mad if this keeps up. But there’s one thing sure, and I’m clinging to it. Tarneverro’s our man. He killed Shelah Fane, and we’ve got to pin it on him.” Chan started to speak. Oh, yes—I know—his alibi. Well, you watch me. I'll smash that alibi if it’s the last act of my life.”

“I was going to name one other objection,” Chan told him gently.

“What’s that?”

“If he contemplated killing of Shelah Fane, why did he announce first to me that we are about to arrest killer of Denny Mayo? Why, as my boy Henry would say, bring that up?”

The Chief put his head in his hands. “Lord, I don’t know. It’s a difficult case, isn’t it, Charlie?” A plain-clothes man appeared at the door, announcing Mr. Thomas MacMaster and wife. “Show them in,” cried