Page:The Black Camel (IA blackcamel0000earl).djvu/276

“Sit down,” said the Chief. “Take off that hat.” Thank heaven, here was some one who needn’t be handled any too gently. “Look at me. A woman was killed last night at Waikiki, in a separate building on the grounds of her home. What were you doing in the room where she was killed?”

Beneath the yellow beard, Smith’s face paled. He wet his lips with his tongue. “I was never in that room, Chief.”

“You lie! We found your finger-prints on the window-sill. Look at me. What were you doing in that room?”

“I—I——”

“Come on, brace up. You're in a tight place. Tell the truth, or you'll swing for this. What were you doing——”

“All right,” said Smith in a low voice. “I’ll tell you about it. Give me a chance. I didn’t kill anybody. It’s true, I was in that room—in a way——”

“In a way?”

“Yes. I opened the window and climbed up on the sill. You see——”

“Kindly start at beginning,” Chan cut in. “We know you arrived at window of pavilion to hear man and woman talking inside. What was said we pass over for the minute. You heard the man leaving the room——”

“Yes—and I went after him. I wanted to see him—but he got into a car and drove away down the avenue. I couldn’t catch him. So I ambled back and sat down on the beach. Pretty soon I heard a cry—a woman’s cry—from that pavilion. I didn’t know what to do. I waited a while, and then I went