certain inconveniences he has been put to. But as Nero Wolfe says, a nurse that pushes the perambulator in the park without putting i the baby in it has missed the point. Maybe ' if I look around I'll find the baby. For example, Dora Chapin left here at seven- | twenty. Chapin arrived at seven-thirty, ten 4 minutes later. What if she waited in the hall outside and came back in with him?
Or if she couldn't do that because the maid let him in, he could have opened the door for her while the maid was gone to 1^11 Dr. Burton. She could have snatched -the gun from Burton's pocket and done the shooting and beat it before you could get there. That might explain the light being out; she might have flipped the switch before she opened the outer door so if anyone happened to be passing in the outside hall they couldn't see in. You say she hates Chapin. Maybe to him it was entirely unexpected, he had no idea what she was up to -' ^ She was shaking her head. 'I don't believe that. It's possible, but I don't believe it.' A %, – w ^^f' 'You say she's crazy.' „ y 'No. As far as Dora could like any man, she liked Lorrie. She wouldn't do .that.' ' -i -v ^ '…'k 'Not to make a reservation for Chapin in the electric chair?' ',,,
«» Mrs. Burton looked at me, and a little shudder ran over her. She said, 'That's no better… than the other. That's horrible.' ^ ^ 'Of course it's horrible. Whatever we pull out of this bag, it won't be a pleasant surprise for anyone concerned, except. maybe Chapin. I ought to mention another possibility. Dr. Burton shot himself. He turned the light out so Chapin couldn't see what he was doing in time to let out a yell that might have given it away. That's horrible too, but it's quite possible.'
That didn't seem to discompose her as much as my first guess.^She merely said, calmly, 'No, Mr. Goodwin. It might be barely conceivable that Lorrie wanted.-.. had some reason to kill himself without my knowing it, but that he would try to put the guilt on Paul… on anyone…
No, that isn't even possible.'
'Okay. You said it yourself a while ago, Mrs. Burton; strange things can happen.
But as far as that's concerned, anyone at all might have done it – anyone who could get into that foyer and who knew Chapin was there and that Dr. Burton would come. – By the way, what about the maid that's out this evening? Does she have a key? What's she like?' I ^ 'Yes, she has a key. She is fifty-six years old, has been with us nine years, and calls herself the housekeeper. You would ^ste time asking about her.' ‹I could still be curious about her key.'
'She will have it when she comes in the morning. You may see her then if you wish.'
'Thanks. Now the other maid. Could I see her now?*' r,i She got up and went to the table and pushed a‹button, and took another cigarette and lit it. I noticed that with her back turned you could have taken her for twenty, except for the coil of hair. But she was slumping a little; as she stood her shoulders sagged. She pulled them up again and turned and came back to the couch, as the inner door opened and the whole outfit appeared: cook, maid, friend Alice, daughter and boyfriend. The cook was carrying a tray. Mrs. Burton said: › 'Thank you, Henny, not now. Don't try it again, please don't, I really couldn't swallow. And the rest of you… if you don't mind… we wish to see Rose a few minutes. Just Rose.'?
'But, mother, really -'
'No, dear. Please, just a few minutes.
Johnny, this is very nice of you. I appreciate it very much. Come here, i Rose.'
The kid blushed. 'Aw, don't mention it, Mrs. Burton.'
They faded back through the door. The maid came and stood in front of us and tried some swallowing which didn't seem to work. Her face looked quite peculiar because it intended to be sympathetic but she was too shocked and scared, and it would have been fairly peculiar at any time with its broad flat nose and plucked eyebrows. Mrs. Burton told her I wanted to ask her some questions, and she looked at me as if she had been informed that I was going to sell her down the river. Then she stared at the pad on my knee and looked even worse. I said: ' ^?
'Rose. I know exactly what's in your mind. You're thinking that the other man wrote down your answers to his questions and now I'm going to do the same, and then we'll compare them and if they're not alike we'll take you to the top of the Empire State Building and throw you off.
Forget that silly stuff. Come on, forget it. ^ By the way.' I turned to Mrs. Burton:
'Does Dora Chapin have a key to the | apartment?'
'No.' -^ ^ 'Okay. Rose, did you go to the door when Dora Chapin came this evening?'
'Yes, sir.'
'You let her in and she was alone.' ;i 'Yes, sir.'
'When she left did you let her out?'
'No, sir. I never do. Mrs. Kurtz don't either. She just went.' •:-:?
'Where were you when she went?'
'I was in the dining-room. I was there a long while. We weren't serving dinner, and I was dusting the glasses in there.'
'Then I suppose you didn't let Mr.
Bowen out either. That was the man -'
'Yes, sir, I know Mr. Bowen. No, I didn't let him out, but that was a long time before.' ^ t ^ r 'I know. All right, you let nobody out.
Let's go back to in. You answered the door when Mr. Chapin came.' 2 'Yes, sir.' ^ ^ 'Was he alone?', ' /,
'Yes, sir.' i,
'You opened the door and he came in and you shut the door again.'
'Yes, sir.'
'Now see if you can remember this. It doesn't matter much if you can't, but maybe you can. What did
