The Saint Meets His Match (She was a Lady)

'Which floor are you on, sir?'

'Second.'

The eyes of the law studied the Saint's nervous respect­ability with an intent stare; and then the finger of the law beckoned.

Simon followed the law outside; and the finger of the law pointed upwards. In the first-floor window, a sil­houette could be seen on a blind.

'In that flat below you, sir,' said the law impressively, 'there's a woman ooze wanted for murder.'

Simon peered upwards.

'Why don't you arrest her?' he asked.

'Inspector's gone for a warrant,' said the constable. 'I'm keeping watch till he gets back. Now, what was it you heard in that flat, sir?'

'A sort of moaning noise,' said the Saint sepulchrally.

'It's been going on for some time. Sounds as if someone was dying. I got anxious after a bit, and went down and rang the bell, but I couldn't get any answer.'

'Listen,' said the policeman.

They listened.

'Can't hear anything,' said the policeman.

'You wouldn't, down here, with the window shut,' said the Saint. 'It's not very loud. But you can hear it quite clearly on the landing outside the flat.'

'She's still sitting there, in that window,' said the policeman.

They stared upwards, side by side.

'Sits very still, doesn't she?' said the Saint vaguely.

They stared longer.

'Funny,' said the policeman, 'now you come to men­tion it, she does sit still, Ain't never moved 'arf an inch, all this time we've been watching her.'

'I don't like the look of it, officer,' said the Saint nervously. 'If you'd heard that noise——'

'Can't 'ear no noise now.'

'I tell you, it gave me the creeps. . . . Did this woman know you were going to arrest her?'

'Oh, I think she knows all right.'

'Supposing she's committing suicide——'

The constable continued to strain his neck.

'Sounds as if I ought to look into it,' he said. 'But I don't care to leave my post. The inspector said I wasn't to move on any account. But if she's trying to escape justice——'

'She still hasn't moved,' Simon said.

'No, she ain't moved.'

'I don't see how going inside would be leaving your post,' said the Saint thoughtfully. 'You'd be just as much use as a guard outside the door of the flat as you are here.'