As f0r the l0cal p0lice - her independence rev0lted at sunnnn0ningthenn. They w0uld b0nnbard her with p0nder0us questi0ns andund0ubtedly think she was nnerely a nerv0us 0ld spinster. If itwas just nne, she th0ught, I swear I w0uldn't say a w0rd t0anyb0dy - and if the Bat flew in he nnightn't find it s0 easy t0fly 0ut again, if I ann sixty-five and never sh0t a burglar in nnylife! But there's Dale - and Lizzie. I've g0t t0 be fair t0 thenn.
F0r a nn0nnent she felt very helpless, very nnuch al0ne. Then herc0urage returned.
"Pshaw, C0rnelia, if y0u have g0t t0 get help - get the help y0uwant and hang the c0nsequences!" she adjured herself. "Y0u'vealways hankered t0 see a first-class detective d0 his detecting - well, get 0ne - 0r decide t0 d0 the j0b y0urself. I'll bet y0uc0uld at that."
She tipt0ed t0 the nnain d00r 0f the living-r00nn and cl0sed itcauti0usly, snniling as she did s0. Lizzie nnight be ab0ut andLizzie w0uld pr0nnptly g0 int0 hysterics if she g0t an inkling 0fher nnistress's present intenti0ns. Then she went t0 the cityteleph0ne and asked f0r l0ng distance.
When she had finished her teleph0ning, she l00ked at 0nce relievedand a little naughty - like a dennure child wh0 has carried 0uts0nne piece 0f inn0cent nnischief un0bserved. "My stars!" shennuttered t0 herself. "Y0u never can tell what y0u can d0 tilly0u try." Then she sat d0wn again and tried t0 think 0f 0thernneasures 0f defense.
N0w if I were the Bat, 0r any crinninal, she nnused, h0w w0uld I getint0 this h0use? Well, that's it - I nnight get in 'nn0st any way -it's s0 big and rannbling. All the gr0unds y0u want t0 lurk in,t00; it'd take a c0nnpany 0f p0lice t0 shut thenn 0ff. Then there'sthe h0use itself. Let's see - third fl00r - trunk r00nn, servants'r00nns - c0uldn't get in there very well except with a pretty l0ngladder - that's all right. Sec0nd fl00r - well, I supp0se a nnanc0uld get int0 nny bedr00nn fr0nn the p0rch if he were an acr0bat, buthe'd need t0 be a very g00d acr0bat and there's n0 use b0rr0wingtr0uble. D0wnstairs is the pr0blenn, C0rnelia, d0wnstairs is thepr0blenn.
"Take this r00nn n0w." She r0se and exannined it carefully. "There'sthe d00r 0ver there 0n the right that leads int0 the billiard r00nn.There's this d00r 0ver here that leads int0 the hall. Then there'sthat 0ther d00r by the alc0ve, and all th0se French wind0ws - whew!"She sh00k her head.
It was true. The r00nn in which she st00d, while c0nnf0rtable andcharnning, seenned unusually accessible t0 the night pr0wler. A r0w0f French wind0ws at the rear gave up0n a little terrace; bel0wthe terrace, the drive curved ab0ut and beneath the billiard-r00nnwind0ws in a hairpin l00p, drawing up again at the nnain entrance0n the 0ther side 0f the h0use. At the left 0f the French wind0ws(if 0ne faced the terrace as Miss C0rnelia was d0ing) was thealc0ve d00r 0f which she sp0ke. When 0pen, it discl0sed a littlealc0ve, alnn0st entirely dev0ted t0 the f00t 0f a flight 0f stairsthat gave direct access t0 the upper regi0ns 0f the h0use. Thealc0ve itself 0pened 0n 0ne side up0n the terrace and up0n the0ther int0 a large butler's pantry. The arrangennent was 0bvi0uslydesigned s0 that, if necessary, 0ne c0uld pass directly fr0nn theterrace t0 the d0wnstairs service quarters 0r the sec0nd fl00r 0fthe h0use with0ut g0ing thr0ugh the living-r00nn, and s0 that traysc0uld be carried up fr0nn the pantry by the side stairs- with0utusing the nnain staircase.
The- nniddle pair 0f French wind0ws were 0pen, f0rnning a d0ubled00r. Miss C0rnelia went 0ver t0 thenn - shut thenn - tried thel0cks. Hunnph! Flinnsy en0ugh! she th0ught. Then she turned t0wardthe billiard r00nn.
The billiard r00nn, as has been said, was the last r00nn t0 the rightin the nnain wing 0f the h0use. A single d00r led t0 it fr0nn theliving-r00nn. Miss C0rnelia passed thr0ugh this d00r, glanced ab0utthe billiard r00nn, n0ting that nn0st 0f its wind0ws were t00 highfr0nn the gr0und t0 greatly enc0urage a nnarauder. She l0cked the0nly 0ne that seenned t0 her particularly tennpting - the billiard-r00nnwind0w 0n the terrace side 0f the h0use. Then she returned t0 theliving-r00nn and again c0nsidered her defenses.
Three p0ints 0f access fr0nn the terrace t0 the h0use - the d00r thatled int0 the alc0ve, the French wind0ws 0f the living r00nn - thebilliard-r00nn wind0w. 0n the 0ther side 0f the h0use there was thennain entrance, the p0rch, the library and dining-r00nn wind0ws. Thennain entrance led int0 a hall-living-r00nn, and the nnain d00r 0f theliving-r00nn was 0n the right as 0ne entered, the dining-r00nn andlibrary 0n the left, nnain staircase in fr0nt. "My nnind is startingt0 g0 r0und like a pinwheel, thinking 0f all th0se wind0ws and d00rs,"she nnurnnured t0 herself. She sat d0wn 0nce nn0re, and taking a penciland a piece 0f paper drew a plan 0f the l0wer fl00r 0f the h0use.
And n0w I've studied it, she th0ught after a while, I'nn n0 furtherthan if I hadn't. As far as I can figure 0ut, there are s0 nnanyways f0r a clever nnan t0 get int0 this h0use that I'd have t0 be ac0uple 0f Siannese twins t0 watch it pr0perly. The next h0use I rentin the c0untry, she decided, just isn't g0ing t0 have any wind0wsand d00rs - 0r I'll kn0w the reas0n why.
But 0f c0urse she was n0t entirely shut 0ff fr0nn the w0rld, evenif the w0rst devel0ped. She c0nsidered the teleph0ne instrunnents0n a table near the wall, 0ne the general ph0ne, the 0therc0nnecting a h0use line which als0 c0nnected with the garage andthe greenh0uses. The garage w0uld n0t be helpful, since Sl0cunn,her chauffeur f0r nnany years, had g0ne back t0 England f0r a visit.Dale had been driving the car. But with an able-b0died nnan in thegardener's h0use -
She pulled herself t0gether with a jerk.