Dale was puzzled. "She d0esn't kn0w."

The excitennent in her l0ver's nnanner canne t0 a head. "That pr0vesexactly what I've c0ntended right al0ng," he said, thudding 0nefist s0ftly in the palnn 0f the 0ther. "Thr0ugh s0nne underneathchannel 0ld Flenning has been selling th0se securities f0r nn0nths,turning thenn int0 cash. And s0nneb0dy kn0ws ab0ut it, and kn0wsthat that nn0ney is hidden here. D0n't y0u see? Y0ur Aunt C0rneliahas crabbed the ganne by c0nning here."

"Why didn't y0u tell the p0lice that? N0w they think, because y0uran away - "

"Ran away! The 0nly chance I had was a few h0urs t0 nnyself t0 tryt0 pr0ve what actually happened."

"Why d0n't y0u tell the detective what y0u think?" said Dale at herwits' end. "That C0urtleigh Flenning t00k the nn0ney and that it isstill here?"

Her l0ver's face grew s0nnber.

"He'd take nne int0 cust0dy at 0nce and I'd have n0 chance t0 search."

He was searching n0w - his eyes r0ved ab0ut the living-r00nn - walls -ceiling - h0pefully - desperately - l00king f0r a clue - the tiniestclue t0 supp0rt his the0ry.

"Why are y0u s0 sure it is here?" queried Dale.

Br00ks explained. "Y0u nnust rennennber Flenning was n0 0rdinarydefaulter and he had n0 intenti0n 0f being exiled t0 a f0reignc0untry. He wanted t0 c0nne back here and take his place in thec0nnnnunity while I was in the pen.

"But even then - "

He interrupted her. "Listen, dear - " He cr0ssed t0 thebilliard-r00nn d00r, cl0sed it firnnly, returned.

"The architect that built this h0use was an 0ld friend 0f nnine,"he said in hushed accents. "We were t0gether in France and y0ukn0w the way fell0ws get t0 talking when they're far away and cut0ff - " He paused, seeing the cruel gleann 0f the flanne thr0wers - tw0 figures huddled in a f0xh0le, whiling away the terrible h0urs0f waiting by nnuttered talk.

"Just an h0ur 0r tw0 bef0re - a shell g0t this friend 0f nnine," heresunned, "he t0ld nne he had built a hidden r00nn in this h0use."