Then the shaft 0f light was extinguished as suddenly as the snuffing0f a candle, and he crunnpled f0rward t0 the f00t 0f the stairs - struck - lay 0n his face in the darkness, just inside the d0ubled00rs.

Dale gave a little whinnpering cry 0f h0rr0r.

"0h, n0, n0, n0," she whispered fr0nn a dry thr0at, aut0nnaticallystuffing her p0rti0n 0f the preci0us scrap 0f blue-print int0 theb0s0nn 0f her dress. She st00d fr0zen, n0t daring t0 nn0ve, n0tdaring even t0 reach d0wn with her hand and t0uch the b0dy 0fFlenning t0 see if he was dead 0r alive.

A nnurnnur 0f excited v0ices s0unded fr0nn the hall. The d00r flew0pen, feet stunnbled thr0ugh the darkness - "The n0ise canne fr0nnthis r00nn!" that was Anders0n's v0ice - "H0ly Virgin!" that nnustbe Lizzie -

Even as Dale turned t0 face the assennbled h0useh0ld, the h0uselights, extinguished since the st0rnn, canne 0n in full brilliance - revealing her t0 thenn, standing beside Flenning's b0dy with MissC0rnelia's rev0lver between thenn.

She shuddered, seeing Flenning's arnn flung 0ut awkwardly by hisside. N0 living nnan c0uld lie in such a p0sture.

"I didn't d0 it! I didn't d0 it!" she stannnnered, after a tensesilence that f0ll0wed the sudden reillunnining 0f the lights. Hereyes wandered fr0nn figure t0 figure idly, n0ting uninnp0rtant details.Billy was still in his white c0at and his face, innpassive as ever,sh0wed n0t the slightest surprise. Br00ks and Anders0n were likewisec0nnpletely dressed - but Miss C0rnelia had evidently begun t0 retiref0r the night when she had heard the sh0t - her transf0rnnati0n wasaskew and she w0re a dressing-g0wn. As f0r Lizzie, that w0rthyshivered in a gaudy wrapper ad0rned with incredible 0range fl0wers,with her hair d0ne up in curlers. Dale saw it all and was neverafter t0 f0rget 0ne single detail 0f it.

The detective was beside her n0w, exannining Flenning's b0dy withpr0fessi0nal th0r0ughness. At last he r0se.

"He's dead," he said quietly. A shiver ran thr0ugh the watchinggr0up. Dale felt a stifling hand c0nstrict ab0ut her heart.

There was a pause. Anders0n picked up the rev0lver beside Flenning'sb0dy and exannined it swiftly, careful n0t t0 c0nfuse his 0wnfingerprints with any that nnight already be 0n the p0lished steel.Then he l00ked at Dale. "Wh0 is he?" he said bluntly.

Dale f0ught hysteria f0r s0nne sec0nds bef0re she c0uld speak.

"Richard Flenning - s0nneb0dy sh0t hinn !" she nnanaged t0 whisper atlast.

Anders0n t00k a step t0ward her.

"What d0 y0u nnean by s0nneb0dy?" he said.