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Ames dropped in yesterday. He drank me dry and left a package.”
    â€œOh?” said the Inspector, coming to life. “What kind of package?”
    Ellery told him.
    The old man snorted. “Of all the baloney. Somebody’s pulling a funny on you. Did you read it?”
    â€œA few chapters. I must say it’s pretty well done. Fascinating, in fact. But then—out of nowhere—lightning struck, and I got back to my typewriter. How do you plan to spend your day, dad?”
    â€œFrying myself on that damned beach. Ellery, I’m so bored I’m beginning to chew my nails. Son, won’t you let me come home?”
    â€œNot a chance,” said Ellery. “You fry. Tell you what. How would you like to read an unpublished Sherlock Holmes?”
    Inspector Queen’s voice took on a cunning note. “Say, that’s an idea. I’ll call the airline and book a stray seat—I can be in New York in no time—”
    â€œNothing doing. I’ll mail the manuscript down to you.”
    â€œTo hell with the manuscript!” howled his father.
    â€œSo long, daddy,” said Ellery. “Don’t forget to wear your dark glasses on the beach. And you eat everything they put on your plate.”
    He hung up hastily, not a second too soon.
    He peered at the clock. It had the same bloodshot look as the typewriter.
    He went into his bathroom, took a shower, and came back in his pyjamas. The first thing he did in his study was to yank the telephone jack out of the wall socket. The second thing he did was to seize Dr. Watson’s journal.
    It will put me to sleep, he said to himself cunningly.

CHAPTER V
    THE DIOGENES CLUB
    The following morning I awoke to find Holmes up and pacing. Making no reference whatever to the previous night’s misadventure, he said, “Watson, I wonder if you would inscribe a few notes for me?”
    â€œI should be happy to.”
    â€œI apologise for demeaning you to the role of amanuensis, but I have a special reason for wishing the details of this case to be put down in orderly fashion.”
    â€œA special reason?”
    â€œVery. If your time is free, we shall call this afternoon upon my brother Mycroft, at his club. A consultation may bear us fruit. In certain ways, you know, Mycroft’s analytical talents are superior to mine.”
    â€œI am aware of the high respect in which you hold him.”
    â€œOf course, his is what you might call a sedentary ability, in that he detests moving about. If a street-chair were ever invented to transport one from office to home and back again, Mycroft would be its first purchaser.”
    â€œI do recall that he is a man of rigid routine.”
    â€œThus, he tends to reduce all riddles, human or otherwise, to chess-board dimensions. This is far too restrictive for my taste, but his methods are often quite stimulating, in the broader analysis.”
    Holmes rubbed his hands together. “And now, let us list our actors. Not necessarily in the order of their importance. We have, first, the Duke of Shires …”
    Holmes re-capitulated for an hour, whilst I took notes. Then he prowled the rooms whilst I re-arranged my notes into some semblance of order. When I had finished, I handed him the following résumé . It contained information of which I had no previous knowledge, data that Holmes had gathered over-night:
    The Duke of Shires (Kenneth Osbourne)
    Present holder of title and lands dating back to 1420. The twentieth descendant of the line. The Duke lives quietly, dividing his time between his estates and a townhouse on Berkeley Square, where he pursues a painter’s career. He sired two sons by a wife now ten years deceased. He has never re-married.
    Lord Carfax (Richard Osbourne)
    Elder son of Kenneth. Lineal inheritor of the dukedom. He sired one daughter, Deborah. But tragedy struck when his wife perished upon the delivery-table. The child is cared for by a governess at