Henderson, prowl around and see if you can spot signs of anyone having got in the house last night, huh.”
The breakfast room was large and airy, with a definite movement of cool air coming at them from grilles in the wall. Sing brought in iced melon, coffee and sweet rolls.
“If you want anything more, ask,” Idell said. They all refused.
“I thought Catrina Curtis was the maid up here,” the Chief said.
Idell asked, “You know her?”
The Chief flushed at Mark’s soft laugh. “Well, sort of,” he said.
Idell looked inquisitively at Mark. He told her, “Catrina is very popular with the boys—all the boys.”
Idell’s lips formed a round, silent “oh.” She said, “I don’t know where she could be, Chief, unless she’s sick. I haven’t seen her since I arrived.” She called to Sing, and when he came in said, “Have you seen Catrina, Sing?”
“She woke me up this morning,” he said, either forgetting or refusing to use his sing-song. “It was just past seven, and I saw no reason for her to wait, so I suggested she return to bed. I assumed, Miss Manders, that no one would rise before nine at the earliest.”
The Chief stared at him with his mouth slightly agape. A large piece of the melon he had taken on Idell’s suggestion showed between his teeth. He swallowed it hastily. “You mean she came in at seven and went back to bed, huh?”
“Exactly,” Sing said. He went back to the kitchen.
Sing’s story seemed to remind the Chief of something. He set down his coffee cup and bit into a plug of tobacco. He said, “Miss Manders, what time did you come down for that swim this morning?”
“At eight,” she said. They had gone over it before and she was puzzled. Was he trying to catch her? “I remember hearing the clock chime as I went past the landing.”
“She called me at half past,” Mark said.
The Chief could be penetrating on occasion. His placid, moon-like face and rather awkward grammar hid an efficient and agile brain.
“Why did you call him instead of me, huh?” he demanded.
“I was a bit hysterical,” Idell said. “If you had seen his face all screwed up like that, what would you have done?”
“Thought he drowned,” the Chief said. He did not point out that Idell had worked over Link for some time before she called Mark. He had an idea why she had let the police wait. “But he didn’t.”
“The murderer wanted to make us think he had,” Mark said. “I suppose because to some cyanide and strangulation appear alike.”
“Then why tie him down with a rope, huh?”
“To make sure it was recognized as murder,” Mark hazarded. “Our murderer wants everyone to know that Link was killed—did not die accidentally. As the melodramas would put it, he received his just deserts.”
“Meaning,” the Chief said, “lots of people didn’t like the guy.”
“You are being quite kind to Link when you put it that way,” Leona said. “I would say there were few who didn’t hate him.”
The Chief finished his coffee, waved another cup aside and rose ponderously to his feet. “I’m going to look at his room,” he said. “Hey, Bayless,” he bawled suddenly. The man on duty at the pool came inside through the French doors that opened into the patio. “Go wake everybody up and get ‘em down here. Leave ‘em dressed like they are. Pajamas and such. Let ‘em put on bathrobes, of course. Miss Manders, if you’ll go with him to show him who’s got which room, it would help. Get ‘em in here Bayless.” He finished divesting himself of his orders and started for the front hall. Mark rose and tagged along.
“Mind, Chief?”
“Hell,” the Chief said, “you met lots of these kind of people where you come from. I expect you might get some ideas, huh.”
Mark took the wandering compliment for what it was worth. He turned when Idell came from the breakfast room with Bayless, and looked at her suggestively. She took the key from her shirt pocket and handed it to
The breakfast room was large and airy, with a definite movement of cool air coming at them from grilles in the wall. Sing brought in iced melon, coffee and sweet rolls.
“If you want anything more, ask,” Idell said. They all refused.
“I thought Catrina Curtis was the maid up here,” the Chief said.
Idell asked, “You know her?”
The Chief flushed at Mark’s soft laugh. “Well, sort of,” he said.
Idell looked inquisitively at Mark. He told her, “Catrina is very popular with the boys—all the boys.”
Idell’s lips formed a round, silent “oh.” She said, “I don’t know where she could be, Chief, unless she’s sick. I haven’t seen her since I arrived.” She called to Sing, and when he came in said, “Have you seen Catrina, Sing?”
“She woke me up this morning,” he said, either forgetting or refusing to use his sing-song. “It was just past seven, and I saw no reason for her to wait, so I suggested she return to bed. I assumed, Miss Manders, that no one would rise before nine at the earliest.”
The Chief stared at him with his mouth slightly agape. A large piece of the melon he had taken on Idell’s suggestion showed between his teeth. He swallowed it hastily. “You mean she came in at seven and went back to bed, huh?”
“Exactly,” Sing said. He went back to the kitchen.
Sing’s story seemed to remind the Chief of something. He set down his coffee cup and bit into a plug of tobacco. He said, “Miss Manders, what time did you come down for that swim this morning?”
“At eight,” she said. They had gone over it before and she was puzzled. Was he trying to catch her? “I remember hearing the clock chime as I went past the landing.”
“She called me at half past,” Mark said.
The Chief could be penetrating on occasion. His placid, moon-like face and rather awkward grammar hid an efficient and agile brain.
“Why did you call him instead of me, huh?” he demanded.
“I was a bit hysterical,” Idell said. “If you had seen his face all screwed up like that, what would you have done?”
“Thought he drowned,” the Chief said. He did not point out that Idell had worked over Link for some time before she called Mark. He had an idea why she had let the police wait. “But he didn’t.”
“The murderer wanted to make us think he had,” Mark said. “I suppose because to some cyanide and strangulation appear alike.”
“Then why tie him down with a rope, huh?”
“To make sure it was recognized as murder,” Mark hazarded. “Our murderer wants everyone to know that Link was killed—did not die accidentally. As the melodramas would put it, he received his just deserts.”
“Meaning,” the Chief said, “lots of people didn’t like the guy.”
“You are being quite kind to Link when you put it that way,” Leona said. “I would say there were few who didn’t hate him.”
The Chief finished his coffee, waved another cup aside and rose ponderously to his feet. “I’m going to look at his room,” he said. “Hey, Bayless,” he bawled suddenly. The man on duty at the pool came inside through the French doors that opened into the patio. “Go wake everybody up and get ‘em down here. Leave ‘em dressed like they are. Pajamas and such. Let ‘em put on bathrobes, of course. Miss Manders, if you’ll go with him to show him who’s got which room, it would help. Get ‘em in here Bayless.” He finished divesting himself of his orders and started for the front hall. Mark rose and tagged along.
“Mind, Chief?”
“Hell,” the Chief said, “you met lots of these kind of people where you come from. I expect you might get some ideas, huh.”
Mark took the wandering compliment for what it was worth. He turned when Idell came from the breakfast room with Bayless, and looked at her suggestively. She took the key from her shirt pocket and handed it to
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