“That opens up a very, very peculiar situation, Mrs. Cool.”

“Of course it does. Why did you suppose I came up here and got you out of bed?”

“Of course, if my cousin was murdered, I want justice to be done.”

Bertha nodded, and then added, “And don’t forget the half a million dollars that’s thrown in for seeing justice done.”

“I’m not forgetting it, but — well—”

“Go ahead,” Bertha said. “Out with it.”

“You think that it would take you some time to work up a case?”

“Naturally. I can’t go out and drag something like that out of thin air.”

“But you have some evidence?”

“Some.”