"I heard he was dead," said the commandant restlessly. "The paper said heart failure."
"So did the doctor." Teddy took down the receiver of the telephone. "Give me police emergency, please."
In a few moments he hung up again. The statement that Professor Hawkins had been murdered and that there was a chance of catching Varrhus was all he needed to say. Hardly five minutes had passed before the commissioner of police himself was in the room with two of his keenest men.
"You'll have to explain what happened," he said at once to Teddy. "When news of the professor's death came I phoned at once to the doctor mentioned in the paper and asked if there were any possibility of foul play. To tell the truth, I'd been rather afraid something like this might happen. What was it?"
"Varrhus electrocuted the professor by an antique bracelet."
He handed over the ornament. The commissioner examined it gingerly.
"Nothing funny about this except the workmanship."
"And the surface," said Teddy. His set calm was surprising himself. "It looks as if it had been lacquered. That's Varrhus' secret."
"What is it? A powerful battery?"
Teddy turned to the materials with which he and Evelyn had been working.