Translated from the detective's cipher, it read as follows:
"The address is that of a good flat house. Jones lives there with his wife.
"They have been there only about two months. Nobody in the house knows anything about them.
"They had one servant, who was taken sick about two weeks ago and carried to a hospital, where she died.
"Since then they have lived absolutely alone. There was nobody in the house who had seen Mrs. Jones' face. She always wore a heavy veil.
"The only description I could get tallied with that of the body. The principal point was the hair.
"I have just found a woman who saw Mr. and Mrs. Jones go out yesterday afternoon. She remembers Mrs. Jones' dress. The description agrees with that found on the corpse.
"Jones carried an alligator-skin traveling-bag. Nobody saw either of them come back to the house, but Jones evidently slept there.
"I shall take the woman who saw them go out to the room where the body lies.
"Will send Patsy down with the result of this effort at identification. I believe it will show the woman to be Mrs. Jones. I send this that you may have warning."
"CHICK."
Nick read this note and then glanced across the street toward the office of Allen, Morse & Jones.
Through the window he could see Jones calmly writing a letter. Could it be possible that this man was guilty of so hideous a crime?
Half an hour passed, and then came the second message, as follows:
"Identified as Mrs. Jones."
CHAPTER IV.
ALL SORTS OF IDENTIFICATIONS.
"I am sorry to tell you, Mr. Jones, that the body of the woman murdered last night has been identified as that of your wife."