"Nobody knows just how. He was found on the sea-wall near Alfarez' house, shot."
"Shot! Good Lord!"
"It happened some time early this morning, and the whole city is talking about it. I came to you the first thing."
"We'd better hurry down there. Mrs. Cortlandt must be all broken up."
Kirk began to dress hastily, but paused as his friend stammered:
"Wait! I—I—let's understand each other first. I met Wade just now.
The news has rattled him, and he's been talking."
"What do you mean?"
"Did you see Cortlandt again after I left you?" Runnels swallowed hard.
Kirk whirled about and faced him. "Great heavens! No! See here, that idea is ridiculous."
Runnels sank weakly into a chair and mopped his face. "I'm glad to hear you say that. It frightened me just the same, for I remembered you acted so queerly when I left you, and Wade seemed to think, perhaps—When you said you'd gone out again, it knocked me flat, understand?"
"I can prove where I was, for Allan was with me. I couldn't sleep, so I tried to walk off my excitement. No, no. I couldn't do a thing like that. I thought last night that I could, but—I couldn't, really."