“Humph!” Bernard fumbled with his pipe, dropped it, started to pick it up, changed his mind and kissed her. “Well,” he grumbled, “I might just look the ground over, my dear.”
“You’ll go and do as you please,” said his wife.
Bernard grunted something and stooped for his pipe. Only Landis caught the momentary quiver of Mrs. Bernard’s lips as she turned away. A little remorseful, he looked down at Elsa who had tucked her arm through his. Luckily her youth and optimism, her confidence in him, spared her what he had seen in the older woman’s face. She was pouting a little.
“Back to work so very soon?” she protested.
“’Fraid so, Honey! Worst of it is, I can’t very well take you into town again. This place is an hour’s run from here in the other direction and I’ve got to get out there at once. It isn’t likely we’ll get back tonight.”
“She’ll stay here, of course,” interrupted Mrs. Bernard, and turned to Elsa. “We’ll go pack a bag for the two of them!” She hustled her niece out of the room with her.
The detectives made their journey to the scene of the murder in the car Landis had bought for his honeymoon.
An hour later, they turned into a long upward drive toward a mansion which seemed ready to burst with the light streaming from its many windows. In view of the wealth of the victim, the case might prove delicate to handle. If the local authorities had been willing to send for outside help, it was almost certainly a difficult one.
Landis drew up in front of a deep, brightly lighted veranda, and they mounted three broad steps, passed between two groups of vacant hammocks and wicker chairs and rang the bell. From the veranda the main building ran back, unbroken on the left where the windows looked out upon lawns and trees, broken on the right by a large wing at right angles to it. So much they had seen as they drove up.
The butler admitted them to a tiled vestibule from which doors opened into cloakrooms on either hand. The vestibule was gilded and frescoed to an ornate chilliness, while high, expensive looking vases flanked the entrance to the hall beyond.