“When I got home tonight,” began Anita slowly, “I could see that Fred was mad because I’d been flirting with Hobart. As soon as I got to my room Isabelle came in and yelped about it. About five minutes past seven I did come down the back stairs to talk to Fred alone. I closed the door into the library so Dad wouldn’t ask where I was going. Then I went on to Fred’s room and made it up with him.”
“You couldn’t do that later?” Landis inquired.
“I could. But you’re always being interrupted when there’s a crowd of people about. Susan screamed and I got in a sudden panic for fear I might be caught in Fred’s room. I ran to the door at the end of the hall. I must have pulled at it without turning the latch. I thought it was locked and turned the key. Then I couldn’t budge it at all. I remembered afterwards that the key turns the wrong way to lock it.”
“So I noticed,” nodded Bernard.
“Well, then I ran up the stairs at the end of the hall and along the first-floor hall. When I reached the big hall at the top of the stairs I saw Uncle Joel wandering about, so I waited until he went into his room. Then Isabelle came out of her room and I ducked out of sight again. I was just in a panic of being caught in the wing!”
“You didn’t see anyone else; Mrs. Graham and Helen, for instance?” inquired Landis.
“No. The first-floor halls were deserted except for Uncle Joel and Isabelle. Anyhow, when Isabelle was half-way downstairs I ran down after her. But I was dumb enough to take the near flight instead of the other one from my room. She looked back and saw me on it. I suppose the precious darling has pointed that out to you, hasn’t she?”
“I was wondering,” remarked Landis, an ironical inflexion in his voice, “about this handkerchief of your sister’s that you came down to find just now.” He held it up.
“I guess that wasn’t very sensible either,” Anita admitted. “I heard you tell that finger-print man to look for finger-prints on the library door. I knew mine were on it, of course, for I’d just pushed the door shut. As soon as you let us out of the library I ran upstairs to my room for a handkerchief to rub them off with, if I had time—”
“Why didn’t you want us to find them?” asked Bernard.