Leaving these rooms, as they had found them, and led by Bernard, they retraced their steps to the front hall. Here the older detective turned to Landis.
“If you agree and Miss Mount will be so kind,” he said, “I’d like to get a line on the second floor and the occupants of the bedrooms up there.”
Catching an inconspicuous nod of assent from Landis, Bernard started up the main staircase without waiting for Miss Mount’s views on the subject. With an air of stern determination she mounted rapidly in pursuit, while Landis and Graham brought up the rear.
Half-way up, Miss Mount addressed Bernard’s broad back in a tone electric with displeasure.
“Do you propose to intrude on Mr. Harrison’s bereaved daughters?” she demanded.
“Certainly, if it seems necessary!”
Near the top, the main staircase divided left and right at a landing backed with carved paneling and guarded by a rail above. Beyond this, across the head of the stairs, ran a wide hall similar to the one across the back of the library below. This upper hall, however, extended a little farther to the left. On the right, where it reached the house wall, it was blank like the hall beneath. But on this floor, immediately above the door into the billiard-room, a narrower hall extended back to the rear of the main building. Out of it on the right opened an archway into the hall of the wing, similar to and directly over the archway from the billiard-room. These two second-floor halls formed an “L” in the angle of which were the bedroom and bath assigned to Joel Harrison. Both rooms were exactly over the billiard-room.
The branching stairs from the landing opened upon two balconies running to the front of the house along both sides of the long well of the main hall.
On the landing Bernard stopped and eyed Miss Mount.
“I’d be obliged if you’d describe this floor as you described the one below,” he told her gruffly. “You might mention the occupants of the various rooms as you go along.”