“Fact is,” he smiled, “the servants will speak more freely if there are as few people as possible present. Mrs. Graham must be a little frightened still. How would it be if you stayed with her until we want her? For we’ll probably have to question her, too.”
“Maybe she is!” exclaimed Graham ruefully. “Anyhow I’ll look her up and wait for you to send for us.”
When he had gone, Landis took an envelope from his pocket and carefully placed in it the card Brent had given him. Bernard nodded curt approval. From another pocket Landis removed the bit of feather he had found in Stimson’s room. Bernard rose to his feet and they walked down the library toward the Japanese armor.
With a nod to Sergeant Forbes, Landis bent over the blunted arrow. A moment later he restored the bit of feather to his pocket and smiled at Bernard.
“She fits!” he said.
“I expected it would!” growled Bernard. “I liked that check on Allen and Miss Mount and getting Brent’s finger-prints better. But the feather may be useful.”
“In a case of this kind,” said Landis with mock pomposity, “we’re in the position of a man cast up on a desert island. Anything may be useful.”
“Insufferable!” quoted Bernard tolerantly.
They were walking back to the fire when Stimson appeared in the doorway. Landis invited him to have a seat, which he somewhat stiffly accepted. Bernard hunched himself down in his chair and stared at the butler.
“We’d like you to tell us, please, whether you happened to lock the door at the end of the wing on this floor this evening,” said Landis.