"Thumb-prints," said the Inspector. "Don't mention them. The house is full of them."
"Any thumb-prints of Italians with that peculiar incurvature of the ball of the thumb that denotes a Sicilian brigand?"
"There were three of those," said Inspector Edwards gloomily. "No, Mr. Kent, the thumb stuff is no good."
Kent thought again.
"Inspector," he said, "what about mysterious women? Have you seen any around?"
"Four went by this morning," said the Inspector, "one at eleven-thirty, one at twelve-thirty, and two together at one-thirty. At least," he added sadly, "I think they were mysterious. All women look mysterious to me."
"I must try in another direction," said Kent. "Let me reconstruct the whole thing. I must weave a chain of analysis. Kivas Kelly was a bachelor, was he not?"
"He was. He lived alone here."
"Very good, I suppose he had in his employ a butler who had been with him for twenty years——"