Aunt Josephine frowned. Bennett and I could not conceal our
surprise.
"Why, certainly," nodded Elaine, as she led the way upstairs.
It was a dainty little room, breathing the spirit of its mistress.
In fact it seemed a sort of profanation as we all followed in
after her. For a moment Kennedy stood still, then he carefully
looked about. At the side of the bed, near the head, he stooped
and picked up something which he held in the palm of his hand. I
bent over. Something gleamed in the morning sunshine--some little
thin pieces of glass. As he tried deftly to fit the tiny little
bits together, he seemed absorbed in thought. Quickly he raised it
to his nose, as if to smell it.
"Ethyl chloride!" he muttered, wrapping the pieces carefully in a
paper and putting them into his pocket.
An instant later he crossed the room to the window and examined
it.
"Look!" he exclaimed.
There, plainly, were marks of a jimmy which had been inserted near
the lock to pry it open.
"Miss Dodge," he asked, "might I--might I trouble you to let me
see your arm?"
Wonderingly she did so and Kennedy bent almost reverently over her
plump arm examining it.
On it was a small dark discoloration, around which was a slight
redness and tenderness.
"That," he said slowly, "is the mark of a hypodermic needle."
As he finished examining Elaine's arm he drew the letter from his
pocket.
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