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“Yes; now, the thing is, the police. Do you suppose they’ve any inkling of this thing as yet?”

“Can’t say. All I know is, they’re trying to probe into Maddy’s secrets, and—it’s a house of cards.”

“Yes; in more senses than one!” and Barham smiled ruefully at his melancholy joke. “Well, I can’t sit still—I chafe at restraint or inaction. Let’s call up that Hutchins and ask him. You do it.”

Not anxious for the job, but ready to help his friend, Nick Nelson called up the detective.

Hutchins didn’t know Nelson was at Barham’s house, and was asked to speak freely.

“Well, yes,” he said, as Nick intimated his interest. “I did get a line on that matter. It seems the lady was—well, she was pretty rash in the measures she took to—to replenish her exchequer! I’d rather not say these things over the telephone—I’d rather not say them at all—but as Mr. Barham’s counsel, you’ve a right to know—yes, Mr. Nelson, I did find out some things, and when you want to see me, I’ll come and talk to you about ’em.”

“Tell him to come to-morrow,” Andrew directed, as, with his hand over the transmitter. Nelson reported. “At your place.”

So Nelson asked the detective to come to see him next day—and, incidentally asked him to keep the matter to himself, at least until they could confer over it.

“Never fear! I won’t say a word, till I have to. It knocked me fair between the eyes! I never heard of such a thing before. No wonder what happened, did happen!”

Nelson hung up the receiver, and turned to Barham with a troubled face. He repeated his whole conversation with Hutchins, and said:

“I begin to think, Drew, that it was something to do with all that, that brought about Maddy’s fate.”