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Rh did protect him by shooting yourself through the hand, so that suspicion could be directed only toward yourself. And after all you found he did not have the emerald. Quite plain, all of that—is it not, Mr. Hereford? Everything except how you and Mr. Annis came so strangely to be together last night in the room from which the emerald was stolen."

"Because we thought the stone there!" Hereford burst out. "We both thought it!"

"But it was not."

Hereford was silent.

"It must have been!" he said finally. "There is no other possible explanation the chain of evidence is too exact, too perfect. I went direct from my office yesterday, when I left you there, to Annis, though I