The Bat

CALL FRO

" gasped Miss Corne

ook the receiver from her. He

ar anything

dreadful sound! I tell you-somebody i

ne connect?" queried

s little gesture. "Practical

t the receiver t

you hear?" he

elia's vo

t seemed to be an inarti

wrapper closer about

in the voice of a lost soul,

r with a glare and turne

r go yourself?" she said, indicating Brook

moved forward to take his orders, "take another look through

narrative-started to obey. Then his eye fell on Miss Cornelia's revolver which A

derson would not see through his little ruse. Once wiped clean of fingerp

pping. "That revolver will stay wher

s and searching unused rooms for any clue that might betray the source of the startling phone call from nowhere. But Bailey's heart was not in the search. His mind kept going back to the figure of Dale-nervous, shaken, undergoing the terrors of the third degree at Anderson's ha

d feared, Anderson was subjecting

" he began with calculated

y. The detective paid no attention, his face had hardened, he seemed every inch

when this happ

om." Miss Cornelia

badgeringly

latter pertly, "brushin

volver and gave a swift gl

een fired from

sprang to her

elf this aftern

arded her with gr

th obvious unbelief in his voice. He

followed up

u get the coroner

ffered Lizzie eagerly. Anderson

some questions!" he sa

r false, if she could help it-and from the way that the girl's eyes returned with fascinated horror to th

t in a rather ugly fashion-then grunted ungraciously and, taking Fleming's raincoat from the

ia. The detective obviously resented her interference with his

nort, going over to the city t

ce; he's at the Johns

the telephone fro

seemed about to rebuke her. Then his manner recovered some of its forme

doing here?" he asked D

tricably bound up with the whole sinister business. She must lie, a

d weakly, trying to avo

n took

n another way," he said. "Ho

ed-no need fo

ad a

o what

Dale indicated the ter

ther question-then he paused. Miss

octor Wells there? No?" Her expression was p

t for a moment, with an air of discovery, on the fragments of the roll of blue-prints that remained unburned among ash

ions again. "When did you take tha

terrace," said Dale promptly an

ed over to M

id in an ironic whisper. "I hope

back to her former post by the door. But nevertheless,

the rigid Dale, striving to pierce her

ame in, what di

The whole scene was, still too horribly vivid before

ave any quarr

hesit

N

weather-and was shot from that staircase. Is that it

r words; she could not even blame Anderson for disbelieving it. And y

put her hand on the bac

said at last, and s

s Ogden shot that man!" But by now, though she did not show it, she too began to realize the strength of the appalling net of circumstances that dr

is own house the day the bank has failed-that's queer enough-" Now he turned back to Miss Cornelia. "But when the only person present at his murder is the girl w

over the edge of the table-halted be

orneli

Dale?" she sa

ould not trust herself to

one of the most magnific

?" she said, turning upon Anderson fiercely, all her

fierceness of her query. When he went on

behind every crime there is a motive. When we've found t

son found it in her possession the case was closed, the evidence against her overwhelming. She could not destroy it-it was the only clue to the Hidden Room and the truth that might clear Jack Bailey. But, so

derson's quest

n in that grate?" he asked a

!" she

ashes are s

ade an unavaili

aid he didn't com

ective

ome time," he said coldly, displaying the half-burned c

and marched over to the fireplace. There he rummaged among the ashes for a moment, like a dog uncovering a bon

int," he announced. "What were you and Richard Flemin

tated-shu

"The truth will come out, sooner

me back into the room-Jack and Billy-Jack would protect her! But even as she thought of this her heart sank again. Protect her, indeed! Poor Jack! He wou

his report b

in the ho

ssive lips c

over hous

es' tales and witches' fables true after all? Did a power-merciless-evil-exists outside the barriers of the flesh-blasti

want to ask you some questions." He dogged

his blue-print?"

d. Now she would tell a portion of the truth, a

for Richard Fleming-and when he came, I asked him if

unced eagerly up

nt blue-prints?

lieve old Mr. Fleming took the money hims

you get t

set. "I won

blue-prints

o plausible explanat

there was a Hidden

orward intently. "Did

sitated

you burn the

aking-under the repeated, mono

she cried wildly.

n instant, then return

't locate this

s formed a

nt on Anders

ontrol herself. She would sob out the truth hysterically-that Brooks, the gardener, was Jack Bailey, the missing cas

eginning to slide toward a black, tingling pit of m

she said in a

d away from his qua

t's

ed Miss Cornelia, staring

ction of her stare. There

e appeared a glowing circle of brilliant white light. Inside the circle was a black, distorted sha

ie from her corner. "It's

he terrace door. But Miss Cor

e. "Mr. Anderson, you are familiar with th

rbed. "Well, it looked like the shadow of a

nt door bell began to ring. All t

at!" said Jack

ve him the key t

isappeared into the hall. The others waited tensely. Miss Cornelia's hand c

ry dispute. "What do I know about a flashlight?" cried an irritated voice. "I haven't got a pocket-flash

The Doctor's tie was askew-he looked ruffled and enraged. Bailey followed

h dudgeon, "won't you instruct your servants that even if I

Bailey indignantly. "If you call a question like that violen

quelled the

e front door key from his hand and putting it

moment before you rang the doorbell a circle o

ughed with a

om my car!" he said. "I noticed as I drove

he regarded him with a deep suspicion. "'He may be a lawyer

too, was not en

eeded, her eyes on the Doctor's calm countenanc

"Ah, I see-the symbol of the crimin

ects at night and a large moth, spread on the glass, would give precisely

caught sight of the raincoat

nishment with horror. He paused. His glance