At The Villa Rose

He buried his face for a moment in his hands. Then he took up the

paper again.

"As for the rest, Helene Vauquier lied," he cried violently, and

he tossed the paper to Hanaud. "What do you make of it?"

Hanaud smiled and shook his head.

"Did you ever go for a voyage on a ship?" he asked.

"Yes; why?"

"Because every day at noon three officers take an observation to

determine the ship's position--the captain, the first officer, and

the second officer. Each writes his observation down, and the

captain takes the three observations and compares them. If the

first or second officer is out in his reckoning, the captain tells

him so, but he does not show his own. For at times, no doubt, he

is wrong too. So, gentlemen, I critcise your observations, but I

do not show you mine."

He took up Ricardo's paper and read it through again.

"Yes," he said pleasantly. "But the two questions which are most

important, which alone can lead us to the truth--how do they come

to be omitted from your list, Mr. Ricardo?"

Hanaud put the question with his most serious air. But Ricardo was

none the less sensible of the raillery behind the solemn manner.

He flushed and made no answer.

"Still," continued Hanaud, "here are undoubtedly some questions.

Let us consider them! Who was the man who took a part in the

crime? Ah, if we only knew that, what a lot of trouble we should

save ourselves! Who was the woman? What a good thing it would be

to know that too! How clearly, after all, Mr. Ricardo puts his

finger on the important points! What did actually happen in the

salon?" And as he quoted that question the raillery died out of

his voice. He leaned his elbows on the table and bent forward.

"What did actually happen in that little pretty room, just twelve

hours ago?" he repeated. "When no sunlight blazed upon the lawn,

and all the birds were still, and all the windows shuttered and

the world dark, what happened? What dreadful things happened? We

have not much to go upon. Let us formulate what we know. We start

with this. The murder was not the work of a moment. It was planned

with great care and cunning, and carried out to the letter of the

plan. There must be no noise, no violence. On each side of the

Villa Rose there are other villas; a few yards away the road runs

past. A scream, a cry, the noise of a struggle--these sounds, or

any one of them, might be fatal to success. Thus the crime was

planned; and there WAS no scream, there WAS no struggle. Not a

chair was broken, and only a chair upset. Yes, there were brains

behind that murder. We know that. But what do we know of the plan?

How far can we build it up? Let us see. First, there was an

accomplice in the house--perhaps two."