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Speaker 1: The finishing touch by Charles S. Wolfe One. A hasty

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survey assured rigidly that he was alone on the starlit

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country road. With a sigh of satisfaction, he plunged swiftly

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into the brush which skirted the roadside. There he paused,

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alert until his straining ears convinced him that his movements

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had been unobserved. Then he made himself comfortable for his

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brief figil. Crouching there, he reviewed minutely his actions so

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far and his plans for what was to come. There

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was yet time if he had aired, if there was

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a flaw, to withdraw quietly. It was merely a matter

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of waiting for another night. To be confronted with the

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damage wrought by an overlooked trifle when it was too

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late would be agonizing, and his very confidence disquieted him,

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made him feel that there was something amiss. Yet he

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could find no weak link in his carefully forged chain.

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His left hand, dropping to his coat pocket, found the

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bottle of cyanide of potassium solution, securely corked and ready

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to assume its roll. His automatic, weighed heavily in the

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other pocket, well oiled and loaded the light mask which

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now covered the upper half of his face was really

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of no importance, just an extra precaution which discounted the

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possible but highly improbable intrusion of some pedestrian. The cyanide

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he felt sure no one would be able to trace.

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Several weeks before, he had stolen a couple of small

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lumps quite enough for his purpose, from a private laboratory

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of a friend who rode the hobby of chemistry. Few

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people knew of the existence of the little attic laboratory.

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Fewer still were aware of his acquaintance with its owner,

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and the man himself was ignorant of the fact that

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his supply had been levied on. Since the deadly stuff

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had been dissolved and bottled, and the bottle scrupulously cleaned,

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he had taken pains to avoid touching it bare handed.

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Right now, his left hand was gloved with rubber. There

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would be no finger prints to damn him. Footprints need

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give him no concern. The roadway was dry and reasonably hard.

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The discoverers of the corpse would quickly obliterate any slight

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clues of a definite nature which he might thus leave.

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Keenest of sleuths could examine the scene of his crime.

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To their hearts content they would learn nothing. He had

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made no attempt to establish an alibi. In this he

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was satisfied he had acted wisely. The business of trying

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to demonstrate that you were where you were not is

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usually a dangerous undertaking. It involves either the employment of

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confederates or the use of complicated subterfuges, which must either

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function with precision or turn into veritable boomerangs. The collapsing

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alibi is too often the royal road to the electric chair.

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Originally knew that there was just one person who could

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be relied upon to be forever silent on this night's work, himself.

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Better to take the chance of the authorities being unable

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to prove that he was on the spot at the

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time than to assume the burden of proving that he

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was not. And anyway, most of the precautions he had

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taken were no doubt unnecessary. They represented merely his forethought

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in forestalling unlocked for disaster before it occurred. The chances

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were that the case would be looked on as just

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what it seemed on the surface, suicide. There would probably

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be little more than a perfunctory inquiry an inquest at

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which each fact produced would seem to demonstrate conclusively that

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the man took his own life. Ridgeley prided himself that

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the idea of killing a man by forcing him to

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kill himself was a master stroke. A man found dead

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on the road, dead from the effects of poison, and

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with the bottle containing that poison clutched tightly in his

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stiffened hand, was obviously a suicide. There is no reason

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to suspect foul play unless someone is known to have

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a strong motive for putting the unfortunate one out of

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the way. And to the best of Ridgeley's knowledge and belief,

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Morey hadn't an enemy in the world save himself, and

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thanks to his consistent and flawless dissimilation, his secret was

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his own. Outwardly, he had been quite friendly with more

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not too friendly, just enough to be counted really indifferent.

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In the rare event of murder being suspected and the

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murderer sought for, there would be no reason for alarm.

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One other only might possibly connect him with the Knight's events.

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Mary's wife, Jean Moury, and Ridgeley shared a rather guilty secret.

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She could assign to him a motive, but here again,

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he was confident that perfect technique had practically nullified the

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danger of a roused suspicion. By guarding every word, by

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well planned and controlled actions, he had assured her that he,

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like herself, was a harmless flirt. Not once had she

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been permitted to glimpse the terrible passion that was his,

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Never had she been allowed to plumb the depths of

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his crafty and daring nature. He was safe on that score.

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Under the preteil and of carefully guarding her reputation, he

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had concealed their affair from outsiders and to her herself,

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he had made the matter trivial. There was one circumstance, however,

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that might cause comment, And as he thought of it,

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Ridgely grinned. While it was true that no one apparently

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had a motive for slaying Mory, it was equally true

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that the man had no apparent motive for killing himself. Happy, carefree,

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comfortably wealthy, and well satisfied with life. People might wonder

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that he should court death. Ridgely grinned, for it was

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to this, to his mind, the weakest point of his

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whole coup, that he had devoted the most thought, expending

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the greatest effort. He had supplied the motive. Here was

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the artistic triumph of the whole thing. Here was the

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finishing touch, for the suspicions of the authorities would be

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allayed before they were aroused. During the three months that

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he had known the Moury's, he had quietly, unobtrusively collected

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specimens of John Moorey's handwriting, and by diligent practice he

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had enabled himself to imitate the man's scrall so perfectly

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that he had no fear of the fraud being detected.

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Not only the writing itself had he studied minutely, but

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the style, the tricks of speech. Beyond doubt, the missive

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he had evolved with so much care would pass unquestioned

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as the dead man's own work. He drew forth an envelope, and,

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by the light of his electric torch, scrutinized with pride

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and satisfaction the letter he had written. The envelope was

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addressed to missus John Morey. Dear Jean, I am sorry,

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terribly sorry for the notoriety this thing will cause. I

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realize that you will be shocked. I am asking your forgiveness.

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For four years I have suffered in silence Jean, for

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our marriage was a bitter mistake. I did not love you.

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I realized it when it was too late. I have

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done my best to conceal the fact from you, but

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I know I could not go on living a lie

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much longer. I am taking the easiest way out. It

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is only just that I should suffer for my own sin. John.

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As he replaced the letter in its envelope, Ridgely chuckled.

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He would place this missive in the man's pocket after

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he had fallen, and there was the motive all ready

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to satisfy the most critical scandal. Loving eyes scanning Morey's

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past for sensational disclosures of his implied double life, would

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not dwell too closely on the method of his taking

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off furnish. He stiff, and the soft thud of moving

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feet on the hard road reached his ears, Growing steadily louder.

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He knew it was Maury. The moment had come two.

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Ridgeley's hand closed resolutely over his automatic. Maury, he knew,

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was unarmed. He slipped soundlessly to the edge of the

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cops and waited until the approaching form was only a

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few feet from his ambush. Then he sprang out, weapon

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leveled barring the way. There was a startled oath as

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Maury caught sight of the ominous figure before him. Ridgeley's

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gruff command to throw up his hands was instantly obeyed.

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The surprise was complete. Don't speak, Ridgeley rather hoped that

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his disguised voice would completely mask his identity. But it

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didn't matter. Really, do as you were told. You are

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going to sleep for an hour or so until I

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clean you and make my getaway. Really, Maury was regaining

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his nerve. I haven't enough about me to make it

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worth your while. Shut up. Ridgeley's command was kurt as

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he advanced toward his victim. The deadly bottle in his

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gloved left hand, he extended it toward Morey, drink it,

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he growled. Determinedly. Maury lowered one arm and took the

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bottle hesitantly. What is it, he asked, falteringly. Claral hydrate,

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if you must know, responded Ridgeley, in tones of well

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feigned sulkiness. Enough to put you out for a couple

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of hours. Knock out drops, take your choice, drink it

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and go out for a couple of hours, or he

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waved the automatic, suggestedly go out for keeps. Look here,

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began Moury, I'll promise drink it, he snapped savagely. Without

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further parley, Maury raised the bottle to his lips. It

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was only an instant, really, but to rigidly waiting anxiously,

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it seemed hours before the body crumbled to the roadway.

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Then swiftly he went to his victim, pocketing his automatic.

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His gloved hand inserted the letter into Maury's pocket. He

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noted that the bottle was tightly gripped in the dead

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man's hand, and noiselessly he stole away from the place.

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A short cut through the little woodland brought him out

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onto the main road. Without haste, he wented his way

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toward the summer hotel. He was jubilant Maury was out

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of his way. He had only to wait the proper

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moment to increase the ardor of his courting. He felt

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that the widow would lend an attentive ear. He passed

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no one on the road. Everything was coming his way.

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As he gained his room, unobserved, he was whistling softly,

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not a pang of remorse to sear his conscience ridgely,

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wasn't that kind? He turned in and slept like a top.

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He was awakened by a sharp knocking on the room door.

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Bright sunlight was streaming in through the thickly curtained windows.

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A hasty glance at the clock told him that it

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was after ten. The knocking continued insistently. He sprang out

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of bed and reached for his bathrobe. Just a minute,

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he called, as he hurriedly pulled a comb through his

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tousled hair. An instant later, fairly presentable, he was gazing

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inquiringly at the tall young man who had pushed in

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through the partially opened door. Even before the other had

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introduced himself. Ridgely knew that his caller was a detective.

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Something must have gone wrong, he thought, and his mind

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went racing swiftly over the details of the evening before

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seeking to find and forestall the consequences of a slip.

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He was not panicky. His visitor was speaking. John Morey

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was found dead on the road late last night. Mister Ridgley.

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Ridgely carefully sidestepped a possible trap. An accident, he asked,

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in perfectly toned surprise and concern. No, replied the other.

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He was murdered. Ridgeley concealed his dismay. How in the devil,

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had they reached that conclusion so soon in the face

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of his carefully prepared evidence to the contrary murdered, he

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echoed blankly, how by whom the tall young man sat down,

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watching ridgely narrowly, his right hand had dropped carelessly into

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his pocket. He leaned forward slightly and spoke swiftly. By you,

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mister Ridgley, he replied evenly, No, don't interrupt. You set

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a very pretty stage, my friend, and you have been careful,

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careful to a fault. It was your little finishing touch

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that betrayed you. That and a woman's vanity. Missus Morey

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is a very beautiful woman with a very plain name.

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It has been her little failing to hide that fact.

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Her name is not Jean Ridgeley, It's Jane, and Marey

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never called her anything else in private. When she saw

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that letter you so carefully left, she knew Morey had

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never written it, despite the excellent forgery, for he hated

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the name Jean as much as she disliked Jane. She

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is a big enough woman to admit her own shortcomings.

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And shall I read the warrant? The end of the

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finishing touch