"Very well," said Jones, and he scribbled on a piece of paper. "I'll be there at half-past four o'clock." 

 Nick thanked Mr. Jones for his courtesy, and immediately withdrew. But he did not go far. 

 In a convenient doorway he wrote a note to Chick, on the back of the scrap of paper which Jones had given him, and sealed it in an envelope. 

 Then he sent Gaspard with it to Chick, who was on the lookout in the undertaker's room, where the body lay. 

 Having dispatched this message, Nick changed his disguise and kept watch over the establishment of Allen, Morse & Jones. 

 Nothing of importance happened until a little after noon, when a reply came from Chick. 

 Translated from the detective's cipher, it read as follows: 

CONTENTS

    "The address is that of a good flat house. Jones lives there with his wife. 

     "They have been there only about two months. Nobody in the house knows anything about them. 

     "They had one servant, who was taken sick about two weeks ago and carried to a hospital, where she died. 

     "Since then they have lived absolutely alone. There was nobody in the house who had seen Mrs. Jones' face. She always wore a heavy veil. 

     "The only description I could get tallied with that of the body. The principal point was the hair. 

     "I have just found a woman who saw Mr. and Mrs. Jones go out yesterday afternoon. She remembers Mrs. Jones' dress. The description agrees with that found on the corpse. 

     "Jones carried an alligator-skin traveling-bag. Nobody saw either of them come back to the house, but Jones evidently slept there. 

     "I shall take the woman who saw them go out to the room where the body lies. 

     "Will send Patsy down with the result of this effort at identification. I believe it will show the woman to be Mrs. Jones. I send this that you may have warning." 

 Prev. P 15/153 next