THE CRYSTAL BEADS MURDER (Murder Mystery for Inspector Stoddart). Annie Haynes
"I came down for a few minutes. My head seemed to be worse and I thought the air would do me good. I went out by the side door and walked on the terrace."
"How long were you there?" The inspector's tone was sharper now.
"Oh, not long. There were too many people about."
"Too many people," the inspector repeated. "Miss Courtenay, did you meet Robert Saunderson?"
Suddenly Anne shivered from head to foot, but her voice was steady enough as she answered:
"Certainly not. In fact, I do not think I went out until after the time at which he--died."
The inspector apparently consulted his notebook again. Harbord, watching, saw that his fingers were merely making meaningless strokes, and wondered.
Anne waited too, her brown eyes looking scared.
The inspector drew out the crystal beads and held them up. "Have you ever seen these before?"
"Why!" Anne uttered an exclamation of astonishment as she leaned forward and took them in her hand. "They are just like some beads I have that I am rather fond of. Where did you get them from?"
The inspector countered her question by another:
"Is this your chain, Miss Courtenay?"
"Certainly not," Anne said decidedly. "I saw mine in my dressing-case only a few minutes ago."
The inspector dropped his on the table.
"Would you allow me to see your chain, Miss Courtenay?"
"Of course I will." Anne got up. "I will fetch it at once."
The inspector opened the door for her and waited while she went across the hall and ran lightly up the stairs.
At the top, in the wide corridor that led to the principal rooms, she paused and her breath came quickly. She pressed her handkerchief to her lips and when she brought it away there were two little spots of blood upon it.
"What does it mean?" she whispered to herself. "What can it mean?"
Stoddart and Harbord did not speak. Their eyes met significantly as she came back, dangling in her hand the crystal beads.
She laid them beside those the inspector had thrown down.
"You see they are really awfully alike. There is rather more chain between each bead in mine, and the stones are cut differently--and there is a bead missing in yours, look at the gap--but you have to look very closely to see the difference."
"You do, indeed," said the inspector, holding up the two chains together. "Does your chain break easily, Miss Courtenay?"
Anne's pale lips smiled.
"I don't know. I have never broken it, but I should think it wouldn't be difficult to do so. Why do you ask?"
"I asked," the inspector said slowly, "because, as you see, this one is broken, and three of the beads from this chain"--tapping it--"were found in the pocket of Robert Saunderson's overcoat."
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