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130

nge of linen with him? Provident fellow, very provident."

Bell, on his knees by a chest of drawers, gave a grunt. "Lord, here's a drawer tumbled. And that's the first yet. It's new stuff, too - not worn."

Reggie bent over him and whistled. "Not marked. Same sort of stuff as the corpse wears. And the drawer's left untidy. The first untidy drawer. Well, well. Everybody breaks down somewhere. He began to be untidy then. When he got to the shirt and the vest." He shivered and turned away to the window. "This damned place looks out on the well," he cried out, and turned back and sat down. "Bah! The slayer did that, I suppose," he muttered, and sprang up. "Believe in ghosts, you men?"

"Good Lord, sir, don't you start giving us the jumps!" said Bell.

Reggie was at the dressing-table. "Sorry, sorry," he said over his shoulder, opening and shutting drawers. Then he turned with something in his hands. "That wasn't such a bad shot of mine. Bell. Here's a wig. The corpse is uncommon bald. The elusive Rand had lots of brown hair. Here's a nice brown wig."

"There's no blood on it!" Bell cried.

"No. I guess this is Mr. Rand's second best. The one he had on when he was killed wouldn't look nice now."

"That about settles it," Bell said slowly.

"We haven't seen the bathroom," said Reggie.

Bell looked at him and shrugged.

"Not likely to be much there, sir," said the inspector.

"There could be," said Reggie gravely, and led the way.

It was a bathroom of some size but no luxury. Only the sheer necessities of bathing were provided. The lower half of the walls was tiled, the floor of linoleum. Reggie stopped in the doorway. "Anything strike you about it, Bell?"

"Looks new, sir."

"Yes. Nice and clean. Tidy, don't you know. But there's no towels and no sponge. Yet in the bedroom everything was ready for Rand to sleep there to-night - pyjamas, brushes and comb, everything. Didn't he use towels? Didn't he have a sponge?"

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