alibi so far as I'm concerned."

"All right," said the rough rider, his low, even voice unruffled by
excitement. "If I can't, I can't. We'll say I'm the man who came down
the fire escape. What then?"

James was watching his cousin steadily. The pupils of his eyes
narrowed. He took the answer out of his brother's mouth. "Then we
think you probably know something about this mystery that you'll want
to tell us. You must have been on the spot very soon after the
murderer escaped. Perhaps you saw him."

Kirby told the story of his night's adventure, omitting any reference
whatever to Wild Rose or to anybody else in the apartment when he
entered.

After he had finished, James made his comment. "You've been very
frank, Kirby. I accept your story. A guilty man would have denied
being in the apartment, or he would have left town and disappeared."

The range rider smiled sardonically. "I'm not so sure of that. You've
got the goods on me. I can't deny I'm the man the police are lookin'
for. Mrs. Hull would identify me. So would this reporter Ellis. All
you would have to do would be to hand my name to the nearest officer.
An' I can't run away without confessin' guilt. Even if I had killed
Uncle James, I couldn't do much else except tell some story like the
one I've told you."

"It wouldn't go far in a court-room," Jack said.