“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.”

    “Chick.”

Nick read this note and then glanced across the street toward the office of Allen, Morse & Jones.

Through the window he could see Jones calmly writing a letter.  Could it be possible that this man was guilty of so hideous a crime?

Half an hour passed, and then came the second message, as follows: 

    “Identified as Mrs. Jones.”

CHAPTER IV.

All sorts of identifications.

“I am sorry to tell you, Mr. Jones, that the body of the woman murdered last night has been identified as that of your wife.”

So spoke Nick, and this time Jones’ calmness was not proof against the surprise.

“It can’t be possible!” he exclaimed, leaping from his chair.

“I am so informed,” said Nick, “and I must place you under arrest.”

“But there is some infernal mistake here,” said the accused.  “I know that my wife is all right.  This must be somebody else.”

“A lady living in the same house with you has recognized the body.”

“I don’t care if she has.  Nobody in that house knows my wife.”

“Is there anybody in the city who does know her?”

“I can’t think of anybody.”

“How about the grocer with whom you traded?”

“Our servant attended to all that till she was taken sick.  Since then I’ve done what little there was to do.  We’ve eaten most of our meals at restaurants.”

“What restaurants?”

“Oh, all around.  There’s the Alcazar, for instance, where we have sometimes dined together.”

“Does the head waiter there know her?”

“I suppose he would remember her face.  He doesn’t know the name.”

“All right.  I’ll have him look at the body.”

“But, man, you’re going to let me look at it, aren’t you?” exclaimed Jones.  “That would settle it, I should think.”

“I’ll take you there now, and we will try to get somebody from the Alcazar at the same time.”

Nick took the prisoner at once to the Alcazar.  The head waiter remembered Jones’ face.  He had seen him dining with a lady who had beautiful light hair.