Muller walked through the silent church, in which even his light steps resounded uncannily.  He looked into each of the pews, into the confessionals, he walked around all the columns, he climbed up into the pulpit, he did everything that the others had done before him yesterday.  And as with them, he found nothing that would indicate that the murderer had spent any time in the church.  Finally he turned back once more to the main altar on his way out.  But he did not leave the church as he intended.  His last look at the altar had showed him something that attracted his attention and he walked up the three steps to examine it more closely.

What he had seen was something unusual about one of the silver candlesticks.  These candlesticks had three feet, and five of them were placed in such a way that the two front feet were turned toward the spectator.  But on the end candlestick nearest Muller the single foot projected out to the front of the altar.  This candlestick therefore had been set down hastily, not placed carefully in the order of things as were the others.

And not only this.  The heavy wax candle which was in the candlestick was burned down about a finger’s breadth more than the others, for these were all exactly of a height.  Muller bent still nearer to the candlestick, but he saw that the dim light in the church was not sufficient.  He went to one of the smaller side altars, took a candle from there, lit it with one of the matches that he found in his own pocket and returned with the burning candle to the main altar.  The steps leading up to this altar were covered by a large rug with a white ground and a pattern of flowers.  Looking carefully at it the detective saw a tiny brown spot, the mark of a burn, upon one of the white surfaces.  Beside it lay a half used match.

Walking around this carefully, Muller approached the candlestick that interested him and holding up his light he examined every inch of its surface.  He found what he was looking for.  There were dark red spots between the rough edges of the silver ornamentation.

“Then the body is somewhere around here,” thought the detective and came down from the steps, still holding the burning candle.

He walked slowly to the back of the altar.  There was a little table there such as held the sacred dishes for the communion service, and the little carpet-covered steps which the sexton put out for the pastor when he took the monstrance from the high-built tabernacle.  That was all that was to be seen in the dark corner behind the altar.  Holding his candle close to the floor Muller discovered an iron ring fastened to one of the big stone flags.  This must be the entrance to the crypt.