"Couldn't say that--yet," replied Ayscough, grimly. "For anything I know,
Chang Li may have been murdered, too. But I've a pretty good notion what
Chen Li was knifed for!"
When the house-surgeon had gone away, Ayscough turned to Melky.
"Come back to Molteno Lodge," he said. "They're searching it. Let's see if
they've found anything of importance."
The house which had been as lifeless and deserted when Melky and the
detective visited it earlier in the evening was full enough of energy and
animation when they went back. One policeman kept guard at the front gate;
another at the door of the yard; within the house itself, behind closed
doors and drawn shutters and curtains, every room was lighted and the
lynx-eyed men were turning the place upside down. One feature of the
search struck the newcomers immediately--the patch of ground whereon Melky
had found the dead man had been carefully roped off. Ayscough made a
significant motion of his hand towards it.
"Good!" he said, "that shows they've found footprints. That may be useful.
Let's hear what else they've found."
The man in charge of these operations was standing within the dining-room
when Ayscough and Melky walked in, and he at once beckoned them into the
room and closed the door.
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