The Case of the Smoking Chimney

Chapter 30

They waited for what seemed an endless succession of slowly ticking seconds. Then there was a faint scraping noise on the porch. A moment later, a very faint beam of light appeared around the edge of the keyhole; then the light was extinguished. Apparently, the man outside was listening.

Just when the nerves of the little party of watchers seemed strained to the point of being raw, a key rasped in the lock. A well-oiled bolt clicked back.

It was another five seconds before the door slowly opened.

The beam of the sheriff’s flashlight stabbed Hugh Sonders full in the face.

As the man instinctively drew back, throwing up his left hand to shield his eyes, the sheriff said dryly: “Drop that gun, Sonders, or I’ll blow you apart.”