‘tracted from the part of the wall still stand- ‘ing, while from the mixture of mud and charcoal had emerged five discharged .32 ‘centre-fire Winchester shells. A further check-up showed both oxen and human vic- tims had been struck down with this same identical type of bullet. But a search of the entire township failed to turn up the rifle that had fired the fatal bullets.

“Tnspector, ” the sergeant turned to Duffus, “I’ve got a hunch. I've an all-fired big idea that rifle’s right over in the ruins of Ledur Skelov’s home. I’m going to have another look-see. There may be something under that section of fallen roof.”

Jacking up the roof and burrowing in the mire the sergeant turned a sooty visage to- wards the Inspector. “Look!” he called ex- ultantly. In his hand was a mud-encrusted 32 Winchester carbine.

“Good!” the Inspector. examined it minutely. “Now we'll try and locate the owner. He must have beat it in an all-fired hurry to leave such damning evidence be- hind.”

Once again inquiring Mounties were met with stony eyes and granite faces. Nobody knew the rifle. Nobody had ever seen it before. “Yet,” growled Prime, “nobody in a joint like this could have owned, or bought, that rifle without the whole she- bang knowing all about it.”

“Damn it,” the Inspector eyed the offend-- ing rifle with an angry frown, “this should be a straight open and shut case yet the

more we investigate the further we seem to be getting away from the solution.”

Prime nodded. “First day we not only knew who did it, but why. Now—on the sixth day—we don’t know a gol-darned thing. If everything didn’t point to this being a local mix-up I'd say some stranger pulled this off.” :

The Inspector shook his head. “No, Prime, these people are leery of strangers, they deal only with each other. Anyway, strangers don’t step out of the blue, bump off families wholesale and do a fade-out. And everybody liked the Skelov’s.”

“Everyone except Minoska,”’ growled the sergeant, loth to dismiss the first ob- ject of suspicion. “If they'd have had a few more enemies on the string we'd have had a better line on the suspect. The only other suspect is Lycheluk,” the sergeant spat dis- gustedly, “and with a couple of bullets in his charred hide he’s not much of a suspect at that.”

“Spill the beans,” the Inspector eyed him narrowly. “What have you heard about Lycheluk?”

“Well,” grinned the sergeant, “he was kind of handy with the women but too all- fired lazy to do much rustling. He grabbed off the first to hand.”

“For God’s sake, Prime, are you referring to Mrs. Ledur? Don’t you realize she was his sister!”

“Pauline wasn’t. And Ledur wasn’t any more fussy about him fooling around with

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Pauline than Steve Belek was about Lych eluk making love to his wife.”

“But ... but...’ The Inspector was visibly jolted, “we know where Belek was at the time of the fire, and he wouldn't be likely to put the torch to his own granary and barn. And Ledur Skelov with a bullet in his brain and another in his heart isn’t any more likely to have shot Lycheluk than Lycheluk, with a couple of bullets in him, was likely to have killed Ledur. The whole thing’s cock-eyed.”

“Prime,” the Inspector’s back stiffened, “you've given me an idea. Rustle up that coroner, and make it snappy. If I can satisfy myself on one point [ll put my hand on that murderer within two minutes.”

The sergeant regarded the O.C., as though he’d suddenly lost his senses then, with a worried look, departed.

When the coroner appeared at their tem- porary quarters Inspector Duffus turned on him. “There are one or two points I'd like to get cleared up,” he rasped! “You ex- amined all these bodies carefully?”

“Of course,” came the frigid reply.

“Everyone of them!” the Inspector in- sisted.

“Certainly!” the coroner’s voice was icy.

“Well,” Duffus eyed him sharply, “I've a hunch about this case, and it all revolves around the wounds in John Lycheluk’s body. You remember, he'd a bullet wound in his forehead and another in his chest. At the inquest you stated that either wound would have caused instant death?”

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