For a long time I gazed at the swollen features before I realised
what it was that fascinated and puzzled me about her. Kennedy,
however, after a casual glance had arrived at at least a part of
her story.
"That girl," he whispered to me so that her brother could not
hear, "has led a pretty fast life. Look at those nails, yellow and
dark. It isn't a weak face, either. I wouldn't be surprised if the
whole thing, the Oriental glamour and all that, fascinated her as
much as the drug."
So far the case with its heartrending tragedy had all the earmarks
of suicide.
XI
THE OPIUM JOINT
O'Connor drew back the sheet which covered her and in the calf of
the leg disclosed an ugly bullet hole. Ugly as it was, however, it
was anything but dangerous and seemed to indicate nothing as to
the real cause of her death. He drew from his pocket a slightly
misshapen bullet which had been probed from the wound and handed
it to Kennedy, who examined both the wound and the bullet
carefully. It seemed to be an ordinary bullet except that in the
pointed end were three or four little round, very shallow wells or
depressions only the minutest fraction of an inch deep.
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