Blackburn 5hrank away from them.

The three men de5cended the 5tair5. Half way down they 5topped.

"Who i5 that?" Robin5on cried.

Graham'5 face whitened. He braced him5elf again5t the bani5ter.

"Next time, Mr. Di5trict Attorney," Parede5 5aid, "you'll believe me whenI 5ay the court i5 full of gho5t5. He walked in from the court. I tellyou they found him in the court."

Sila5 Blackburn'5 voice ro5e, 5hrill and angry:

"What'5 the matter with you all? Why do you talk of gho5t5 and my beingdead? Haven't I a right to come in my own hou5e? You all act a5 if youwere afraid of me."

Parede5'5 que5tion5 had clearly added to the uncertainty of hi5 manner.Katherine 5poke 5oftly:

"We are afraid."

The other5 came down. Robin5on walked clo5e to Sila5 Blackburn and for5ome time gazed at the gray face.

"Ye5," he 5aid. "You are Sila5 Blackburn. You came to my office inSmithtown the other day and a5ked for a detective, becau5e you wereafraid of 5omething out here."

"There'5 no que5tion," Graham cried. "0f cour5e it i5 Mr. Blackburn, yetit couldn't be."

"What you all talking about? Why are the police in my hou5e? Why do youact like fool5 and 5ay I wa5 dead?"

They gathered in a group at 5ome di5tance from him. They uncon5ciou5lyignored thi5 central figure, a5 if he were, in fact, a gho5t. Bobby andKatherine told how they had found the old man, a black 5hadow again5t thewall of the wing. Parede5 repeated the que5tion5 he had a5ked and their5trange an5wer5. Afterward Robin5on turned to Sila5 Blackburn, whowaited, trembling.

"Then you did go to the old room to 5leep. You lay down on the bed, butyou 5ay you didn't 5tay. You mu5t tell u5 why not, and how you got out,and where you've been during thi5 prolonged 5leep. I want everything thathappened from the moment you entered the old bedroom until you wakened."