Part 2 (2/2)

Stoddard considered this a minute. Then he nodded.

”That seems reasonable enough,” he admitted.

I followed the amateur designer-owner of this madhouse down into the bas.e.m.e.nt. There we began our prowl for the source of the noise. He snapped on the light switch, and I had a look around. The boiler and everything else in the bas.e.m.e.nt was exactly as I remembered it--in the wrong place.

There was an array of sealed tin cans, each holding about five gallons, banked around the boiler. I tapped on the sides of these and asked Stoddard what they were.

”Naphtha,” he explained, ”for my wife's cleaning.”

”h.e.l.l of a place to put them,” I commented.

A familiar light came into Stoddard's stubborn eyes.

”That's where I want to put them,” he said.

I shrugged. ”Okay,” I told him. ”But don't let the insurance people find out about it.”

We poked around the bas.e.m.e.nt some more, and finally, on finding nothing that seemed to indicate a source of the sound, we went back up to the first floor.

Our investigation of pipes and other possible sound carriers on the first floor was also fruitless, although the sounds grew slightly stronger than they'd been in the bas.e.m.e.nt.

I looked at Stoddard, shrugging. ”We'd better try the second floor,” I said.

I followed him upstairs to the second floor. Aside from the crazy belfry just above the attic, it was the top floor of the wildly constructed domicile.

The sounds were distinctly more audible up there, especially in the center bedroom. We covered the second floor twice and ended back up in that center bedroom again before I realized that we were directly beneath the attic.

I mentioned this to Stoddard.

”We might as well look through the attic, then,” Stoddard said.

I led the way this time as we clambered up into the attic.

”Ever looked for your so-called rats up here?” I called over my shoulder.

Stoddard joined me, snapping on a flashlight, spraying the beam around the attic rafters. ”No,” he said. ”Of course not.”

I was opening my mouth to answer, when I suddenly became aware that the noises were now definitely louder. Noises faint, but not blurred any longer. Noises which weren't really noises, but were actually voices!

I grabbed Stoddard by the arm.

”Listen!” I ordered.

We stood there silently for perhaps half a minute. Yes, there wasn't any question about it now. I knew that the faint sounds were those of human voices.

”Good heavens!” Stoddard exclaimed.

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