“We lived together only a short time. I found out he was a small-time crook after we were married. I left him and changed my name and went to work in the chorus.

“I’d almost forgotten about Mace. About being married to him. Then, when Charles insisted that we get married as soon as his divorce went through, I realized I’d have to do something about Mace. I asked Lacy about it and he told me Mace was in the penitentiary on a long rap. I decided to come to Miami and get a quick divorce-no publicity-and Charles would never have to know.”

“Now,” said Shayne patiently, “we’ve finally reached Miami. I’m still wondering what drove you to the verge of suicide yesterday.”

“It’s Mace. He’s here. In Miami. He escaped from prison and found out about Charles and me. He followed me here. I came home one night last week and there he was in my apartment. He’s still there.”

“Finding out what he’s been missing all these years?”

Her eyes blazed at him. “It’s a terrible situation. I don’t know what to do. Mace wants money and he knows Charles Worthing is very wealthy. He refuses to let my divorce go through here without his entering a counteraction and making a lot of publicity.”

“That’d be a fool stunt,” Shayne grunted. “If he’s an escaped convict-”

“But he’ll do it,” she argued. “He’s vicious enough to do anything. He threatens to bring out all the truth about me in New York. There’ll be a scandal and Charles will know-he’ll realize I was just hired as sucker bait by his wife. He’ll never be able to believe I actually do love him. It’ll be-well, it’ll be the end of everything for me.”

“Turn your husband in,” Shayne growled. “All you’ve got to do is call a cop.”

“No! He’ll tell everything if I do that. Don’t you see,” Helen pleaded with trembling lips, “that he has the whip hand and I’m helpless?”

“What alternative does he suggest?”

“That I go ahead and marry Charles without getting a divorce from him. Then he’ll have a real hold on me-on both of us-and can bleed Charles for money the rest of his life.”