Mr. Handy wrote:
"Thank you," says Reverend Trask. "I should like to see the scene of the crime myself." He doesn't say so, but he doesn't have much faith in the constable's perceptive abilities, and the man doesn't truly know for what to look. The constabulary is ill-equipped to deal with a murder committed by a vampire.
As a member of the clergy, Reverend Trask is permitted to pay a visit to the undertaker's place of business where the young woman's body is being prepared for burial in the local potter's field, on the pretext of praying for her scarlet soul. Upon close examination, next to the large, open, slashed area on her throat there are two much smaller punctures, which have gone unnoticed, due to the proximity of the other wound. There are also barely visible bruises on what remains of the flesh of her neck, these being rendered nearly as pale as the rest of her skin, due to the extreme loss of blood. Nevertheless, this provides evidence that the act of strangulation was performed by someone with larger than usual hands.
Examining the scene of the crime, Reverend Trask discovers an earring, of cheap and gaudy making. It does not match the design of those worn by the dead woman as part of the allurements of her trade; and, in any case, her body still bears both of those. No, this must belong to someone else.
But who? The answer is not immediately evident, as Reverend Trask, disdainful of all vanity, pays no attention to the baubles with which members of the weaker sex foolishly decorate themselves. He must seek elsewhere for the identity of the wearer, and what role she might play in this mystery.