"Somebody did," said Axel. He pulled his fingers from the valve. They
held a tiny piece of paper.
"But it could have been an accident," I said.
"There could have been enough air in the suit to keep him alive for
some minutes," Axel said. "What killed him was stale air--carbon
dioxide he'd exhaled. Somebody put that paper there to keep him from
getting air. Probably didn't know what was happening till too late."
I was no longer as suspicious of Axel. A murderer wouldn't be likely
to explain how he killed his victim but I had to be sure. "You didn't
answer me, Axel, when I asked how long you'd been in the locks."
He gave me a strange look. "You think I took your life line off the
ring?"