Page:Burton Stevenson--The marathon mystery.djvu/105

A Change of Lodgings added, “it’s them confounded artists, too lazy t’ walk downstairs. I’ll be back in a minute, sir.”

It took me but an instant to light my cigar, then I whirled my chair around to the table before which it stood. The table had a single drawer. I opened it. It was absolutely empty. I went quickly to the bedroom and opened the closet, but not even a piece of clothing hung there. Then I turned to the dresser, but its three drawers, too, were empty. Evidently all of Thompson’s belongings had been removed by the police. Of course they had searched through every nook and cranny; it was foolish of me to expect to find anything now.

I returned to my chair and looked again about the room. There was the corner where Miss Croydon had cowered, and from which she had shot at Thompson’s assailant; there was the spot where Thompson himself had fallen; he had lain extended on the carpet, while the … what was that? A tiny sparkle caught my eye, a reflection of the light overhead. I sprang from my chair and stooped above the place, but could see nothing. I returned to my chair, and again caught the reflection. This time, I marked it exactly in the pattern of the carpet, went to it carefully; put down my hand—nothing—yes, a little hard point pressed into the carpet, so minute I could not pick it up. I moistened my finger, and an instant later, under the light, I saw that I had found a diamond!

I wrapped it carefully in a scrap of paper and stowed it away safely in my pocket-book. Then I went back to my chair. How came the diamond there? A stone so minute must have been set in a