Page:Burton Stevenson--The marathon mystery.djvu/282

256 peat that a crime like this is as far beyond his horizon as it is beyond yours—farther, I’m sure, than it is beyond mine; and yet, I don’t believe you’d think me guilty, no matter what the evidence against me seemed to be.”

“I shouldn’t,” I said; “but if Drysdale isn’t guilty, who is?”

“If Drysdale isn’t, there’s only one other person who can be—that’s Tremaine. As I’m sure Drysdale’s not guilty, I’m correspondingly sure that Tremaine is.”

“But then,” I objected, “you’ve just said that there’s no evidence against him.”

“I said apparently there wasn’t.”

“And Delroy says he didn’t leave the house.”

“Delroy must be mistaken—must be, mind you! And while there isn’t any direct evidence, there’s some pretty good indirect. We know that Tremaine is a criminal and, therefore, capable of this crime; we suspect that he needs money, and the necklace would place him out of need for a long time to come; we know that he was within reach of the spot where the murder was committed, if he could get away from Delroy for an hour or so. In other words, we have a motive and the physical possibility of guilt. I may add that I think we shall find he had some reason to injure Drysdale—I’m sure we shall, in fact.”

“But the button—the pistol—Drysdale’s unexplained absence?”

“Those points can only be cleared up by. a personal investigation of the premises. That’s why we’re going to Edgemere.”