Page:Yellow Claw 1920.djvu/72

 “What of that?”

“Ann Fairchild was a former maid of Mrs. Vernon!”

“In short, it amounts to this, then: Mrs. Vernon, during these various absences, never went to Scotland at all? It was a conspiracy?”

“Exactly—exactly, Inspector! I wired instructing my agent to extort from the woman, Fry, the address to which she forwarded letters received by her for Mrs. Vernon. The lady’s death, news of which will now have reached him, will no doubt be a lever, enabling my representative to obtain the desired information.”

“When do you expect to hear from him?”

“At any moment. Failing a full confession by the Frys, you will of course know how to act, Inspector?”

“Damme!” cried Dunbar, “can your man be relied upon to watch them? They mustn’t slip away! Shall I instruct Perth to arrest the couple?”

“I wired my agent this morning, Inspector, to communicate with the local police respecting the Frys.”

Inspector Dunbar tapped his small, widely-separated teeth with the end of his fountain-pen.

“I have had one priceless witness slip through my fingers,” he muttered. “I’ll hand in my resignation if the Frys go!”

“To whom do you refer?”