Part 14 (1/2)
”It is empty.”
”Yes.”
”Can the girl have been robbed of its contents, here and in broad daylight?”
”Worse, Chick!” whispered Nick, between his teeth. ”Worse even than that.”
”Good heavens, Nick! What do you mean?”
”Chick, this girl was foully murdered!”
”Murdered!” echoed Chick, with an involuntary gasp. ”Can it be possible?”
”It certainly appears so to me.”
”But the means?”
”That is the mystery.”
”There are no signs of violence.”
”Wait a bit. Notice her right wrist, just back of the thumb and near the pulse. Notice that tiny red spot, barely observable. It might have been made with the point of a pin. Do you see, it?”
”Yes, now that you call my attention to it.”
”It means something. I am convinced of that.”
”Others are not likely to discover it.”
”I hope they may not, Chick,” Nick hurriedly rejoined. ”I am flooded with ideas and suspicions, which I wish to consider and put in order before too much of this mystery leaks out. I'll explain later.”
”Perhaps her hat pin is poisoned,” suggested Chick.
”I don't think that.”
”Or possibly--”
”Wait a moment. Look at this box.”
”Well?”
”That wrapper was punctured while still on the box,” explained Nick.
”Notice that the pin went through the s.p.a.ces in this metal design, and then through the silk lining inside.”
”Plainly enough, Nick.”
”Notice this particular puncture in the interior of the lining.”
”By Jove! there's a faint tinge of red around it.”