Part 49 (2/2)
Now, to catch them we must walk delicately, like Scriptural Agag, and spring on them unawares.”
”Which way shall we look?”
”Take the Bakery men in turn. Crippen first, I should say.”
”Vail?”
”Vail's out of it. You see, he was in the elevator with Moore when it happened.”
”Unless Vail and Moore were the two men, and trumped up the whole story.”
”I don't think that. Moore's no criminal; he had no motive, and the whole weight of evidence and testimony goes to prove Moore truly interested in the solution of the mystery. He's worked harder on it than you know. I've watched him. No, Bob Moore is not the man! And that lets Vail out.”
”Well, then--but I won't suggest. You can dictate.”
”First let's get Zizi and tell her.”
The girl was summoned and when Wise told her what he had found her big, black eyes danced with delight.
”Who's the criminal, Zizi?” asked Wise.
”The man who married Molly,” she returned, promptly. ”Also the man who hunted and found the recipe. Molly saw him doing that, and made him marry her or she'd tell. If he could contrive a mock marriage of course he did. Or it may have been a real one. That doesn't matter. It's his ident.i.ty that matters. Two men! That man, then, and another.”
”Vail's out of it,” Wise informed her, and told why. ”Then, there's Crippen,----”
”No;” Zizi interrupted, ”don't go further afield. It's--wait a minute,--get Bob Moore in here.”
This was accomplished and Zizi did the interrogating.
Care was taken not to divulge the new evidence and when Zizi asked him to detail his actions at the exact time of the crime, the man wonderingly recounted his oft-told tale.
”Did Mr Vail seem about as usual when he was talking to you, going up in the elevator?” Zizi asked, casually.
”Yes, but very chummy and talkative, more so than I ever knew him to be before.”
”Yes? And did he detain you at this floor,--or did _you_ keep _him_, talking about the detective story you were reading?”
”Why, I don't know. Come to think of it,--I should say he detained me,--for he was so interested,--and, too, I never would have presumed to talk to him so familiarly if he hadn't egged me on.”
”Think back, now. Did he really keep you from going back by talking to you? Could you say he did that purposely?”
”I can say that may have been the case,” Moore averred, thinking hard.
”But he seemed really interested----”
”As he never had been before,” commented Zizi, and adding, ”and as he never has been since?”
”No; he's never been so chummy with me since. I've tried to talk to him about the Binney murder case, but he almost snubbed me,--at least he shut me off mighty quick.”
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