Part 9 (1/2)
”Are you certain you put it in the clothes closet?”
”Positive. Where did you find it?”
”Never mind that just now. Do you keep your shoes in that closet?”
”I do. But why--”
”Will you kindly see if all of your shoes are there?”
The girl ran over, opened the closet door, and began an immediate examination.
”One pair is missing--a pair I use a great deal, too,” she said a minute later. ”Oh, Mr. Adams, what does this mean?”
”I don't know--yet. While you are at it, you might let me know if anything else is missing.”
Margaret began a close examination of everything in the closet, the detective watching her as keenly as he had before.
”She is either innocent, or else the greatest actress I've ever met,”
was his mental conclusion. ”I think her innocent, but the best of us get tripped up at times. If she is innocent, that evidence was manufactured to prove her guilty. If only I had followed that man up!
I might have learned something worth knowing.”
”Nothing else seems to be missing,” announced the girl, at length.
”Very well; then don't waste time by searching further. By the way, did you know Mr. Thomas Ostrello had arrived?”
”Yes; I told Raymond to telegraph for him. He used to call quite often to see his mother.”
”What about the other son--d.i.c.k?”
”I do not know where he is.”
”Didn't he come here?”
”He came once. But he is a dissipated young man, and I do not think my stepmother cared much for him.”
”But she did think a good deal of the one who is now downstairs?”
”Yes, although they occasionally had their quarrels, just as we had ours. Tom would plead for his brother d.i.c.k, who seemed to be always wanting money. Once my father took a hand and said his wife shouldn't give d.i.c.k a cent more, as he only squandered it.That made Tom angry, and he had a quarrel with my father, and after that when Tom came he would ask to see only his mother, although he and I remained on fairly good terms.”
”Tom was here the day before the tragedy?”
”Yes. I think he came to see his mother about some private business.
They had a long talk in her room, and she seemed to be quite excited when he went away. I don't know what it was all about. But, Mr.
Adams, are you not hungry, and won't you have a lunch?”
”Thanks, I'll take a bite.”