“I feel that I am. It strikes me that Follansbee wouldn’t have taken the risks involved in this thing, especially after having had one brush with me, unless there had been a huge reward in prospect. Half a million or so would tempt almost any man who had any criminal tendencies, you know.” He paused, gazed into vacancy, and then added slowly: “To tell the truth, I’m not convinced that he would be content with your share of the proceeds from the sale of the mine. When the covetousness of a man like that once gets to working, there’s no telling to what length it may go. I shouldn’t wonder if he aspired to the possession of Stone’s share as well as yours.” CHAPTER XXXII. “THE MAN WHO NEVER LETS GO.” If Winthrop Crawford had been startled before, he was dumfounded now. “Great guns!” he ejaculated, rising up again and planting his hands on his knees. “Is it possible that you think the fellow is capable of trying to kill Jimmy, too?” “He’s capable of anything, Crawford, if he thinks it is safe. Figure it out for yourself. A demented man comes to him and gets into his power. Follansbee tempts him to unburden himself and makes a criminal proposition. He agrees directly or indirectly to lend the aid of his science for the carrying out of his patient’s murderous grudge in return for a substantial fee—twenty-five or fifty thousand dollars, let us say. Incidentally he learns that his patient has been named as the chief beneficiary in the will of the man whose doom is sealed. He naturally itches to get hold of that fortune, or a large part of it, and plots to do so. That’s the next step. But there are others—inevitable ones. “To the best of his knowledge,” the detective went on, “his poor, misguided tool carries out his instructions, and inoculates the other man with the active principal of some dread tropical disease. So far, so good—or so bad. What comes next? Why, the logical development, of course. The unscrupulous doctor has schemed in one way or another to benefit by the victim’s death, and now when that seems to be provided for, he realizes how completely the man who has actually done the deed is under his thumb.