“Yes, of course,” said Chick. “He corroborated what Beckwith had told me.” “And he is the one man, the only one, who saw Gordon departing with a suit case, eh?” “What do you make of that?” questioned Chick, noting Nick’s subtle intonation. “Another devil’s gapway,” Nick dryly declared. “It was thought necessary by Deland to have it appear that Gordon carried away the money and bonds in a suit case.” “Ah, I see, now.” “With that object in view, Pauline Perrot artfully detained him in his office until all others had gone. If Gordon knew nothing about this foul business, however, it is safe to say that he had no suit case when he left his office. We know that he had none when he arrived here, or Miss Strickland would have informed us.” “Holy smoke!” cried Patsy. “In that case, then, Dayton must be one of Deland’s confederates.” “That’s the very point, Patsy,” said Nick. “By Jove, he should be watched, then,” said Chick. “There would be something in that.” “I think so, too,” Nick quickly agreed. “You return to town, therefore, and try to pick him up before he leaves his office. Get on his trail by some means, if possible, and don’t lose sight of him.” “Leave him to me, Nick.” “In the meantime, with Patsy to help me I have other fish to fry.” “You mean?” “The man with a dog--Ginger.” “Henley?” questioned Chick. “Why do you suspect him?” “First, because this evidence, if planted, was discovered so quickly after the seeming murder,” said Nick, pointing to the bloodstained articles. “It’s long odds that, in a genuine case of murder, it would not have been found within a few hours of the crime.” “That’s true,” Chick quickly admitted. “Second, because Henley is the man who found it, and he don’t look good to me,” Nick added. “He has a bad eye. Besides, he has been very careful when speaking of the discovery to attribute it to his dog, which convinces me that he fears suspicion, if he takes it upon himself.” “Gee! I thought of that,” declared Patsy. “You have hit the nail on the head, chief, for fair.” “I think that these crooks, in order to expedite matters and create a general belief that Gordon has murdered Pauline Perrot, planted this evidence and probably more, and immediately started Henley with it to inform the constable, aiming to get in their work on old Mr. Strickland as soon as possible. I saw that Henley was a bit set back when he discovered my identity and that I already was at work on the case.” “I noticed that, too, chief,” put in Patsy. “Henley decided to seize the bull by the horns, however, pretending he wanted to aid me, and I think he now has something up his sleeve,” Nick added. “I’m going to give him a chance to show his hand.” “How so?” Chick questioned.