"Nor I," agreed Hughes, "but I believe it is, all the same! I've a lot of confidence in Miss Clyde's intuition, or insight, or whatever you choose to call it. And I believe she's on the right track. I confess I can't see how, but I do think there may be some connection between this pin and the hidden jewels----" "But what good does it do, if we can't find it?" objected Lucille. "We will find it," declaimed Iris, her eyes shining with strong purpose, "we must find it. And if we do, we'll be indebted to these people for putting us on the right track." "They'll probably turn up again, pin-hunting," mused Mr. Chapin. "Let 'em!" said Iris, scornfully, "I'm not afraid of them. They're determined, Lord knows! But they're not dangerous." "They gagged you----" "But not in a ruffianly manner! No, I'm not afraid. If Miss Darrel will let me stay here a while longer, I believe I can ferret out----" "Stay as long as you like, dear child," and Lucille smiled kindly on her, "and I'll help you. I'm fond of puzzles, myself, and maybe I can help more than you'd think!" "Now, I want to go and see Win, and tell him all about it," Iris announced; "mayn't I?" "I think I can arrange that----" began Hughes; but Lucille said, "Not now, Iris, you must have some food first. Why, you've had no dinner at all, and it's after four o'clock!" "I'm not hungry," Iris insisted, but Miss Darrel carried her off to the dining room. "Mighty queer mix-up," Hughes said to the lawyer. "It is so, but I can't think there's any importance to that pin. These theories don't hold water." "I dunno's they do, but they've got to be looked into. That pin's safe for the present, I think, safer'n it'd be in a bank. That is, unless somebody was lookin' in the window. Miss Clyde was mighty careful to draw the shades in the other room, but she forgot it in here--and so did I." "Oh, there's nobody to look in. The house is so far back from the road, and none of the servants are of the prying sort." "That's all very well, but I believe in taking every precaution. Say, Mr. Chapin, has it ever struck you that Win Bannard might be in cahoots with these pin people?" "Winston? Good heavens, no! What do you mean?" "Well, nothing in particular, but you know I arrested Bannard because I thought he killed his aunt--and I've had no reason to change my mind." "How----" "Don't say 'how did he get out?' Just remember that the murderer _did_ get out, and we must find him first, and then he'll tell us how." "Oh, not Win Bannard!" "Then, who? Who else had motive, opportunity, and--well, you know his finances are in a bad way?" "No, I didn't know it." "Well, they are. And he told some of his pals in New York on Saturday night that he'd touch his aunt for five thousand on Sunday! How's that?" "Did he really?" "He really did. And we've more counts against him, too. Oh, Winston Bannard has a lot to explain! But I don't want to talk here. These are state secrets."