“I wonder how she got here so soon?” remarked Chick. “You might go down and talk with the clerk,” said Nick. “I’ll wager that she came here after the assault on Maynard.” While Nick made a second and more searching examination of the room, Chick talked with the night clerk, who still insisted on hanging about the place. “The woman came here from the Grand Central Station in a carriage at seven-thirty,” said the clerk. “She registered from Chicago, as you see. No, there was no mail for her when the maid called. What other errand did she give the maid?” “None whatever,” replied the assistant. “At least none that we heard.” “Well,” said the clerk, “after making the inquiry at the desk, the maid went out to the café next to the reading room and talked with one of the waiters.” “You’ll not lose by giving out that information,” said Chick. Before the astonished clerk could make reply, Chick was upstairs in the room Nick was searching. “We are in a storm centre of the Great Diamond Syndicate,” said Nick, when informed of the acts of the maid. “This is a fine place to fish for clues.” “But how can the maid be in the employ of the syndicate?” asked Chick. “Up to this time the thieves have had no use for any one in this house.” “We’ll pass on that when the time comes,” said Nick. “See what I found in this room.” The detectives were standing in room 44. “Red hair,” said Chick. “Look at it with this glass.” Chick did so. “What do you find?” asked Nick. “Bleached,” was the short reply. “Exactly!” Nick took more red hairs from his pocketbook. “I find,” he said, “that these are from a wig.” “Where did you get those?” “In room forty-three, last night. They were in the brush and on the collar of the coat the murderer wore.” “And these hairs were found in this room?” “There on the carpet.” “And that means——” “That the woman who committed the murder came back here and tried to find out what was going on. She found the room deserted, and entered.” “There were two of them,” said Chick, pointing to a lock of black curly hair on the floor, “and one was a man, and Maynard grappled with him.” “Exactly,” said Nick, “and some one let her in, or let them in, rather.” “And that some one knew that Maynard was being murdered!” “It’s a puzzle,” replied Nick. “I can’t for the life of me see how the Great Diamond Syndicate got into action here so quickly.” “Money,” said Chick. “I guess the chief thief didn’t exaggerate much when he told me of the efficiency of his gang,” said Nick. The detective made a little package of the articles he wished to take with him, and the two descended to the office floor. The night clerk was nowhere in sight. The day clerk was all attention. “A strange thing has just happened,” he said. “Our night elevator boy was badly injured near here by the falling of a heavy jar from a high window. He had been out on some errand, it seems, and was returning.” “Do you know when he left the hotel?” asked Nick.