"She admits having handed over the jewels to Lola, but she won't say a
word beyond that," he said. "She's as obstinate as a mule. I have told
the Duke something of where we stand, and he has agreed to take the gems
back without letting her know. It was a tough job, but I got him to see
at last that the girl might be implicating herself. He says he's never
heard of Petrovska."
"H'm." Foyle rubbed his chin vigorously. "I'll have a talk with the old
boy. See if you can get the Public Carriage Office to borrow us a
taxicab, and get Poole to drive it slowly up and down this street. If
she hails it when she goes out, well and good. If not, Bolt and you had
better follow her, and the cab will come after you so that you can use
it in emergency."
Green had done his work with the Duke and the lawyer with tact. Foyle
found his interview with them confined to evading questions that he had
no wish to answer. He dismissed them at last with the jewels in the
custody of the man of the law. Then he went straight to his prisoner.
"You can go," he said abruptly. "I shall ask you to be very careful,
however, Princess. If you are wise you will leave England at once."
"Why?" she asked, opening her blue eyes wide and gazing at him with
blank astonishment.
His voice became silky.
"Because, my dear lady," he said, "I feel that your career in England
may not be altogether without reproach. I shall try to find out a little
more about it, and if I get a chance, I warn you frankly, I shall have
you taken into custody. You are too mischievous to be allowed to run
around loose."
Her red lips parted in a scornful smile.
"Oh, you make me tired," she retorted. "Good-bye, Mr. Foyle."
"Pardon me," he said, and thrusting a couple of fingers into his
waistcoat pocket, fished out a piece of paper. "Do you know this
writing?"
She handed the piece of paper back to him with a shake of the head.
"No. I never saw it before," she retorted, and passed out.
But Heldon Foyle had her finger-prints.
CHAPTER XXII
Sir Hilary Thornton lifted his coat-tails to the cheerful blaze as he
stood with his back to the fireplace. Heldon Foyle, with the book which
he was giving his nights and days to compiling on the desk in front of
him, sat bolt upright in his chair talking swiftly. He was giving an
account of the progress of the investigation. Now and again he ran a
well-manicured finger down the type-written index and turned the pages
over quickly to refer to a statement, a plan, or a photograph. Or he
would lift one of the speaking-tubes behind his desk and send for some
man who had been charged with some inquiry, to question him on his
report.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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