"Unless he’s done it within these twenty-four hours, which is quite probable if a certain suspicion of mine isn’t far wrong." "Deduction," said Gunther, laughing. "Not entirely; and, besides, that’s not quite fair. It just happens that I may be interested in a couple of persons in your party from another tack. No, gentlemen; deduction’s all right, if it’s honest deduction and if you use it in its place; but the great thing’s motive. Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, get down to your motives and you get your criminals. Show me the person who needed to steal that ring, or who just simply had to steal it, and you’ve got your man." "But suppose that applies to two persons there, or even three," said Gunther, who perceived that the detective did not intend to commit himself. "Possibly." "Or it may be the hysterical act of a woman who will never attempt to sell the ring." "Possible—more than possible." "And then it will never be found." "That’s right." "But you don’t think that’s the case," said Gunther. "And you have an opinion." McKenna gave him a quick look of appreciation. "That’s right; but it’s not who took it, but why it was taken. In forty-eight hours I’ll know a little bit more about the habits of the ladies and gentlemen we’re dealing with, and then I’ll be more communicative." He paused, with a little pardonable pleasure in the mystification he was preparing, and added: "In forty-eight hours I’ll give you a little story about each of the persons who were at that party which’ll beat anything in the story-telling line you ever came up against. Now, Mr. Beecher, before we get down to questions, here’s one thing I want you to do. Find out from Mrs. Kildair what’s her detective agency. Say you’ve a friend who’s trying to track a valet for stealing and want a good address—see?" "You are not going to shadow the detectives?" said Gunther curiously. "You bet I am, till I know more about them," said McKenna. "Young man, I can tell you more than twenty cases I’ve been on where the detective who was called in to make a search went cahoots with the thief." "Detectives!" said Beecher, amazed. "You bet. I don’t trust my own, when I’ve got anything that’s got to be done right. I don’t trust any one man; I put two on it. My dear fellow, the crooks that pick your pocket or break into your house are only amateurs. The real criminal, the criminal of brains, joins a police force, becomes a detective, a clerk, goes slowly, gets to be a cashier or president of a bank. You think I’m joking. Not at all. Look here; just stop and think it over, and you won’t laugh. For every bank president who takes the funds of his bank, speculates, and _loses_, how many do you think win out and never get caught?" "That’s so," said Gunther thoughtfully.