“Absolutely. No doubt whatever.”
“Where was this—er—curio usually kept? Can you tell me that, sir?”
It was the secretary who answered.
“In the silver table in the drawing-room.”
“What?” I exclaimed.
The others looked at me.
“Yes, doctor?” said the inspector encouragingly.
“It’s nothing.”
“Yes, doctor?” said the inspector again, still more encouragingly.
“It’s so trivial,” I explained apologetically. “Only that when I arrived last night for dinner I heard the lid of the silver table being shut down in the drawing-room.”