“That may be, but I don't see that it precludes the motive being the theft of my wife's diamonds,” said Carnthwacke truculently.
“You spoke of Mrs. Carnthwacke's being followed, and of the ‘follower’ assaulting Mr. Bechcombe and strangling him in the struggle. That rather suggests an accidental discovery of Mrs. Carnthwacke's errand to me,” John Steadman hazarded mildly.
“It doesn't suggest anything of the kind to me,” the American contradicted obstinately. “Of course somebody had discovered my wife's errand, what it was and what time she was to be there, and followed her there for the express purpose of getting them.”
“I should have thought it would have been easier to snatch them from Mrs. Carnthwacke than to get them from Mr. Bechcombe,” John Steadman went on, his eyes watching every change of expression in the other's face.
“You wouldn't have if you had heard the strength of Mrs. Carnthwacke's lungs,” Mr. Carnthwacke contradicted. “It would have been devilish difficult to get the diamonds from her. She only left the car at the archway, too, and she carried the jewels concealed beneath her coat. It would have been a bold thief who would have attacked her, crossing that bit of a square in front or coming up the steps to the office. No. It was a wiser plan to wait and take them from Mr. Bechcombe.”
“I don't think so, and I think you are wrong,” John Steadman dissented. “The most probable thing would have been for Mr. Bechcombe to have deposited the diamonds in the safe while Mrs. Carnthwacke was there. That he did not do so is one of the minor puzzles of the case. I cannot understand why he should put them in the cupboard pointed out by Mrs. Carnthwacke, and why he should call it his safe I cannot imagine. He might almost have intended to make things easy for the thief.”
“I wonder whether he did,” Carnthwacke said very deliberately.
His words had all the force of a bombshell. The other two men stared at him in amazement.
“I do not understand you,” John Steadman said at last, his tone haughty in its repressive surprise.
But Cyril B. Carnthwacke was not to be easily repressed.