“The fellow threw it in there,” said Alec wisely.
“Exactly. I expect he put the pieces in his pocket when he collected them, in order to chuck them away somewhere as soon as he got clear. Methodical sort of bird, isn’t he?”
“Yes,” Alec agreed, looking at Roger with some surprise. “You seem quite excited about it.”
“I am!” Roger said emphatically.
“Why? It’s what we expected, isn’t it? More or less. I mean, if the vase was broken and the pieces disappeared, it’s a pretty reasonable assumption that he threw them away somewhere, isn’t it?”
Roger’s eyes sparkled. “Oh, perfectly. But the point is where he threw them. Doesn’t it occur to you, Alec, that this place is not on the route between the lattice window and the quickest way out of the grounds? In other words, the drive. Also, doesn’t it occur to you that if he wanted to throw them where nobody would be likely to find them, the best place to do it would be that thick undergrowth on either side of the drive—especially as he would be passing along it on his way out? Don’t those points seem rather significant to you?”
“Well, perhaps it is a little curious, now you come to mention it.”
“A little curious!” Roger repeated disgustedly. “My dear chap, it’s one of the most significant things we’ve struck yet. What’s the inference? I don’t say it’s correct, by the way. But what is the inference?”
Alec pondered.
“That he was in a deuce of a hurry?”