"Still, his coat not being buttoned would make it easier to steal the envelope, if somebody very clever got a chance to try."
"Perhaps. But O'Reilly could never have done such a thing. It would take a trained thief."
"Can people send off telegrams from those Limited trains?" Clo took up her catechism again.
"Yes, of course they can."
"Would there have been time for this O'Reilly chap to wire Chicago, after he followed you on board the train, and have a man meet him?"
"Yes, plenty of time."
"Well, what if he wired to some detective people, and told them to send him the 'smartest pickpocket in America'?"
"But ... the police couldn't ... wouldn't ... do such a thing!"
"I don't mean the real police," Clo explained. "Haven't you often read books about private detectives? I have. They might get reformed thieves to work for them. Can you remember what O'Reilly did next, after you both passed him on the platform?"
"No. I didn't look back."