“That’s a point to be looked up. But, I may tell you that Julie Baxter studied nursing before she took up telephone work.”
“H’m. Might be coincidence.”
“Of course it might. But we have to investigate coincidences. You don’t know of any nurse or ex-nurse in your uncle’s circle of friends?”
“Friends seems to me an inappropriate word.”
“Look here, Mr Bates, you let my choice of words alone, and answer my questions.”
“All right, I will. I don’t know of any nurse at all and I shouldn’t tell you if I did!”
“Not a very wise remark on your part, Mr Bates,” and Corson looked at him meaningly.
“I don’t care whether it’s wise or not. You make me disgusted with detective work! Why do you go around sneaking up on any woman you can hear of? Why don’t you go about it from the other side? Find a motive for the murder and then find the criminal who had the motive! Don’t suspect this one because she studied nursing and that one because the old gentleman kissed her! It isn’t a unique case, my uncle’s fancy for chorus girls,—but it by no means indicates the result of murder! Get the weapon, then find its owner. Get a clue,—a real, material clue, and then trace the criminal. Get some evidence,—actual, spoken or circumstantial,—and deduce your facts from it. For heaven’s sake, do some real detective work, and not just dance around questioning any kiddy-girl you happen to see!”
“Your words are not without reason,” and Corson gave Bates a peculiar smile. “Indeed, I had some idea of doing just what you suggest. But one of the first things to do in the hunt for evidence is to find out where your uncle was last night between twelve and two. You see, the people at the Magnifique say he sent the girls home by themselves and then soon after went off himself in the neighborhood of midnight. Next he’s heard of at two A. M. dying on the floor of the onyx lobby! Where was he in the meantime?”
“That’s truly a most important question to be answered,” said Richard, very seriously. “On that depends far more than on the frightened admissions or denials of a lot of excited young women.”